BTEC/T level/other vocational 25/26 - part 2

[BTECnewbie]

New thread for those of us with DC doing vocational courses (and for those with DC looking for an alternative to A levels next year and looking for advice).

My DC is currently doing a level 3 extended diploma. He struggled academically at school and was pretty miserable in year 11. With a lot of hard work he got the grades needed for the level 3 BTEC and is now thriving at college.

Hey! First of all, well done on the Maths! That’s an excellent grade, and congratulations on getting English in the end 🤩! My DS didn’t do Level 2, but I’ll try to help as best as I can. He has ASD/ ADHD/ Epilepsy. He doesn’t have an EHCP- his school was terrible re the EHCP and my eternal regret I should have fought harder, for too long I thought it was something only the school could apply for.. sorry! I digress. I hope your DS found he benefitted from his and I don’t know if that extends to his college.

My DS is currently doing a Level 3 BTEC in Uniformed Public Services. He got a Grade 4 in Maths and is resitting English. I actually don’t see him having had a “ big jump” at all from GCSE’s to Level 3. Indeed, in his first assignment he got a Distinction, and since then he is getting a mix of Merits and a few Passes. How is your DS currently assessed? Mine is a lot of verbal Q&A, as his lecturers have found that verbal assessment seemingly works well, but I guess with IT, not so much! What does he wish to progress to? I guess, more importantly, how is he doing currently? Does he seem to be plodding along ok? Struggling? Or, a bit unfazed and doing consistently well?

So, sorry, in conclusion, I would say my DS has not found any leap at all to Level 3 ( from Levek 2 “ equiv”), indeed, he’s much happier and coping a lot better.

Good Luck! 🍀

I'd say not that big with a grade 7 in maths for an IT Btec.
It'll be predominantly maths and Comp Sci based?

Oooooh, excellent result!! Not torrential ☔️! So, how long will the “ 2 day week” work experience continue? Is she settled in well, and enjoying it? That does sound really good, more so obviously if she’s loving it, too! ( and dry!)

Thats a plus! ☺️

@LarkspurLane
I'm just going to start watching small prophets ☺️
I absolutely love detectorists so am looking forward to it

She is meant to do 250hrs so I think we are talking until at least end April. I've agreed with college we'll see how things are going at Easter, and probably formulate a job applying plan then. We saw a deer on the way in today which was nice.
My washing machine is doing overtime rinsing and washing the kit!

It’s on my list for tomorrow! In the background whilst I have to print out some pre-Course reading docs for a “ very important” ( utterly pointless tick-boxy upcoming trainjbg course!) .., the reviews are fab!

Do you know they can’t progress to the last year of the vocational course without English and maths? My lad has Maths but has failed English so many times. So disheartening

@LarkspurLane

Do they still call it “ half term”?! Only because when I asked DS when his was, he gave me that look they have?? Where you know you’ve said something wrong? Not cool? That kind of thing! Kidding, anyway, good that you are all set.

What excitingly fab news as to DS’s retail job!! Now, that is very cool! Is it close by?! Is it somewhere you normally frequent? Asking only as if it is, are you now barred?! 😈😹. It’s really good that he can use it towards his WE earn money. Plus, so good for his experience personally. Isn’t it funny, or, rather, really sad, the little opportunity of DC to get “ Saturday” jobs, now?? We live rurally, now, (we moved up from London when DS were 3/1), so wouldn’t be much opportunity here, in any event, but across the board that appears to be the case. I was working in FHW and Barretts at 14!! Is his course something where it’s possible to get course related WE locally?

Anyway, really good that he has time during WE week to do assignments, and the gym ( 😻), and exam prep. When are his exams? DS has his English resit, and, thankfully, assignments only on his course. Does your DS have many exams?

Small Prophets! Yes, I said to @Raven08, it’s on my TDL for tomorrow! I’ll keep you updated! I do like it when I’m watching something I really enjoy 🤩!

Do you have any plans for next week, or hopefully chilling? I’ve got a mix of running round after DS, work only Thursday/Friday, and back up to my Mum’s the following week, then repeat 😻…. I hope you have a great one! ( tho we’ll probably “ talk!!)..

Eeeek. No, I did not know that. That’s awful. I’m so sorry, what has your DS had to do, then?

Mine was “ only” 9 Marks off. And, for him, that was an absolute achievement!!

I am really very sorry to hear that, I am furious on your DS behalf. It’s an absolute bloody travesty, so pointless. I hope he’s doing ok. 🤞

@Raven08

Hey! Well, it’s positive that your Mum is certainly no worse, and even better that’s she’s better than this time last week.
💖. I went to a lovely villagers funeral yesterday, absolutely lovely lady I’ve known 16 years since I moved here. I was looking forward to learning more about her history, as I’ve only know her chatting about her favourite holiday destination she wished she’d retired to, her vague NHS job and her life in London. I cannot express how utterly livid I was when the Vicar lead with “ Good Morning, well, most of you will have known Josephine longer than me. When I first met her three years ago, she was….”.. ( get this!!!)….,”… ALREADY RAVAGED BY DEMENTIA “……… Raven, I was stunned!! I was almost deaf to the rest…. In her funeral, she was defined in the opening credits by “ ravaged by dementia, but still had a twinkle in her eye/ smile/ whatever”… ! Shocking! I will have to ensure that that does NOT happen at my Mum’s. Awful. Sorry! Rent over! 😳🙀!

Making a quilt!! Very impressive! Oooh, those pins’ll hurt more than Lego! How the heck do you start? Is she sticking a cool combo of squares together? I’m happy she had a good weekend!

Hmmmmm. Big decision on not training for the next event… but! Good that she has planned the one early next year. FOMO may, indeed, kick in, but I guess it’s a case of having to say that she’s made the decision that’s right for her at the time. She will know this. Deep down…. 🤩

Assessment week! Agh! I feel you! Waiting for DS mock English results…

Well, just watched DS1 take off from one random country to the next! Predictably, his little comical plan disappeared from the screen, so I screamed out “ his planes gone!!! OMG!!!!!!”.. which wasn’t treated with the panic I thought necessary by DH. I don’t know what I’d done wrong, but it was still there, bobbing away about to head out over the ocean…… on his own 😳🙀🙀😹!!

@Sisublondie
Oh, how upsetting for you! Poor woman...to be so diminished by a stranger 😕

🙏, I was literally sat in the pew, looking at her photo on the service sheet, and her gorgeous wicker coffin, thinking from what I knew of her she would be incredulous that her, frankly amazing!, life was prefaced with that diminishing, humiliating and hurtful unnecessary crap! … ( shame you can’t leave negative feedback for such things! 🙄🤷‍♀️😹!) .

That sounds .... weird.
If this is for progression in Sept will they accept functional skills English instead? If college won't let him do it through them he should be able to find an online course and do it privately between now and August. It is much more straightforward than English Language.

Haha, yes they still call it half term! I just asked him and got that "funny" look and he actually said "why wouldn't they?", so thanks for that! 😁

Thanks for good wishes on retail job. It's a big High Street shop that I rarely enter but if I needed to, I could always go mid-week. He's usually "upstairs in men's" so I could even risk it. He's so lucky to have the job, good pay and many of his A Level friends don't have the time. He has to be available Sat and Sun, depending on shifts, so lucky he has Friday off. We live about a mile from town so he can walk, cycle, take a lift if it's raining (and there has been a lot of that!)

Four episodes in to Small Prophets. I wish I'd found it late, like Detectorists and had three series to watch.

All the best.

My DS is doing Level 3 IT and says the class has a mix of fresh from GCSEs (him) and older Level 2s. In my limited experience, I'd say the jump is less from Level 2 to Level 3 than from GCSE to Level 3 as you have to hit the ground running with coursework (whereas DS did nothing for 1.5 years at school).

In DS course, the coursework is heavy, which he is ok with but some might struggle, and in the first year, the maths is light (though he is doing Core maths separately, with some others in his class). Coming in with a 7 in maths is brilliant, he'll have all of that covered, but if he needed support with Level 2 coursework, that might be ongoing.
It's a great system with support where needed, so I wouldn't be worried.

Thanks everyone for the feedback - Im not sure how good his college is to be honest. He struggles with narrating things which level 3 seems to love - like explaining why you make the choices you make in developing something. He can do the r end point but he struggle with narrating how he got there

Download the spec.
It'll tell you what he needs to show for pass, merit, distinction etc

Hello

Just found this thread while researching ways to help DD.

She's doing a level 3 fashion BTEC but is only in college two days a week (they condense all the teaching time into the two days) but it's not really working so she wants to change to another college for next year.

It's causing a lot of anxiety for her and to top it all I'm about to be made redundant so it's all a bit stressful.

Sorry to hear dd is stressed and about your redundancy.
There is often lots of movement at the end of the first term/year.
There are 2 pupils on dds course who are switching to a different level 3 course.
Can she talk to pastoral staff/head of department?

That is interesting @Raven08 She has signed up for a couple of open days at colleges which do fashion courses but she would be in five days a week. It's the social side that she really misses I think. Most of the students at her current college travel in from outside London.

I wonder if she can change colleges and go straight into the 2nd year of a Btec? It's so hard to find the right information!

She will need to contact the college admissions dept at her current and new college.
It should be possible theoretically, as its a points based system

Oh, no! I’m sorry! 🙄🙀… to be honest, with DS I always find that I end up annoying him whatever I do or say! There’s always something that irritates him…..😹!

Your DS’s job sounds excellent, in all respects. My DS19 had a pre-Uni / Summer at our local NT in F&B, which he liked.

Oh, I do know what you mean about “ being late to the party” either programmes, and you suddenly have a couple of seasons plus, all ready to go! I was like that with Schitts Creek at the start of lockdown… I ended up having to rush round unexpectedly over the weekend, so I haven’t got round to Small Prophets yet…..

Hoping you are all set for Half Term! 😻

Hello, and welcome!

I’m so sorry to hear of your DD’s upset, and your redundancy- you must be overwhelmed with stress right now.

I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to your question- but, as @Raven08said, my first port of call would absolutely be with contacting the college. My DS did not have the required entry requirements on GCSE Results Day, and we went into the college, and he spoke with the instructors, and they were so desperate to help him and went out of their way to accommodate. I have had contact with his college regularly and have learnt that BTEC /FE college appear to wish students to be happy and succeed, thus will be more than helpful in ensuring that this is the case, if possible. I would contact them, and just be honest. Also, does your DD not want a five day week, I wasn’t quite sure..

I wish you the very best of luck with your job situation, too… it must be hard right now. Sending 🍀 and 🤗.

Good Luck to us all for Half Term!! 🤞😻! Hopefully the rain will lay off a bit! ( mind you, it’s been snowing again then sleet tonight…..🙀)…