Y12 2023/24 - support, discussion and looking after each other

[BonjourCrisette]

GCSEs are over and we are beginning the next stage. Let's hope it's a bit less stressful than this summer has been! All welcome to discuss, share experiences and support each other as our children move into Y12/BTECs/apprenticeships and start a new phase.

I only read the GCSE threads right towards the end but we've been up to the college to register properly today. I wasn't sure whether to wait outside but she wanted me there and then all the staff told me to go along with her as we went to the different areas. Looked like about half were alone but the other half had parents, and even younger siblings with them.

Latest panic was that knowing the start date was 11th September we've booked a couple of days away next week. All for the purpose induction starts on the last of those days. She was worried sick about telling them so I did and they were so reassuring - no problem. She was convinced they were going to tell her off.

My DS went to enrol at his chosen college this morning. He was hoping to transfer from his initial choice of Level 3 Business, Sales & Marketing to the Level 3 Business extended diploma but was told a flat no. He was told the entry requirement for that course is 5’s in English and Maths and DS got 4’s. The lecturer told him the exams are ‘very hard’ and he should stick to his original choice.

I’ve just been chatting to a friend who’s DS got v similar results to mine, including 4’s in maths/English grades and he has been accepted on the Business course at a different college. It prompted me to have a look and just about every other college in our surrounding area just asks for grade 4’s. Is it worth asking again at his college? He really wants to go there as the others are quite a trek but I don’t understand why it’s the only one with a higher maths/Eng requirement for the same course? It’s not a particularly sought after college.

All getting very real now! DD completed the last bits of her subject set Summer Work today and then also discovered her timetable is online (was only expecting to get it at her Induction on Monday) - a bit 😱 that she has something timetabled every day and starts at 9am on four of the days 😅and has a lesson first thing and last thing on a Friday with a gap between (for independent study😴 not shopping!) 😵‍💫
Best get that alarm clock set up!! 😀

I’m just looking at colleges further afield and so far none of them are asking for 5’s!

Thanks for setting up this - I really came back to Mumsnet in the jittery run up to results day. DS1 has to go to a new place as school has no sixth form. He had several offers and met the scarily high requirements for all of them, and I think he was fairly clear that he was choosing between two:

(a) the large sixth form on the other side of the borough which is part of a school but takes a lot of external students (minimum 75), where quite a lot of his friends from his secondary school are heading. The school's GCSE students don't all stay there either as there are quite a lot of options in north London for students with high grades. He's always said that he thinks this is the one he prefers but he's still not quite sure. He was impressed when he went in to enrol

(b) the A level only sixth form college in a neighbouring borough - it's probably slightly further away but both are a two bus journey in the same direction from here. Several extended family members have positive things to say about their experience there but 20-30 years ago, and a friend's sister was less happy about support there.

He has enrolled at both and went to the first day - induction etc - at (b) - but came home saying it was all a bit boring

Both have pretty good outcomes for most students, but both are going to be very different from years 7-11 and he will have to work hard.

I will be happy if he settles on option (a) but am worried now that at first it will also feel a bit weird and that it will possibly take a few weeks to find his feet whichever.

@Inastatus I would ask college again and try and ask for co-ordinator/senior lecturer of the subject. I am sure they will consider. For BTEC diploma even in 6th form schools 4s are acceptable grades for core subjects Good luck!

What was his original course? Was it Level 2 in the same subject?

I can't say why there is variance between the colleges but depending on aptitude (which only you can judge) it's not the worst idea to spend a year on Level 2 then move on to Level 3. Some kids have more success that way.

For example my older DS applied for a Level 2 BTEC but got 1s & 2s in his GCSEs (he has significant SEN) so they would only let him on the Level 1. Which he managed to complete with support. He then moved to Level 2 but dropped out after 4 months because he couldn't keep up. If he'd gone straight to Level 2 he would have ended up with no qualification at all and probably would have been too disheartened to go back to Level 1.

Obviously your DS is more academically capable but in theory the same could apply if the step up is too great right at the start.

Only you know your DS of course but just something to consider and perhaps why this particular college has set those requirements.

Whatever he ends up doing I hope he has a great time. 😊

@OvaHere - his other course is also level 3.

@HHopeforb
Sorry to heat about your DD.
With SEN, it is always harder. She should be in a familiar place.
Any chance you can file an appeal?
I filed one yesterday via the link sent in our decline email.
But luckily the offer for DD came through a few hours later as she was accepted on other subjects for which she had the grades.
If I were you, I would definitely appeal
Good luck

@Inastatus maybe worth sending an email to double check. Our college were adamant my son couldn’t do level 3 and had to do a level 2 so I didn’t bother asking further. I did also look and some colleges elsewhere in the country would have allowed my son to do his level 3 course alongside an English resit and their entry requirements were also lower, I know it is annoying.
Could it also be that there seems to be different certification at level 3. For example:
Level 3 Extended Certificate is worth one A-level, while a Level 3 National Diploma is worth two A-levels. The BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma is worth three A-levels.
I hope that your DC finds a course that they are happy and successful in.

That is a bit strange then. Perhaps this college have historically had a lot of students dropping out of that particular course so they raised the grades.

Maybe it's worth a trek to a better college?

@Sadtimes1 - thank you. I think it’s worth a call to double check.

Thanks for starting the thread.
DS is tidying his room as I type so he's organised for college. He's cleared out his year 11 exercise books and paperwork.

@OvaHere - thanks. Yes it’s a bit odd. I think I’ll give them a call just to check it out.

@Sadtimes1 yes DD will be retaking at school in November. @DarkChocHolic grades for other subjects are low. School didn't even send us an email of declining offer because they only decide to offer BTEC after results are out. Did your DD have grades 5s in other subjects?

@Inastatus Sorry that your DS is having problems sorting out his course. Is the Business diploma actually assessed differently there from the course he's enrolled for, or from the ones at other colleges. Has the course with Sales and Marketing not been successfully marketed, do they need more students on that one for it to run? Are there vacancies on the one he wants to change to?

Thank you for the new thread!

Ds has enrolled for the 6th form at school and is looking forward to it as much as he ever looks forward to school, as in not much. But he's delighted that he can give up all the rubbish subjects he doesn't like, and has free periods. He thinks that is a definite improvement on the last 11 years. 🤣

Thanks for the thread @BonjourCrisette, and lovely to "see" everyone. I'll be looking forward to hearing how everyone's new adventures unfold.

DC has enrolled onto A levels at college - we don't have school based sixth forms in our borough. There's an induction day on Thurs, but college doesn't actually start until the 11th. It's a good job really, as she hasn't done any of the reading, instead choosing to prepare for an audition from which she's highly unlikely to get anything back. But it will be done tomorrow, so hopefully on Sunday her thoughts will turn back to academia.

@Hopeforb so sorry to ask so many questions but I am a bit confused. Is your DC going to college but doing the resit at school? The college my DS is enrolled in didn’t go into much detail about the resit and he hasn’t even got a timetable for his English lessons only his course.

I've tried to talk to DS1 about bridging work but it does seem a bit tricky to start that before deciding where to go - he's doing the same combination of subjects so lots of Maths problems, suggested books, links to Philosophy texts that are available online, but also some suggestions for films, podcasts etc. No uniforms and he prefers to choose his own clothes and shoes but I'm expecting to have to organise some stationery etc. One college takes a book deposit and the other an equipment deposit, so I'm hoping that will cut down on what we have to buy other than paper, pens, calculator, and that DS is better at not destroying his calculator and other basic stuff than than he was in year 7

@Sadtimes1 it's absolutely fine to ask. I think that's the reason we all are here😊. School is offering November resit for internal students. College resit will be next year with GCSE students so that college can provide enough support. Its part of a package including BTECH and resit Core subjects. God forbidden if DD cannot clear in November then can still retake in May/June next year.

@elkiedee - I’m going to have a good look to compare over the weekend and will send an email to the Head of Business to ask. I’m wondering if it is to do with numbers.

@elkiedee I’m sure your DS will get settled. I image there’s a lot of movement in the first few weeks, be it changing A level combinations or changing institution completely.

DD surprised me last night by showing she has researched university courses in depth and put herself a "life plan" together for the next few years. She cannot wait to get started next week.

DD was doing some bridging work yesterday, there’s quite a lot of it. She had said she wanted to not start any of it until after the results in case she hadn’t got the required grades for her first choice 6th form as one of her subjects is only offered there. Anyway, I think she has done most of it now. There were quite a lot of books on the list across the three subjects which I bought earlier in the summer second-hand as I worked out they would have cost more than £300 if bought new.

We are going bag and stationery shopping tomorrow. Or at least I will dispatch DD and her younger brother around the shops and I will wait somewhere with a coffee. No uniform for DD any more so she may need a few tops or something.

Hope everyone has a good start to the new term. DD starts on Tuesday with 3 days of induction and lessons starting on Friday.