Ds struggling to pass gcse in college

[Misschattyx]

Hi all I need some advice please. My ds failed gcse in school due to him struggling. The school didn't help my ds at all even though he needed the help. He started college level 1 and was diagnosed with dyselxia and working memory decifit and help was put in place and he was getting better and passing mocks. He resat his English 4 month's after starting college and failed. He resat both maths and english in may and just informed me he's failed again. He's absolutely gutted. He's passing all practical in his course and computer exams.

Now previously we were told he has 3 attempts at each to pass and if he fails 3 times he cannot continue with the course but his tutor told me that he teaches level 3 students who still haven't passed exams therefore it doesn't matter. Now I don't know what's true and not. My ds is worried about his future and so am I. What happens if he fails for the last time. He has 1 more attempt at English and 2 in maths. Please help from a worried mum. Thanks

He can resit in November. They do accept some students on to level 3 while resitting but need grade 4 or above to get the award. Is he a narrow fail? Would Functional Skills level 2 be a better option?

Different colleges have different rules.

The last one I taught on would put students through the GCSEs at every opportunity even if the students are not ready.

If he doesn't pass and the college say he won't be put through GCSE again then he has the option of sitting privately, asking the college to enter him if you pay for the exams or of taking functional skills.

He doesn’t need his English and Maths to be awarded his Level 3. If he passes that, he gets the Level 3. It’s separate.
College have their own rules about resitting, so it would be up to them. Does he have a student hand book? Info should be in there or somewhere similar.
Try and get him moved onto Functional Skills - it is often much better for students struggling with GCSE.

Thankyou for all replies. He's currently going into level 2 so can resit again in the summer they said. It just seems like I get told one thing by one tutor then another by his main tutor. His main tutor has said that all his practical is passed and online exams passed for level 1 it's just his maths and english. He was getting grade 2 in both maths and english and his grade in English today is a 3 so he is going up but maths still a 2. They have said they can put on extra boosters aswell. He's absolutely gutted.

My worry was that if he does well on level 2 and passes everything there again then only maths and english are standing in his way. He is doing plumbing and gas if that makes any difference.

My friends DD has finished college with her qualifications now and she's tried to pass her GCSE math four times (last two times it was functional math). It hasn't stopped her progressing though I always thought math was required. She did health and social care.

Having dyslexia in the family I'd suggest sitting one at a time, tutoring to each exam and or looking into sitting privately as an IGCSE as they are designed for those students who's first language isn't English (much better for those with learning difficulties)

With a grade 2 in maths he would be able to do the functional skills maths. My daughter has just failed her maths again (with her score she would have passed based on last years grade boundaries!) but moving of the goalposts is a whole other rant. She asked her tutor about sitting functional maths instead but apparently she can’t because she got a 3 but could have if she’d scored a 2.

My daughter passed on her 4th attempt last November.
And she's just been offered her first university choice.

Don't give up! He can try again and sit functional maths and English. There are other routes and option

Definitely get him to do the functional skills course. It's such a dispiriting system to push kids to sit gcse again and again. He will get a level 2 qualification which is all he needs. Doesn't have to be a gcse.

I would get some private 1:1 tutoring set up to get him through them. Yes you can make your way in life without them but there are so many more opportunities available if you've got both those GCSE's under your belt.

My daughter retook GCSE Maths 4 times alongside her Health and social care level 3. They let her in without the maths as her interview went so well. She never passed it in the end. She then went on to complete a HNC (level 4) in health and social care and her maths qualification wasn't questioned. She is now heading off to Uni in a couple of weeks to do a BA in Special Educational needs and disabilities and inclusion.

My son has failed his GCSE maths and English as he has SEN. He got his results today and during his enrolment interview at college even though his grades are lower than the course requires they accepted him and reassured him that aslong as he attends all lessons and attempts his exams it won't matter of he passes them. Aslong as he passes his L2 course he can progress to L3 regardless.

Thanks again for the replies. I feel so bad for him he keeps saying he's stupid and thick and there's no point doing level 2 because he'll never get to level 3 he's just so disheveled at the moment. I've spoke to him about it as best I can. He struggles taking things in so is worried that level 2 alone will be harder and ontop of that he's got to redo his maths and english again. He's done so well woth his English and gone to a whole grade since school but still sees it as a failure.

@Misschattyx please tell him from me that no he is not thick.

Some people find some subjects logical and easy others don't. Anyone can learn to pass but it takes time, and for some people it takes longer.

Sometimes things sill always be more difficult. I'm 5ft 0, I need help in supermarkets to reach things on the top shelf. That is not going to change, and as Lidl has Malbec at less than £5 a bottle I'm going to wait for a tall person to walk by and ask for help.

I'm also dyslexic and I use any and all software / overlays / tinted glasses, it is still hard but it is worth working at it.

If you are in the Midlands I have a lot of time on my hands and some good maths resources.

Thankyou for your lovely reply. I think he's more disappointed because since they diagnosed him with dyslexia he now understands his struggles more and woth the right help from his lovely English teacher he's gone a whole grade up and I've told him though it's not a pass he's still done really well. What he doesn't understand is he'll do really well in lessons and mocks but when it comes to the exam his brain just switches off.

He's spoken to his tutor and they're going to try get him resit in November and July. They've told him when he's 18 he'll need to pay for the exams. He really wanted to pass at least 1 so he can just concentrate on the 1 exam rather than 2. Luckily he is willing to try he's not giving up and some of his friends also failed so that made him feel less upset about it too.

They've told him when he's 18 he'll need to pay for the exams.

I'm not convinced that is true for Maths & English Language GCSE.
They come under adult education if you don't get them in 3 years at college.

What a lovely offer. Maybe you could do it online if not nearby.

My dd struggled and passed it 3rd time in college. I really hope he manages it.

Would functional skills be an option?

As a Teaching Assistant in a College, there are a couple of things I'm wondering:
How did the exam go? Did your son come back saying it was awful and he knew he'd failed? If so, what was so bad? Or did he come back say it was good? What access arrangements does he have in exams? Did he finish the papers?

Hi everyone, sorry for such late replies and thankyou for such kind offers i really appreciate it. Quite alot had changed since I posted. Ds has been told he can resit maths and english in July and wouldn't have to pay as he'll still be 17. He did fail an exam recently but he wasn't the only one only 5 passed out of 30 and during this time there was alot of swapping with lecturers which really put the kids off and the exam creeper up without warning which didn't give them chance to prepare and ds o my failed by 2 marks. He's also had a new maths teacher who is more than willing to sit with him and help visually u like the one he had before. They've told ds to not overly panic about maths and english just yet as they do take things into consideration such as behaviour and his practical work which is where it should be. He has decided to complete level 2 and go onto level 3 or an apprentiship depending on where he is at. So he's feeling much more confident than he was in September time. Lecturers have worked hard with him and are continuing with the help. He's admitted it's hard when he fails one exam and ends up doing 2 at a time but he's willing and trying. I'm really proud of him.

What is the course I thought all students in college do functional skills along side the course not gcses.

If you have a 3 for your GCSE you have to work towards a 4, which generally means they will put you in a GCSE resit class not a functional skills one.
If you have lower than a 3 they may well start you on a Level 1 functional skills, but once you have that it seems to be college dependent on whether they continue up the FS line or move back to GCSE.
Partly it is teacher availability / funding. A college may not wish to do both FS L2 and GCSE.

Well done to your son op. My son is also doing a plumbing course and has to resit.
I wish the government hadn't changed it that everyone has to get a 4 in maths and English to be able to get on a level 3.
The only thing I can say to my son is that more than a third of all students don't get the 4 so he is on alone and his future will be bright with or without.