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.

I literally "interviewed" 13 colleges last year trying to get a good fit. These guys made me a lot of promises that they're not actually keeping.

There's nowhere else that she can go unfortunately as it's a very niche course and subject.

At the moment I am trying to get them to speak to me and at least put cards on the table because then I could do things like organise other stuff for her to do. But my guess is they can't answer so are being ostrich like. There are several higher levels I can go including Ofsted and the examining board so they're being a bit ridiculous.

I just hoped after years and years of fighting the SEN department at school that I might be able to retire that skill set.

Sounds like you are more than prepared to push this higher - which, sadly, ime is often necessary 😡

@OhCrumbsWhereNow I'd be looking at writing in to course tutor and the SEN department saying

• DD has as far as we are aware completed all her assignments to a high standard and has no work outstanding
• Lessons are now all about getting students who have missed deadlines / done poor assignments to catch up
• She is not being given meaningful interesting work to do (additional essays feels like a punishment)
• She is finding going in with nothing appropriate to do distressing to her mental health
• Therefore unless you hear directly that she needs to do catch up assignment work or something that to her is interesting and meaningful is arranged (eg <insert here>) she will be staying home and you expect it to be marked attendance wise as not expected to attend or home working or similar.

We have had similar problems randomly (and a bit at the moment too).

Sorry to hear it's not just us.

The sad thing is that DD really needs structure and social life and we live in the middle of nowhere. So I just want them to provide a blooming education!

Or talk to me about what is going on so I can organise work experience. But I don't know if suddenly there will be things organised next week or next month or anything.

VLP is scarily unhelpful and empty.

At the moment I am carefully wording everything at cohort level and 'students' rather than focused on DD. But yes, I think I may have to focus on the SEN and the mental health issues to get some kind of reaction from them.

Thank you for the advice and wording!

Their attendance thing is ludicrous - she arranged a week of directly related work experience last month, and they put her down as absent. Did the same when she had days off to shoot a series for the BBC. Crazy. Apparently NOTHING is acceptable for absence.

Hi all - final term!
DS was in yesterday working out what he has left to do this year. Not much it seems - he's not going back in until Thursday.
He's on top of his work and it does seem that this term is more for mopping up/catching up and the GCSE resits.
I have heard his course gets a lot tougher next year, hopefully he will be able to up his game.

Good luck to all doing resits this week (next week?) and those trying to find out what their DCs should be doing this term.
We break up end of June, so four more weeks! DS intends picking up as much work as possible this summer to save for when he's finally 18 (not for ages, he's still 16!)

Dd will find out more tomorrow but it seems that she's basically done 🤷‍♀️
She's got a photo shoot on Thursday and a trip and helping and a fashion show and that seems about it
Official end of term is 3rd July

Hey all… I’m so sorry I’ve been radio silence, had to go to my Mum’s up north and was in hospital with her so essentially half term was missed ( shame as DS19 was only back for a week before going to Asia for a month, but I got back to get him packed and away today) and so now I’m playing very much catch up!!!

This is just a quickie and I will catch up tomorrow!

Good luck for any English resitters tomorrow, and I hope and Maths went well yesterday!

😻

Best wishes to your mum @Sisublondie xx

So...
Dd is, indeed, finished for her first year 😬😵‍💫
I suspected as much. The "summer project" is - as I also suspected - "busy work" (researching next steps/unis)
Dd is already booked on two open days this month.
She's pleased with how the photoshoot went yesterday.
She's desperate for a summer job but no one locally is hiring 😕
Hope all dc doing resits are ok x

So, I still have no answers to my polite emails.

But following a sudden emergency inset day, there is now a veritable cornucopia of things being organised between now and the end of term. Plus some teaching in at least one part of the curriculum.

Some of the activities are slightly dubious - of the "everyone bring an idea to inset day, cos Mrs Crumbs is on the warpath and we need quantities of things to head her off" variety - and DD is moaning. But DD moans in general and better a busy moaning DD than a bored moaning DD.

I am actually impressed that they've made the efforts they have, says quite a lot for the staff.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Thank you so much. Just waiting on the Parkinson’s brain scan now. I sent her a photo of me and DS19 getting a travel vax….. “Is that DS19”? was the reply…. 🤯😿xx

I Hope yours is now worse….. which I guess is all we can hope for xx

Well!!!!!! Paper 2 done!!!!! DS said it went “ brilliantly “. ( he can’t really gauge these things well… not after last year), so it’s just a veritable wait and see. Literally just to get over the bloody line is all we need. He was that pesky 9 marks off last year. So close for many! How did Maths go?! I don’t think there are any other English?!

@OhCrumbsWhereNow…. Well, I’d started at the back, and was about to reply thst it sounds the same at DS’s!! It looks like we are all suffering the “ mop up/ resists/ or zero plans?! Definitely sounds good that fingers have been pulled out!!!

Glad not just us - well not glad as it's not exactly ideal... but you know what I mean!

Fingers crossed for resits too.

Sorry to hear about your mum. Currently looking after my dad who has Parkinson's so I get where you are coming from. Luckily he's fairly happy and good tempered about it all, but it's not much fun for anyone.

Nope, it looks like it’s pretty standard for BTEC!!! DS couldn’t do his work experience as his trip to the other side of the work was cancelled thanks to workd situation… so it was a “ project” instead….. which has not yet been clarified and fear its lije @Raven08… “ busy work”!!! Except not even that mentioned!!!

Thsnk you for you kind words about my Mum. I’m so sorry about your Dad…. It’s so hard. He sounds one a very lovely and wonderful man…💖x

Wow!!!!!!!! Well done on finishing!!!!!! And the open days!! We had an open eve at his college last month…. DH and I went as DS was “ revising”. We were shocked that about 10-12 people turned up for the Uni/next steps talk!!!!!

Really crap that no one is hiring… I’m sorry. We that had SO many opportunities at their age!!!! I did my little McD stint, I with the rest!

Yay to the photo shoot!!!!!

@OWCAAgentP… Personsl statements!?! Wha’?!! 🤷‍♀️🙀😹!! I hadn’t even thought!!

I hope your trip was fab!!!! You, too, @Raven08!!!!

16!! Bless! Summer baby?! I’m August as is DS19, so I’m feeling his pain.. DS is September.. which I find really odd!

Yes, it definitely sounds like they are all bouncing around not really knowing what is going on!! One of DS’s two lecturers left last week… so I’ve zero idea what the plan there is!

Thsnks for the resit look.. it’s another (!) wait and see!

How is your DS’s morale? Doing ok?

How’s it all going, now? Any more structure or plans in place for the rest of term?!

Yeah. I feel for young people atm.
Dd is working today but not for much longer 😕
She went to the cafe she did some shifts in last year but they have dropped weekend wait staff.
She's not 18 yet, so bar work is out.
Shes going to make an appointment with the college careers people

@Raven08.. Thst’s so rubbish they’ve dropped weekend staff…. How about any local pubs? Can’t they start work there pre-18? We have a cool one ( well, only one!) abd they can start at 16 serving, waiting tables etc, but obvs not alcohol. I don’t imagine your DD would fancy “potwash”!! I can’t think of anything worse! So, when does she finish work?

I hope her college has a good careers office. Does she have an idea of what she wants to do after her course? It seems so far away! But, I’m thinking back to DS19 ( and you, I guess, will know with older DD!), but thinking of Unis this time in A level equivalent. Mind you, you are doing open days!! What are they for?!

I had funny time last night. I’d mentally prepared myself for a chilled eve.. to catch up on stuff that I’m juggling between my Mum’s and here, I constantly feel I’m not succeeding at either place and dropping balls all over…… do, replying to friends emiails, and stuff. .. DS reminded me he’d bought cinema tickets weeks ago and I said I’d take him and his gf. Fine. Wasn’t really feeling the love, but, anyway. I saw his tickets.. not the nearest cinema but essentially on a shopping complex the other side of the nearest city, practically in the next one! His face 🙀! Bless! So, it was too far to go and come back, so I went and watched the only one with a spare seat on a rammed Saturday night… front row seat to Scary Movie 🍿 6! 😹😹😹

Hope you’re having a good one!!!

@Sisublondie
😃
I ended up staying in last night and getting furious at the finale of Rivals (they killed off a character)
Dd is going into college on Friday for a charity thing, I assume she'll talk to the careers office then.
We live in a small place , very few work opportunities, sadly 😕
Scary movie? Oh, I'm so bad with jump scares 😱

Well, this is a parody of scary movies!! So, you know, the parts your roll your eyes at and shout at the TV in horror movies ( well, if you watched them!😹!)…… like the blonde girl with a large chest who is scared in a house will run upstairs as oppose to legging it out of the front door…..it takes the mick out of all the usuals.. So, no horror!

Noooooooo as to the Rivals finale!! I haven’t seen it yet and I didn’t realise! OMG, please not Fred-Fred !! 🙀! I don’t think I’ll be happy with anyone getting bumped off! Like you! I’ve been loving it, haven’t you?! Easier times!

Oh, I know what you mean.. re small place. Mine doesn’t even qualify as a village… technically a hamlet, I guess. Nearest civilisation is a small town about ten minutes away. Blessed to have the pub, as don’t even have a shop! More opportunities in the larger town where DS’s college is, his GF volunteers at a homeless charity, but not looked work wise yet.

I hope your DD gets something positive out of the week!
DS doesn’t have to go in until after lunch tomorrow, as no English now! Hope your Monday goes well! 💖

Hi was on an old thread but have just found this one. My daughter did Level 2 Health & Social Care and did really well and got a Distinction which was enough to progress to level 3. She has come to the end of year 1 of level 3 but and this is a big change. She came to me and said she does not want to do this any more. She does not want to be a nurse etc etc. It helped that they had work experience placements she had to do for this course so she got a feel for what she does and doesn’t want. So she told me she really loves her job , she works in hairdressers as Saturday girl and other hours when needed. She really does love it, loves cleaning etc etc. Anyway within a day of telling me this she has sorted an apprenticeship with her boss and submitted an application to train in hairdressing. Proud of her to say the least. Who can say they love their job. I can’t believe it’s all happened so fast. Happy that she is happy.

WOW!!!! Congratulations!!! 🥂 Oh, how perfect! That must be so relieving for you, and how great for her!

Yes, you are so right, it’s rare to love what you do!

Very well done! 🌟🌟🌟

Thanks @Sisublondie 🙂 . I think she must of been thinking about it for some time and she was worried about telling me. But all you want is for your children to be happy so 1000 percent pleased for her.