BTECs Your views

[Blessthekids]

My dd1 has more or less decided she wants to take a BTEC extended diploma in music rather than do 3 A-levels. This will mean leaving her school, a very good one and going to a college. I support her decision but am still nervous so I would like to hear from those who have kids doing or completed BTECs. Did your children find them enjoyable and challenging, did it get them onto a good University course or into a their chosen career? What are your honest views positive or negative? Thanks

I’m almost certain that’s what my son is going to do. The Btec will suit his talents and aspirations more than A Level music and will prepare him for the degree courses in that area.

Dh teaches on a professional musical theatre degree. Many of the graduates from last year are now working in the industry, and at least half if not more of his students came from a Btec route.

Thanks @Comefromaway, that's good to know. Have just booked tickets to see that musical!

It was fantastic, best show I've seen yet (and believe me I've seen a lot!)

Has she any idea what kind of thing she wants to move onto. Perhaps go backwards and look at potential degree and diploma courses and see what their entry requirements are.

I've been researching places like LIPA and BIMM for ds if he goes the composition/music technology/arranging (most likely) route or actor singer courses such as Hammond, GSA, Trinity Laban if he goes the MT route.

Dh trained at a classical conservatoire and dd is training as a dancer/musical theatre performer so very different routes.

@Comefromaway We are looking forward to it. We also love musicals a lot!!!

Yes, she has very concrete ideas, we've been to visit institutions in London and she's attended summer courses in some of these places. She's very keen on production. Wow your family sound very musical.

Any other parents with children who have completed BTECs? Love to hear your views

Can I ask what kind of places she is looking at as they may be suitable for ds to consider too. We know a lot about Musical theatre and classical music but the tech/production/composition/pop side of things are a bit new to us.

In London - BIMM, ACM, ICMP and London college of music (part of UWL). This is off top of my head so may have missed a few.

We went to a university fayre and was surprised at how many place offered this type of course including University of Liverpool, Hull and Bath.

Thanks for that, I'd not heard of ACM before and had forgotten ICMP.

Check out Salford. My son did the Popular Music and Recording degree there and it was the making of him. He did A levels but would probably have suited a BTEC in Music if there'd been one available. He went on to the NFTS to do an MA in Composing and now works in that field. Every one of his friends at Salford now works in music in one way or another, which I think is a great sign.

That's good to know @HollowTalk

My son is currently doing a BTEC in Engineering and is loving it. He has always excelled at classwork and struggled with the pressure of exams. It is hard work and he has had to be consistent from the start, there is no slacking with a BTEC as every lesson and assessment counts towards your final grade. I am really happy though because he is happy, I would recommend it.

A BTEC in what? I used to teach on a BTEC h&sc in FE. Happy to answer questions.

Thanks @HappySonHappyMum. Thanks for your insight. And glad to hear your DS is doing so well.

@decormad38 - I'm interested in parent's experiences of BTECs rather than a specific subject. Did you feel your BTEC helped get most of your students to the next step whether work or University? Do you think BTECs are as challenging and well regarded as A-levels? I have been called 'brave' for letting my DD choose a BTEC? 😂🙄

I think they are more challenging! My son has several friends who are doing A levels who are expected to do untimetabled additional work outside of their A level lessons and aren't - a level of independent learning comes after GCSE and not everyone is ready for it. My sons course is broken down into modules that cover different topics within the overall heading of Engineering, broadly covering maths, physics and practical engineering. There are practical assessments, written coursework, experiments, drawing - all of which are assessed within each topic, they are marked and create his final grade at the end of the year with no exam. They are varied which keeps up the interest and gives him a broad base in his overall subject allowing him to choose a speciality at a later stage. He has to be consistent throughout the year, no slacking off at all or he'll fail a module and it will affect his final grade. If you are considering a specific type of BTEC that would suggest that you have a more 'practical' mindset and are probably going to want to continue down the same route to Uni so these courses give a good base for those type of degrees. Employers also want practical skills these days, things are changing. My son earnt himself a Saturday job purely because of the BTEC he is studying. I've also found from a personal point of view that I had forgotten that when I transitioned from GCSE to A Level that was when my friends started to take different paths that were a good fit for them. As for being brave I'd rather have a son who is enjoying his learning, getting new skills and experiences in a subject he enjoys than a son who is being forced to take subjects just because they are A Levels that don't suit him at all. If that's brave - then good on him - bring it on!!

@HappySonHappyMum

I think parents round my area are very A-Level orientated and most have no real idea what is a BTEC (not joking) hence then occasionally saying I am brave to let her do a one. Its like I've agreed to let her go on a solo expedition in the Amazon rain forest .
I agree with you and I am sure my dd is doing the right thing for her future choices. Its good to hear about your DS and I hope I will be saying the same things about my DD this time next year.

I hope so to! Your DD sounds like she knows what she enjoys and would like to do in her future. Choosing a path that will give her options in this field sounds like a no-brainer to me. The opportunity to meet like minded people is invaluable in that sort of field. I wish her success

My friend’s DS started with A levels including music A level but hated it so much after a year he was in tears when his parents suggested he finish them. He’s a talented drummer and he transferred to a music BTEC. He then went on to a college in Guildford to do a degree level drumming course and is now making a living as a drum tutor while drumming in a couple of local bands.

My DS2 also did an extended diploma in software but he has ASD and very little work ethic so was happy to just cover the pass material with a few merits. But he still did better than he would have at A level.

One of his friends did an engineering BTEC, put the effort in and got D D D and is now at Portsmouth uni doing an engineering degree.

You won’t get into a Russell group uni, but if that’s not your ambition the BTECs at a good college are a fine alternative to A levels.

My biggest problem has been the quality of the tutors/teachers has been variable. Funding in further ed, sixth forms and colleges, is absolutely dire. Sixth form and further ed colleges separate from schools are in a very poor financial state.

Dd did a mix: 2 A-levels (3 AS levels) and one BTEC (in acting). The BTEC was at least as challenging (though she did extremely well.

Ds is doing the Uniformed Services BTEC programme, which seems to be good for him. Won't lead to Russell group entry, but then ds doesn't really want to go to uni anyway, so hardly a problem.

I worked in FE. BTECs are absolutely not as challenging or well-regarded as A levels. She will be working alongside students who didn’t get high GCSE grades.

She’s not going to get into the high-ranked universities but it sounds like you’re doing your research and she’ll be OK with a BTEC for the courses she is interested in?

BTECs assignments are graded Pass, Merit and Distinction and the overall result (depending on the specific qualification) will be something like DDD, DMM down to PPP. UCAS points will depend on the grades so check that out for her desired courses. If she’s an able student she should be aiming for all Distinctions. She will be in a class with a wide range of abilities including some students who will be struggling to reach the Pass grades. She may find this tiresome. She will need to be patient and independent.

On the other hand, FE colleges can be much more relaxed than schools and sixth form colleges and students often enjoy the freedom to pursue their specialist interest in an environment which is nearer to the university experience than school.

BTECs are designed to evaluate students in a more practical than academically way. It is the best choice for some people but perhaps not if you are aiming at more reputable universities were a full BTEC national diploma won’t be accepted or will be given the value of a single A level.

Obviously, all the mess in my spelling is not due to English being my fifth language but to the fact I should be sleeping rather than posting in Mumsnet at this crazy hour. Night night 🙂

Hedda, depends on which A-levels and which BTEC. The OP's dd is thinking of a BTEC in Music which is likely to be quite hands-on/teach a slightly different skills set from an A-level.

My dd did A-level Drama and a BTEC in Acting; she definitely felt the BTEC demanded more work and has been more useful to her since.

And it's not every gifted student who finds less academic students tiresome to be around or demanding patience. Dd who was identified as gifted at an early age couldn't give a toss as long as they are hard-working and engage with the subject.

If (as the OP's posts suggest) her dd is thinking of a career in theatre production, I wouldn't have thought only being able to work with people exactly like her would be much of a recommendation (though have to say, OP's dd doesn't sound like this at all).

I'm a teacher not a parent.

BTECS are fab for practical subjects. I taught Health and social care, most students went on to be nursers or other jobs in healthcare, they started uni with work experience, knowing how to reference and knowing how to pace assignments / work continuous assessment, these were their advantages over A Level students.

I would much rather be treated by a student nurse with a BTEC than one with A Levels.

I would have thought for Music then the uni admission process would include an audition or two. BTEC allows for exploration of more 'subjects' giving a broader range than those who take A Levels who tend to have a deeper but more narrow range of skills.

BTECs have been around in one form or another for many years, I did A Levels in VI form and BTEC as day release, my grandfather did an HND in the 1950s.

Another advantage of BTEC is that if you go down the HND/HNC route and then top up to a degree you are already used to the marking system and the way the course is set up.

Thanks for all your posts which have made for interesting reading. I will definitely impress upon her the view that the BTEC requires a lot of work. She thought she might also do one A-Level alongside it but am unsure how practical time wise this idea would be.

Erm... I really don’t want to out myself saying what I do for a living but I would disagree about having to work as hard. In 5 years checking BTEC certificates, I have only seen one pass (I honestly thought they didn’t exist), a handful of merits and hundreds and hundreds of distinctions.

BTEC graduates seem to struggle somewhat more in academic settings than those who get A levels, as the style of teaching/assessment at university is closer to A levels than BTECs.

With this in mind.. I confess I made my best to ensure DS stayed away from BTECs, but then... he wants to read science so I thought that doing a BTEC would force him in the direction of a foundation year which would come at an extra £9,250 and that is before considering an extra year of living expenses away from home.

It is not that BTECs are bad, but before taking a decision, I think you need to consider your DD’s plans for the future to ensure she takes the best route to get her there, well prepared to tackle the challenge.