No GCSE No level 2 course

[Bythemillpond]

Posted about this before but just moved to a different area and found the same issues.

Ds left school at 16 with 1 GCSE in Maths.
Anything that involved writing he failed abysmally at all exams.
He has ADHD (going through assessment atm) dyslexia and dysgraphia (even he can’t read his own handwriting)

At the time he was able to get onto a level 2 trade course which he passed with flying colours, top of his class, with a near perfect average score in all his assessments and exams. (All of his class were in the same position).

He went to sign up to level 3 and was told (like the rest of his class) that he couldn’t do level 3 without his English GCSE.

Ds has no chance of getting this exam but he was told he could still take it again alongside a level 1 course so he decided to do a level 1 course in something that complemented the trade course he had taken. (Multi skills plastering, bricklaying, decorating type course)
He started the course but it was so basic. He had done a lot of the stuff previously when he had helped out with decorating, plumbing in a bathroom etc. One classroom based lesson he finished the booklet which was supposed to take the year in one lesson.

Just as a bit of background neither his father or I have an English qualification. His father is a qualified professional. It didn’t seem to matter years ago which O levels you had as it was done on numbers rather than specific subjects.

I have taken an English qualification 7 times and have never got more than unclassified no matter how hard I tried. I always put it down to living in a household where English was not a first language. My df and a couple of uncles were illiterate, most probably because of dyslexia but as English was not their first language and they were able to run a business or get work it wasn’t really a problem.

My issue is that I have been told on here that there are areas of the country that you can do level 2 or level 3 whilst doing English/Maths alongside the course

Ds would like to try another practical/trade course. Even just level 2. He is 19 now so would be going in an adult course.
Where are these areas that allow you to do a level 2 course without an English GCSE

He is willing to move to be able to access the course.

Adult courses differ slightly, if he gets in touch with the college and explains how he’s affected by his ADHD etc they could see a way of getting him on the course even if he hasn’t got all the qualifications they ask for. No harm in trying.
Apprenticeships are a great way of learning a trade on the job
So much out there.

What we found with apprenticeships when he finished his level 2 trade course was if you didn’t have the academic qualifications then you couldn’t get an apprenticeship

At this stage I don’t think he wants to do an apprenticeship as he wants to do the course because he is interested in working for himself (he is self employed atm) and he sees how useful this skill would be.

Ds reminds me of my grandfather who had an almost photographic memory when it came to anything to do with machinery/engineering etc.
He would look up in a book in a library on how to change an engine on a Land Rover or how to put in the plumbing for an indoor bathroom and then go via the scrap metal dealers, get the parts and then do it himself

He too couldn’t pass an exam in English or anything else (I suspect he was also dyslexic and had ADHD) but had an encyclopaedic knowledge of how stuff was built and put together.

I was hoping for those that said I was mistaken and you could do a level 2 course without certain GCSEs would come on and tell me the area you live in.

Also GoingOutOutNEVER yes there is so much out there but from our experience particularly over the last couple of years. The “so much out there” comes with strings attached.
Ds got so demoralised applying for apprenticeships and even work in warehouses or shops etc and not hearing anything back or getting rejection letters in the case of when he was applying for an apprenticeship that said he needed a full driving licence which he couldn’t have got as he hadn’t reached his 17th birthday.

He is going to call the local colleges to see if he is going to be able to get on an adult course. Not holding my breath because friend (who lives in this area) couldn’t sign up for a course on flower arranging because of her lack of GCSEs a couple of years ago.

My knowledge may be out of date but my partner teaches an apprenticeship subject and for the kids who don't have a grade C (or whatever the new style grading is) in maths and/or English they used to complete something called Key Skills. Might be worth looking into? They used to have a lot of students with English as a second language and an English GCSE wasn't in reach for some of them. Key Skills just assessed you at a basic level and they were able to do it alongside the apprenticeship.

Have a look at functional skills - it’s a Level 2 alternative to GCSE

Ditto Functional Skills.
Also, look at additional accommodations, if he has a diagnosis of dysgraphia then he could be eligible for using a computer in exams or extra time or even a scribe.

He can do Functional Skills instead. Ask for an assessment for Dyslexia and apply for extra time, a reader and a scribe for exams

We have found that Functional Skills is only open to adults who pay for the course alongside any other courses they might take.
At 19 having already taken a level 1 or 2 course you have to pay full fees in order to access other courses
Local college is £5,500 to do the Level 3 course. But as he doesn’t have an apprenticeship he wouldn't be able to access the course anyway as when he got his level 2 qualification he couldn’t progress to level 3 and an apprenticeship because he didn’t get his English GCSE

The only people I know who are in DS’s position who have progressed have either family or close friends who are self employed in the trade and take on family members/friends children as an apprentice

None of is peer group that passed the level 2 course were eligible to do the level 3 course because they all were in the same position as Ds in not having both English and Maths GCSE
I can’t think that they were all completely incapable of doing the level 3 course and qualifying.
I did ask what would happen if he failed a Functional English exam but gained flying marks in the trade.
Apparently he would still remain unqualified until at such time he passed an English exam.
I have spent months just trying to get round the rules and regulations and still coming up empty handed.

My uncle was illiterate and was qualified in this trade. My Dh has a degree in law but no English O level. He passed a string of other O levels.
So frustrating

He was lucky to get on the level 2 course at 16 and he really enjoyed it because it was something that he got. To him half of the subject was applying logical thinking and understanding the technical side of the course which made learning everything else so much easier
He just got it.
Just because he can’t analyse a poem or answer questions on a story or peoples feelings (I looked at one of his primary school comprehension tests when he couldn’t read or write and was trying to help him do his homework and I was at a loss as to the answer

I took a Functional English exam years ago and failed it. It isn’t a given that you pass.

@Bythemillpond

I was hoping for those that said I was mistaken and you could do a level 2 course without certain GCSEs would come on and tell me the area you live in.

I'm in Stoke on Trent and you can do Level 2 & 3 alongside GCSE English & Maths re-takes at our local FE college. One of ds's friends is doing Level 3 Btec Perfoming Arts alongside GCSE Maths (he does have 4/5 other GCSE's at Grade 4 & above though) and we have had apprentices who were able to take Level 2 plumbing courses alongside GCSE English retake. If you have Grade 3 English you do English re-take. If you have Grade 1/2 then its Functional Skills.

Your son's issue might be the fact he only has 1 GCSE. To get onto a Level 2 course at our local college you need to have passed 4 GCSE's at Grade 3 or above. But his current Level 2 trade qualification would count towards that.

I teach in a sixth form college and we do BTEC/Applied general courses at level 2 and 3. A student without Maths and English would come on to the level 2 course usually but then could progress on to level 3 without having passed as long as we as teachers agreed it (and we always do). I have students in their third year now still sitting their maths and English…! Unfortunately these are the less practical of the vocational courses (media/health and social/sport rather than trades-based things) but it’s definitely possible.

Local colleges here have volunteers to help those who need it pass an English or maths exam - it’s 2 hours a week and the exams are paid for.

I’ll just find the exam DS did, it was coarse work based and a full English GCSE which he passed.

www.cambridgeinternational.org/programmes-and-qualifications/cambridge-igcse-9-1-first-language-english-0990/

This one, see if you can find somewhere that does this coarse or ask where he studied if they’d consider doing it - after all it affects an awful lot of their students.

Where abouts are you op?

My understanding is that all English and Maths courses are free until the student achieves a L2 FS or a GCSE grade 4 or above.

I teach GCSE to Adults and that is definitely the case in Newcastle and at all of the sites we own across the country

The only change this year is that if non-home students haven't lived in the country for 3 years they have to pay.

Ok I've just looked at this one which says GCSEs OR a level 2 qualification:www.bcot.ac.uk/subject-areas/construction/AP18

No idea if this is anywhere near you, but you may just have to check every college and every level 3 apprenticeship.

This one also says "or equivalent": www.farn-ct.ac.uk/course/apprenticeship-standard-engineering-technician/APL3ET/

And you may want to look at this: www.equivalencytesting.com/

Did he resit English GCSE or do L2 Functional Skills while he was doing the level 2 course?

Our local FE colleges offer adult (19+) part time Functional Skills courses (from Entry Level to L2) either during the day or as evening classes. They aren't always free unfortunately - it depends on circumstances. Things do get harder once you are an adult, unfortunately.

That does not sound correct re. Functional Skills. If he has diagnosed SEN then does he qualify for a scribe, rest-breaks, laptop use? Any EHCP? He will need an English pass to make any progress but it is free until he passes level 2 and there should be relevant support put in place.

What about courses like these - they are Level 2, and include enough maths and English embedded in the course to allow students to get to GCSE level, apparently. (Though at least one of them does require GCSE maths as an entry requirement).
www.camre.ac.uk/courses/construction-trades/

If he was 19 by September 1st Further Education or an Adult Education provider can offer Functional Skills funded by the government. Check your LA website for who has the contract to deliver it locally or a national organisation ie www.wea.org.uk may do so in the community.