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.

Mine asked me when college started, and I was reluctant to wish the summer away - but when I said "in two weeks", he said, great, I need my new life to start!
Let's hope it's a better thing for him than the structure of school.

Dd not being enrolled til next week.
We are going on a shopping spree, too 😄

@LarkspurLane
Dd said earlier that she can't believe she's been off for 8 weeks already...
2 weeks to go for dd, too.

I think it’s very course dependent.

When DD went to enrol yesterday, they had a big whiteboard with requirements on it. It was divided into normal for L3, possible consideration for L3 and HomeEd requirements.

I don’t remember all of it, but I am pretty sure they just wanted English (Lit or Lang) and Maths at 4+ for HEd kids.

The college interviews all students and for some subjects it’s audition or portfolio as well, so that probably makes a difference. (College is specialist for music and creative arts).

I had a big spreadsheet of every possible L3 in DD’s subject and literally sat and rang them all to discuss the course, the modules, the entry requirements and then calculated travel times etc. Got it down to a shortlist of 3 and DD only liked 1 (thank god - I was massively panicking over that!)
Some colleges were amazing on the phone, others were useless.

Thanks @OhCrumbsWhereNow that’s good to know. We don’t have many options around us it’s one main college and a sixth form hence why the home Ed rate is higher I think than norm. Plus a college that does outside courses but it’s that one I’ve heard has shifted the entry requirements after previously agreeing different ones months ago. It’s good to understand the different level options though. She’s self taught a lot of computer graphics stuff and sells some already via YouTube has her own website etc has a great portfolio of skills building up in creative media.

We’re rural and no decent options locally so DD has a 90 minute each way commute to London. Talking to others at the open day it seemed pretty standard - some had even longer.

That's good your DS has the option to move up - we were told DD will have to complete the full year. But we're not bothered and nor is DD. We're now viewing it as a positive – we don't want her struggling on a course she's not ready for and a diploma year to ease her in can only be a good thing. She's so excited to get started now!

Dd's college do a 'flying start' review after about 5 weeks where they move students if need be.
When DD started she lasted about 3 days before we bumped her down!

I understand DC get three years of funded post-16 education, so what happens if they need/want to do four?

Thinking of scenario of DC getting a better idea of what they want to do over the next two years, then 'starting again' on a level 3 extended BTech?

TIA

Ideally he switches after 1 year.

I also think they only get 3 years of funding if they don't have level 3 quals, so if he does A levels and gets EEE he can't then do even a third year.

But I may be wrong. My DD has EHCP so has different rules.

Thanks TeensToTwenties.

I guess I was really asking if it's possible to pay for FE courses?

Considering scenario of ds growing up over the next two years and having a clearer idea of what he wants to do but not having a L3 qual in it.

I think it is til 19.
Dd might get to do a foundation year at 19 rather than pay for a foundation year at university.
Art courses are very keen on a foundation year apparently but its getting far more common for universities to push them...they need the cash.

Anecdotally, I'm hearing a lot of kids are being allowed onto L3 courses if they've missed maths and English by only a few marks.
The whole maths/english repeated re sits is crippling the post 16 sector.
Its about time some common sense was applied!

Do you mean without needing to resit?
DS course wants 5 fours and if they don't get maths or English, they can resit it and still do the Level 3. Not sure if you can resit both though.
If you don't have 5 fours though, you have to do the Level 2. I think.

Having a child who scraped 6 passes and has to resit maths, I would be pushing him to do the L2 course while he got maths under his belt.

It strikes me that having another year to get your confidence up, mature and do something that you can do is really beneficial for lots of teens.

@LarkspurLane
Yes. If they were only 1 or 2 marks off a 4, they are being allowed into the L3 course with no re sits.
I think its increasingly put kids off L3 courses and - again, locally to me - post 16 applications have dropped. Lots of post 16 provisions here have reduced their subject offer and lowered entry requirements.
Having already been through the ucas/university application process with older dd, its the predicated A level/L3 grades they want. I'm not sure the ucas form even asked for gcse grades 🤔
And from this year, ucas no longer require personal statements.

I've taught BTEC for quite a few years. @TeenToTwenties is right about the needing all pass, merit and distinction criteria to get a distinction.

If you get 2 out of 3 pass, all merit and all distinction you actually fail that assignment, well we tend to call it not yet complete.

Different colleges allow resits in different ways, my favourite way was 'grade up week'.

In grade up week you have to come in and complete any assignments that are outstanding. There is no timetable so staff are available to give 1-1 support.

If you have got pass or merits already you can attempt to change the pass to a merit and a merit to a distinction. Actually it is theoretically possible to go from not achieved to distinction.

If you don't want to upgrade, or you have distinctions already, well you get a week off.

I thought it was a condition of funding that they have to resit even if they are only 1 mark off a 4 in English and/or Maths.

At DS’s college, my understanding was that some some L3 courses would accept you if you had just missed English or Maths and that you could resit along side it. However, my DS’s course insisted on passing both as they said there wouldn’t be time in the timetable to do resits. When he went to enrol they reiterated that you absolutely had to pass both to get on the course. So at his college, it seems a bit course dependent.

This is all very useful information and I need to get this across to DS. He would probably assume that if you hit the merit and distinction criteria then the pass criteria don’t matter.

My DS passed Maths but is having his English remarked. He has been allowed onto his Level 3 course on a provisional 6 week trial. And I’m terrified as he’s barely spoken since the results, and he will only listen about the importance to DS18 who starts Edinburgh on the 4th. He is ASD/AHD, has epilepsy, and has had an horrific schooling with relentless bullying, and is, basically, a shell of who he was when he was 10. He was so excited and happy at the prospect of new college, new people and college environment. He has, however, been shaken by his not great results and isn’t one to talk about his feelings anyway ( except sometimes at 2am, when he wants midnight snack food and a chat 😺). He has got into a sleep pattern like a lot of DS.., bed early hours, up just now. His induction starts 1 September. There is a lot to sort out.

Any attempt by me ( or DH) to try to talk about how this is his last opportunity at further education is brushed off. I’m worried as he has absence seizures too, but sometimes not known whether it’s an ADHD “ zoning out”, and he falls asleep ( when at school, he has good sleeping patterns) randomly ( his Ambulatory EEGs record his seizures, but jury still been open on a diagnosis of narcolepsy for years)…. Plus, as I said, he’s been horribly withdrawn since the results..

Anyway, seem to be a lot of us on here, with colleges accepting different things re Maths and English 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

.. I forgot to add, he had to do a year long course alongside, to retake English!

It does vary by college what they will accept. Some will let you start L3 but you have to resit maths and / or English.

Some put you on a Level 2 course.

A college with a good reputation can be pickier about their minimum requirements.

A college wanting 'bums on seats' can't be as picky.

BTW the resit class for maths (not my subject but I have taught it) is very different to school. My all time favourite moments are when you see the penny drop with a student, or they say, "Oh I understand that, I never understood it at school"

Sisublonde. I'm sorry to hear about your DS experience and now not excited re 6th from/college

My DS17 who has ADHD hated his secondary school apart from a couple of teachers who "got him ", was bullied, headmaster was quick to tell him he wasn't good enough for the 6th form - anyhow he started last Sept at a 6th form over an hour away (could have gone to a more local college but preferred 6th form offering in terms of his BTEC) and knew no one else going there .

I was worried - but he loves it - he is enthusiastic about going in , loves the subject , teacher is great - he is doing well - he has had 3 negative incidents over the entire first year which are very minor notes - in secondary he would get more than that a week & usually a detention a week (for not having shirt tucked in, for looking out the window, for talking , for leaving blazer off in 30 degree heat , etc etc

The 3 negative minor notes were for not wearing his lanyard .

He is very happy there and has made friends and a girlfriend - it's the right fit for him and I hope your DS gets the sane

It's not common sense to let your DC progress in education without passes in English and maths though. It's all very well colleges saying oh let's just sneak you in, it doesn't matter, but it will hamper their future job prospects. I was initially upset when my DC's college said she had to start at Level 2 because she didn't get a science pass but now I'm grateful - the diploma will give her the equivalent of four more GCSE passes, including animal biology, putting her in a far stronger position when it comes to applying for jobs in her sector.

@Sisublondie So sorry to hear your DS is struggling in the aftermath of results day. It's so hard when they didn't get ther results they wanted or expected. Did you meet with his college's ALS team when he enrolled? With the six-week trial in mind, it's probably wise to flag up now how that he's hit a post-results slump so that accommodations can be made and his tutors don't mistake it for him not being engaged. We found the one at DD's college enormously helpful.