should 18yr old daughter take one more gcse to make 5 a-c grades

[soomoo]

Hi, my daughter is floundering at the moment. She came out of her convent school with 7 GCSEs, 4 and half at a-c grade. For the last two years these grades have meant that she has not fulfilled any potential she might have had. She did a First Diploma in Tourism and received a Distinction Star. She has just done one year of a Beauty Therapy level 3 Diploma - just passed. She had quite a few personal problems along with the year including an abortion (she thought that taking a pill we wouldn't know about it), and now has guttate psoriasis. hence she just passed this year and was told she wasn't fit for the second year. I know her heart is not in massage and she seems a lost soul. We are trying to sort out what it is she wants to do but she becomes very defensive. I was going to approach her with the idea of just getting one more good GCSE and then maybe a whole new future may open up for her. She has been depressed. We are also concerned that she is mixing with quite low achieving friends at the moment who do not instil any aspiration or ambition in her. I know she messed up at GCSE but all should not be lost - it's how to convince her is difficult at the moment. Any thoughts from anyone would be appreciated. She is lovely, and admits that she can be lazy - but her GCSEs seem to be condemning her to a future of poor pay, lack of education and advancement. She did get an A in Drama - but thinks it might not be right for her.

Yes to the extra GCSE. So many job specifications state 5 good GCSEs that she really needs that extra grade.

As for everything else, it sounds like she knows that she has messed up and is getting very depressed because of it. I know you say that she won't really open up to you about it but could you encourage her to arrange an appointment to see her GP and talk through the counselling and other support that is open to her, especially after an abortion. Other than that, if possible I would sit down with her and find out what her plans are. Maybe offer to draw a line under these past 2 years and make a fresh start with a GCSE course in September. She is not too old to go to a VIth form college to do a year of, say a GCSE in maths or English and two AS levels.

thanks for that. She does in fact have Maths and English gcse but it is just the Science she needs to complete her 5 A-Cs. She is looking into apprenticeships for the next year while taking the Science. Her Dad is unhappy that she is not "doing something" like taking a course - she does not want to do the Beauty Therapy. He thinks that if she doesn't get an apprenticeship, she will lose out and will be "lazing" around at home doing just the Science GCSE. As you can imagine things are a bit tense at home. Her Dad does tend to have set views on how things should be - a course next year is better than nothing seems to be his view. So, at the moment she is not getting on too well with her Dad and I am stuck in the middle. She is going to see a counsellor in a few weeks who may offer her some guidance.

Yes do the extra gcse

I would recommend she does another year at college - another GCSE plus another course she is interested in. She will have to work very hard to get an apprenticeship and will need to really convince an employer she wants to do it. It might be better for her to do a year at college and achieve something, rather than spend six months or more trying to find an apprenticeship.