Daughter unable to progress to Level 3 after GCSE resits

[ThisTealWarrior]

Hi all, my daughter has successfully completed Level 1 and 2 of a vocational course. The sticking point are her GCSEs. Third attempt, got the results yesterday and has again received a 1 and a 2.
Her tutor has contacted her yesterday and said that due to these results she cannot move onto the Level 3 which she hoped to do.
DD is saying that it was never made explicit to her that she couldn’t progress without the GCSE passes. I had parents evening back in April and the tutor said she thought it would be a good idea to move onto Level 3. No mention of this being under the condition of a 4 in either/or both Maths and English. DD is saying that the tutor had implied that she could still move onto and just retake the GCSEs again. I emailed her today and she said her DD to come in on Monday to look at another course, presumably another Lever 2.

My DD feels blindsided as never expected to not be allowed to move on. She is much more practical than academic and is very upset. Do we just accept this or has the tutor been negligent in her communication so there are grounds for a complaint.

just thought I would get some thoughts on this? Thanks all

Colleges do get funding for Functional Skills. It is approved as alternative funding if a student got a 2 or below (or no prior quals). Some colleges, who recognise a student is struggling at GCSE (who previously got a 3) will waive the funding and put a student on a FS pathway to secure progression for the student. Of course students can an do access some L3 BTEC courses without English and/or maths, especially creative ones. It’s at the discretion of the college. The condition of funding is met by them studying GCSE/FS until/if they attain a grade 4/L2 pass. Many universities don’t need English and Maths at grade 4. Central St Martins, for example, on a 3 year undergraduate degree have one route as Merit Pass Pass for BTEC extended Diploma plus 3 GCSEs at 4 or above (don’t have to be M&E). It’s perfectly possible to leave school with few/no grade 4s, work through BTEC levels alongside FS maths and English and enter university. Universities absolutely do take FS L2 as evidence of meeting the ‘grade 4’ in English/maths for some courses, especially for mature students. There are lots of universities with creative courses that don’t require English/Maths GCSE grade 4. They will assess based on portfolio and L3 grade in creative subject.
To say you shouldn’t be at university without a 4 in English and maths is ridiculous. I know many people working in creative industries, earning very high salaries, with BAs/MAs from Central St Martins, Goldsmiths, Royal Academy of Arts etc without an English and Maths grade 4 between them.

I don’t know why you say ‘reintroduce FS exams’. Functional Skills is alive and well with thousands of students taking exams up and down the country, from entry level to L2, every year. It’s fully funded as an alternative to GCSE (unless student previously got a 3).

It can be done, my DS has not passed his maths (if anything he’s been going backwards over the years😭) he’s ND but managed a 6 in english but juts cannot get maths. Hes just finished his 2nd level 3 course passing with a merit, last years was a distinction. Hes done a practical subject but obv has paperwork. His level first lvl 2 tutor wrote a letter to his college saying that he was capable of a lvl 3 (we’d had to move college as they weren’t offering a lvl 3 in his subject) this year he won the most improved student award, and starts his job in 2 weeks.

My daughter attempted her maths and English 3 times. She was unsuccessful in getting a pass grade each time. She’s currently doing her dream job at entry level but may have problems moving up ranks in the future depending on company/rules. She’s incredibly hands on and great with people but is terrible at tests. I’m sure in the future she will attempt key skills/funcional skills and will be able to apply real life examples to her answers.
what job is your child interested in?

She is doing beauty therapy but mainly interested in brows and lashes.

Yeah I agree. They should let someone do functional skills or something just to show they have the basics. But it shouldn't be a barrier to work to need GCSEs specifically.

Yes but the GCSE is a social construct designed to prove someone has basic adult literacy. Someone is considered functionally illiterate if their reading and comprehension level is below that of an 11 year old. With a grade 3 or below she is likely to be not far off this level unless something else (anxiety, writing skills etc) is pulling it down.

Is she able to understand complicated written instructions for the use of potentially hazardous chemical agents used in the beauty industry?

The main risk of a low literacy level in beauty is misinterpreting essential written information - especially safety protocols, contraindications, anatomy content, chemical handling instructions and client documentation - which can lead to client harm, legal issues, or failure to meet qualification standards.

Just putting my2 cents worth on here but I personally know successful builders, plumbers, electricians who learnt more about maths(particularly)on the job (how to work out measurements etc) as they were being taught on the job learning first hand what actually needs to be ruled out, weighed etc for these tasks..sitting behind a table and being put under pressure to know enough to pass a GCSE didn't work for them. At the end of the day if my toilet has sprung a leak im calling a plumber regardless of what GCSEs they have...so many young people today need to remember that with or without GCSEs work hard and you'll go places and can be happy in a job you've been trained to do.

This is simply not true for everybody. The English and Maths GCSEs contain a lot of advanced content you simply dont come across in everyday life. They are way above basic literacy and numeracy. It's a lazy generalisation to say people who don't get a 4 are functionally illiterate/non numerate. Many of these people would comfortably pass Level 2 functional skills. They may just have exam anxiety or not get on with the abstract and academic GCSE syllabus.

A system that forces 30% of 16year olds to fail a qualification whilst making that qualification the gateway for nearly all onward opportunities is broken.

I said she’s likely not far off FI. I didn’t say she was illiterate and I said there are exceptions for other reasons that affect their performance in exams. However when something like 16% of teens are said to be leaving school FI it stands to reason that it’s likely the ones not getting 4 and above in their GCSE.

I do think they should offer Functional Skills but I was arguing for why the college wouldn’t be happy to take someone on at L3 for beauty therapy when they haven’t necessarily proven sufficient literacy or maths to pass or perform safely.