So, my son failed his English GCSE in year 11 last year. He got a 3. He has been doing level 2 car mechanics at his local college and has just passed this with flying colours.
He's a bright boy, but English just isn't for him and he really struggles with it. He got 5s and 6s in all his other subjects.
So he has just resat English alongside his level 2 mechanics, and today has found out that he failed again. To be honest, I don't really understand the pressure for them to do this again and again. If he couldn't pass English with multiple hours per week in school then he's not going to pass it with 2 to 3 hours per week in college.
Anyway, he will now he will be moving onto level 3 mechanics in a couple of weeks. They did say the expectation for level three is that the GCSE have been passed, but they do allow exceptions. And we do know another young lad who has just completed level three of the same course while also resitting his Maths AND English again, so I don't think it's gonna be too much of a problem for him to be accepted on level 3. I honestly think he's one of their best students, he is beyond enthusiastic and they've volunteered him for lots of work experience etc.
He now has a permanent work placement which he started towards the end of his level 2 studying. He's been there full-time over this summer and has learnt so much.
I know when he restarts college they are going to make him resit English again, but I'm wondering if there's any alternatives?
How do I find out if he is able to sit English functional skills instead?
I find that it's very hard to get in touch with anyone at the college to speak about my son personally. It's not like when you could chat to the head of year or their form tutor at school.
His mechanics teacher is very good and very enthusiastic about my son, but he obviously doesn't make the decisions about the GCSE resits.
I was hoping that he could go back to college and do three days of his course, and then have two days on the work placement, so he's consistently learning but also earning and getting experience, but I think these English lessons are going to throw a spanner in the works.
The English lessons over the past year were at really odd times like 3pm on a Monday, and that was the only lesson he had to go in for that whole day. These could be days that he is working and learning the trade that he actually wants to do, but his boss at the garage isn't going to want him leaving at 3pm every time he's in 🤷🏼♀️ so I'm also worried that he might lose the placement.
Is there anyway that he doesn't have to resit? Is there ever an exception? And should the college be able to tell me whether he can sit functional skills in his own time instead?
I also need to check that he will still pass level 3 mechanics even if he retakes English but fails again. I'm assuming they can't let him do all the level 3 mechanics work but then say he hasn't actually passed it because of his English GCSE result 🤷🏼♀️
While we're on the subject, does anyone have any actual information about functional skills. I've been told it's an alternative qualification but I really know anything about it.
Many thanks ☺️
PS I have already posted this on "education" before I realise this board existed. I will ask Mumsnet to delete the other post.