BTEC/T level/other vocational 25/26

[BTECnewbie]

Hello all. My DS will hopefully be starting a level 3 extended diploma in September (assuming he gets the grades). I know very little about BTECs having come through the A level route myself. So I’d love to have a support thread for parents of kids taking vocational qualifications this year.

What I can gather about resubmissions (I am sure it might be done differently in different places) is that if you submit on time, you get a grade and then have another week to bump the grade based on feedback. So for example, DS got 3 merits in his first three assignments, has bumped two to distinction and one we might be waiting to hear (or he has heard and it's not been bumped). What I also know if that if even one assignment is a particular area misses a grade, then you can't get that grade. So if his 3 were the same area (I know they are not), then he could "only" get a merit. (I'd be delighted with a merit but don't tell him that!)
With the external assessment, they sit that next week, then if they fail they resit it in May. If they fail again, it's curtains. As they are spending every waking hour on it at the moment, I hope he passes. (But I don't know if a mere pass will bring all his grades down as well)
Does that make sense? I know there are people who know more about this than me.

Re work experience, some courses need loads and it needs to be relevant (hairdressing, plumbing, etc) but DS course (IT related) knows it's hard and of the places he's contacted, not a single one has responded to his emails. The course leader has told us that it really does not matter what they do, in fact, they can have a part time job in McDonalds and it will count for the module. They are meant to be learning work skills and so many offices now don't have the set up to take young people for a week.

I would say for uniformed services that anything with the public would be good enough. It's almost impossible to get police roles, etc. My older DS volunteered in a charity shop but younger DS has already said he won't do this.

I know what you mean about getting too involved though, I have to glean information by stealth, any direct questions are shut down immediately.

Oh no! Well, great to having dodged this bout of rubbish weather, but you really couldn’t make it up as to that bring forecast for the first day of the work experience! 🙀.. Hopefully the weather pattern will shift around a little bit, and avoid you! 🤞

@swampwitch0…. Oh, that is EXCELLENT news!!! How is she feeling about it?! Is it close by? 🤩🥳… So, I do hope the the competition entry is completed, and ready for submission for tomorrow! I hope it’s not been too hideous and you are both finished and getting wound down for bedtime!

I’ve had a meh day or two. It’s the third anniversary of my best friend’s sudden death, so been busy with her children. They are so amazing.

(Catching up on washing uniform that I was convinced I’d done at the mo 😼😹) ..

Stsy safe on the ice in the morning! 😸

@Sisublondie
I'm very sorry to hear about your friend. How awful for you 💔
Life can be very cruel.
Dd has just seen that there is a weeks extension for competition entry so pressures off a bit.

@LarkspurLane

Oh, thankfully it’s not just me in “ stealth mode”, desperately trying to memorise any scrap of info thrown out there randomly!! 😼😹!

Thsnk you so much for your drtsiled explanation! Well done to your DS so far!! He’s doing so well!!! Do, he could get Distinctions in all three, if the final ones goes up?! ( but, as you say, Merit is excellent, too!)! As I said. I didn’t realise there were external assessments…. But, I guess, of course, there are different boards governing the courses, as with exam boards. I need to do some direct digging, methinks, with DS!

Yes, you are so so right, re office job “ work experience”, Saturday jobs, even, bring practically unheard of, now! I had my first paid job in FHW ( remember!), at 14 , before to Barrett’s, Athena, Russell & Bromley ( LOVED that!), M&S food dept, all before Uni and thrn McD (!!) during ny first summer Law Degree. There seem to be literally zero Saturday jobs. That’s really interesting about your older DS in a charity shop…. How did he find it? Our nearest market town has a ton of them…, that’s such a great idea. ( tho, I fear he’ll be like your youngest son!). He did do a lot of volunteering for the local Air Ambulsnce when he was little, as I dragged him along to help me 😈😹.

So, now I just need to find out what dates he needs to do the experience. Digging required!

🙏… and Good Luck with the external assessment ( and the final assessment remark ( if uou haven’t actually heard),, 🍀

Ah, thank you. It is, she was only 45, and had brought them up alone after her DH left, her DS is in second year at Uni and her DD doing really well at college…. It’s funny, as it’s like constantly feeling guilty for being involved in what she’s missing.

Anyway. The extension… THAT is a result!! Excellent! That is on a par with a friend cancelling a night out that you are too tired to go out on! Result! Oh, I’m so happy that the pressure is off a little… and this week can hopefully be used to perfect her entry! 🍀

Sorry to hear about your friend, something like that never stops being really awful. It's lovely that you see her kids though.

Thanks. DS is doing well, but this is only a tiny part of the whole, there seems to be hundreds of assignments over the two years so plenty of opportunity for him to end up Pass Pass Pass overall. After the shitshow that was Y11, I am counting no chickens.

DS1 did charity shop as part of his DofE, so he went in one day a week (or morning maybe?) for a few months rather than a solid week. He just went in and asked (after a fair bit of cajoling - nothing happens in my house without cajoling!) We have a few charity shops near us (cycling distance) and they are often looking for people for a few hours. Our work experience is in March, maybe if he still has nothing the week before, DS2 might crack and try them. He said he has a few "leads" to follow but needs to get this assessment done first.

Have a good week everyone. I strayed onto the Y12 thread the other day by accident and it made me realise how useful and needed this thread is, the whole vibe is very different.

It's so nice having this thread. When my DD1 started her BTEC in 2015 there was so much less engagement.
It is also good seeing those who struggled at GCSE finding their feet on the BTECs.

Back to college for DD today. And they finally seem to have stopped messing with the timetable. DD's latest version seems to suit her so I'm hoping it's now set in stone as some of the previous versions were completely nuts.

Not sure the extra long break helps - getting her out of the house this morning wasn't quite as cheerful as pre-xmas but I imagine she'll settle back in.

Waiting for marks on the first assignment - are there rules as to how long things should take to mark? Nothing on the VLP

Hey all! How did Monday go?!

@OhCrumbsWhereNow.. I hope your DD timetable changes are more permanent. My DS had a lot of messing around early on, and with his ND he was really struggling. I don’t know how colleges think it’s ok to keep changing then around. How was she on her return? The long break must be really unsettling. I’m afraid I don’t know the answer as to the length of time of marking…. surely there should be some time limit? I’ll see if I can have a little dig !

@TeenToTwenties…. Oh, isn’t it?! Both the thread AND seeing how it is wholly possible to succeed/ progress/ even bloody get up in the morning and leave the bloody house after the bullying he’ll of school AND GCSE’s!! 🌟 Whoo-Hoo (!)

@LarkspurLane
Bloody hell, indeed, there is no amount of cash that would make me relive Yr11! There do appear to be relentless assignments. DS is good friends with someone in Year 2 of her course.. she said she was starting to do some ahead of time, if she had time to get them done.. but, apparently you can’t do that anymore ! ( online….didn’t quite get what she was saying!).. But, indeed, there seem to be many units, certainly on DS course!

DS2’s leads sound promising! Cool that he has bond and tried!! I do love the term “ cajoling”! I need to up my game! Luckily the charity shops are physically around, otherwise I’d be crying at the thought of other ideas!! DS did have quite a lot of involvement in his college’s Remembrance Day activities, and mumbled something about volunteering, so I need to pin down precisely what he meant by that!

Thank you for you lovely and kind words about M. My bloody phone brought up a montage of the days in ITU after the accident as a “ on this day in…” which pole axed me.. thankfully I was on my own at home when that shitshow occurred.. Anyway. Life trundles on. You can only do what you can do, as my lovely Dad used to say.. 💖.. ( speaking of which, I just saw it’s gone midnight.. It’s his 22 year Anniversary today)…. Thanks again x

Thinking of you and your lovely dad today @Sisublondie 💙
It'll be 13 years for me this year 💔

Dd is going in early tomorrow to talk over her competition submission with her course leader.

She was at counselling yesterday and is now moving to once a month -
It's a year since she started counselling, every week initially, then fortnightly so I think this is positive🤞

Wrt: gcses - dd actually seemed ok during the exams (apart from a blip in half term) - It was the few months prior that were bad. I think her less than stellar performances in some mocks didnt help and that she could have gone the performance/academic or creative route....she really struggled choosing her path.

This is a great thread @TeenToTwenties.

Hugs to you @Sisublondie for your dad.

You hit nail on the head with the long break thing - it feels like after half-term during exams last year. She's gone off the boil and needed prodding a bit - I'm sure she'll be fine again in a few weeks but I'd have preferred she went back last week instead of rolling around bored and staying up way too late.

Looks like timetable is staying put - although I will be in bad books as she had to miss a class yesterday afternoon as she had a recall audition and I accepted the time as when it came through we were on Timetable #1 and too late to go back and ask for a different time by Timetable #3.

She's booked another TV role so we are off filming that from end of this week. This is definitely NOT the norm and I am somewhat in shock... but hopefully it will help get the work ethic back in place a bit!

DD has returned drenched (rained all day) but cheerful from first day of work experience having done 21k steps.

Brilliant 👏
I got drenched too...it was wild out there!

Good luck to yoir dd on her tv work! 👏

Evening everyone…

@swampwitch0

Thank you so much for that… I’m so sorry to hear you are in the same boat. I know it should “ get easier”, but as the boys are getting older, and the comments not designed to hurt that you overhear “ Yeh, my Grandad, yeh I never met him…..”….and the fact my DM was only in her mid 50’s, with him 3 years older… It literally is a whole generation that he missed, and the amazing love and experience my DSs’ missed….. so very sad….. And, then the cruelty of my lovely friend, and what is already being missed by her DC and others….. and my Mum’s results in the new year were shocking, so it’s been a bit of a crappy start to the year thus far. But! Chin up, and all that jazz! 🙏 …. and I’m sorry you know how I feel x

Ok, so that’s good DD has a meeting to chat about her submission. Has she essentially finished it, and wants to finesse? Or, is she “ stuck” a tad? How stressful 😣….

Her counselling sounds like it’s going really well! That is really positive 😸. Is she still not needing to take her Propanolol ( I think she had a script?) They really can be amazing if needed.. I remember the “ half term blip”, and, of course, her being confused about which path to take….. hopefully she’s made the perfect choice…. And, the competition submission will hopefully really boost confidence 🙏🍀 🤞

@OhCrumbsWhereNow

Thank you for your kind words about my Dad. I was thinking today, we really don’t have any photos of his actual funeral… ( I would never have thought to ask anyone), but he was high up in his uniformed position, so there was a guard of honour and that would be lovely to look back on and show DS.

CONGRATULATIONS 🥂!! on her new TV role!!! How exciting!!!!!! Oooooh, it’s the not knowing whether we have seen her, or not, and will see her in this, that adds to the excitement!

The college should be very understanding as it’s surely been a nightmare for you guys knowing where you are up to, schedule wise!! Hopefully she’ll be back into the swing of things again, soon…and, in the interim…… HAPPY FILMING 🎦!! 🍀🍀🍀

21k steps!!!! Wow!!!!!! And, AMAZING as if cheerful despite being soaked, it must have been a super positive experience!

@Sisublondie
I'm really sorry your mums results weren't what you hoped x
We don't have the results from mums last MRI yet 😬
Wrt dds competition submission...she's going in early tomorrow to speak to her course leader. She's been doing more work for her project today (why does it worry me when she asks to use the iron!!?🫣)
She seems most worried about what to wear for a party on 31st!! 🙄

Wrt pro pranalol - she hasn't had any for a while.
Helps to know its there, though

@swampwitch0…
Thank you…. It was the double whammy of Vascular D and “ the A” word, which I think it’s what has caused her the most distress. I’m sorry you’re waiting for scan results too, I really hope you get more positive results 🙏 🤞 💖xx

Ok, so, the iron!! It IS the creative media BTEC she’s doing?! ( sorry, I can’t rem the official title!). It’s good her course leader is on hand. Even better to hear she has a party to look forward to!!! I so miss DS19’s lovely GF and our girlie fashion chat!! 👗 💖 🕺

( and, good she has the Prop, if needed. Sometimes, even knowing it IS there, is enough to breathhhhheeeeee) x

Oh, I'm sorry. That's tough news to hear.
Mum has a dx9f MCI (mild cognitive impairment) but I think its more than that. Sigh.
Wrt the iron...I only had to hoover up some sequins she missed so all went ok! 😀
It's the fashion and textile design btec level 3 she's doing.
It's a lot of work is all I can say.
One of her group is transferring to another textile course next year.
And dd says 4 people have dropped out.
The continuous assessment model isn't for everyone.

@swampwitch0

Oh bloody hell, I’m sorry. I know MCI, but not heard of dx9f, I’m sorry. Hopefully it’s not progressed …. 🙏🍀💖..

😹😹😹 to sequins! I found a couple of Christmas cards the boys made when little… popped those on the mantelpiece, hadn’t realised the sequins until I trod on a couple ! Ouch!

Sounds like a super fab course!! But, yes. The constant, and it really is on DS’s course, so with your DD having to physically produce items/pieces, it must be incredibly intense. Hopefully the course mates leaving will find their feet better elsewhere … 🍀

...and I've just found bondaweb under the dining table 😀😬🙄