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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

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Original poster

Can DS do A levels at two different colleges?

15 replies

hayleybeach · 07/09/2019 13:18

A clash of the A level timetable means my son, who is just about to start 6th form, can't do business studies and computer science A levels. He's staying on at his school's sixth form and also doing Maths.

They won't budge and recommend he do economics or psychology instead which he has no enthusiasm nor aptitude for.

Rather than just do any A level for the sake of it (and possibly not get good grade or pass) is it possible to do say business A level at different college or school? (as long as it didn't clash again) eg our local FE.
Can't see why not in theory, but never heard it being done before.

Anyone any experience with this? Annoyed about the clash in his sixth form.

OP posts:

endofacentury · 07/09/2019 13:35

Not sure, but couldn't he move somewhere that could accommodate all of his choices?

lazylinguist · 07/09/2019 13:36

It seems a bit unlikely that it would be possible timetabling-wise tbh.

superram · 07/09/2019 13:40

Some of our schools are in a consortium. He can’t be funded at both so one would not be funded. Unless his ‘main’ centre will send funding to the second one it is unlikely they will take him. His results would only count at one centre too. I can’t see it to be honest. However, I know of a school that is paying for an online course and timetabling the student 2 hours a week with a real teacher in school.

june2007 · 07/09/2019 13:45

Yes I did an evening class gCSE as well as being at college.

MoederVanEen · 07/09/2019 13:55

@june2007 Did you have to pay for your evening class though?

Ariela · 07/09/2019 14:31

I'd suggest he actually speaks to the Economics teacher, and finds out more of what the course is about. My daughter had exactly the same scenario - couldn't do Business Studies due to timetable clash - and it was only when she spoke to the Economics teacher and discovered it was actually more interesting that she thought but also she liked the teacher too that she decided to go for it, a decision not regretted because she got an A.

Original poster

hayleybeach · 07/09/2019 15:33

I hadn't thought about the funding tbh. It's a private school so complicates the issue.

OP posts:

Berthatydfil · 07/09/2019 15:40

Yes he could but there would be potential timetabling clashes and funding issues although as he hasn’t got a state funded place that might be an issue.
Evening classes on online studies might be an option and he could sit the exam as an external candidate.
There may also be problems down the line with uni applications with more than one setting.
However I would be looking for a solution that allows him to do his chosen subjects with a single setting.
I agree about the economics suggestion particularly as he’s doing maths

Comefromaway · 07/09/2019 15:48

Way back in the day a friend did an extra A level by evening class. I don’t know how it wS funded though.

My dd didn’t want to do any of the options in the final column so she is self studying for an A Level, she attends a weekly tutorial with the teacher who teaches that subject for GCSE. It’s going well so far. She got a B in her AS.

june2007 · 07/09/2019 16:02

Don't think so, might have dne but it was a long time ago.

berlinbabylon · 07/09/2019 17:05

When I was at a school sixth form, some people did psychology A level at the local technical college and their other subjects at sixth form. But I suppose the funding was completely different back then.

Have you looked at the choice of subjects available elsewhere to see if his chosen combination would work there?

Original poster

hayleybeach · 07/09/2019 20:24

Thank you everyone. We have turned down other settings in favour of staying on at school. Really wants to stay with friends and teachers etc. Not great with change in general so thought best he stay in same setting.

However, if it comes at a price of him doing A levels of his choice (and doing well in those) we may have to talk him round.

If only the school could change the timetable... seems to be no simple answer. In your opinion how important is it to do an A level you enjoy/interested in?

OP posts:

berlinbabylon · 07/09/2019 20:27

I think it's very important to do A levels in subjects you are good at and interested in.

But I've read your OP again and seen that your ds is doing Maths. Is Economics really not an option instead of Business? I didn't do it because I thought it would have too much Maths in it but if he has enough aptitude to do Maths A level I would have thought he'd cope well. Maths, Economics and computer science go together really well.

StanAndMe · 07/09/2019 20:30

I don’t think they’d be able to, no

Myusername2015 · 07/09/2019 20:30

Agree with the above; I teach both business and economics and a lot of our students choose both. He may well find (especially alongside maths A level) he enjoys economics.

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