Anyone have Dcs with crappy A levels who are still going to uni?

[Twistella]

Dd1s grades aren't going to be stellar. She had glandular fever and only took one this year - a D.

She changed two other subjects after AS and is predicted a B in one and a Distinction in the A level equivalent BTEC. She's desperate to go to uni. She's not stupid, just panics in exams (hence the good grade in her BTEC which is mainly coursework).

She's taken herself off to a couple of open days and fallen in love with the idea of uni.

Unlike many grad entry schemes the Police only require a 2/2. They are looking for other competencies of course. However no-one is nailed on to succeed and many Law grads might now apply as thousands of them don’t become solicitors or barristers. If the Police now offer a grad route, more well qualified young people might actually be interested. About time too in my view.

I think the key to choosing a course when you have lower grades is funding one where links to employment and employers are strong. Some employers are keen for an applicant to show what they can do rather then academics.

I think just offering PE and wanting to be a teacher isn’t enough. Schools need multi subjects and skills more and more. Many secondary school teachers take the PGCE after an academic degree and then gave to diversify! I would try nursery/early years or primary education. However education is supposed to be upskilling so check out what grades the courses actually want. You can become a teaching assistant and then upskill to teacher whilst doing the job and this can be an excellent route.

I think just offering PE and wanting to be a teacher isn’t enough

Would you say this if dd was studying History and wanted to be a teacher?

You do realise schools employ sports teachers? There are 8 at my dds comp, at least 5 of whom don't teach anything else

There are also lots at dd2s independent sporty school. I think one might teach something else.

PE teachers are actually A Thing.

a quick google:

"Applications are welcomed from enthusiastic, experienced and well-qualified Teachers of PE to help build upon the very high standards of this lively and highly successful department and to teach and promote the subject across the whole Junior School. Applications from NQTs are welcomed."

"A large secondary school in Hatfield are currently looking for a female PE teacher to join them on a permanent basis from September."

anyway there are hundreds, I didn't see a single one asking for anotehr subject

bubblesbuddy
I am not joining your constant put down of students like my Ds.
Right now Ds after last Thursday could apply to all our neighbouring police forces. They only require A level education. But he and us feel he needs more life skills. He has just left local force cadets. 8 current officers told him to apply now and he has 6 others willing to give him references and guidence after unviersity.
He is doing Criminology so he has wider range of career options. His uni sends graduates to police, prisons, GCHQ, Mi5/6 and the home office.

twistella good for your DD, we need all the teachers we can get. University is also about widing your horizons and learning new skills meeting people and bettering yourself. Shouldn't only be for A* students.

Also dont forget it's nor true debt, only start paying back at £25000. At present a PC will work approx 8 or 9 years before meeting the threshold.
Tell her to reach for the stars, if you fail you still get the sky

Honestly, would you feel confident if a teacher who got D's in A level History and English, went on to a low entry uni then goes on to become a teacher and teaches your child A level History. I'm sorry but I would be questioning he/she is out of their depth's to teach to a high standard.

Didn't some head teacher today open his gcse maths result he did and got a "C" I'm not sure I'd be too happy if he was teaching maths.

Yes. I would say that about History. Often History teachers have to teach Politics. My BIL was a MFL teacher and had to teach maths and geography. Many teachers end up teaching more than their degree subject. Yes, there are PE teachers but increasingly they are asked to have another subject. Less so in the independent sector, I agree. In my old school and in my DDs schools they taught a variety of subjects as well as PE. Although the part time ones didn’t. It’s what you think about having additional strings to your bow isn’t it in a very competitive field.

Police Overtime income is income. Many in the Police make a lot of money from overtime. I would recalculate user!

Is that a question to me, Crackpotty? I would say that someone with Ds at A level should not be teaching but in shortage subjects and if the grad gets a 2:1 then they will be allowed to teach.

However I still think the idea that there are hundreds of NQT posts in schools where you only teach PE full time (and the school sees no value in you also offering Biology for example) isn’t reality. PE is not a shortage subject. Adding Biology might make you very employable.

Some young people have to wait years to get into the police due to recruiting cut backs. I know your DS is a shoe in because of your connections and mates in the Police, user. Lucky him. He only needs a 2:2. However, for the less blessed with connections, I have a feeling a Criminology degree is behind a high 2:1 Law degree from a top 20 uni but I’m happy to be wrong. However it’s disingenuous to say it’s the degree that your DS needs (yes the requirements are changing) when, from what you’ve said before, he’s more or less guaranteed a job in the Police. He’s jumping through a hoop which you didn’t think he should have to do a few months ago!

bubbles I was just commenting in general. We do have too many teachers that aren't well qualified but because we have a shortage of them. It seems like there's no hope but to get any standards to teach, better than non. So catch 22 situation. I don't think it's a question of snobbery of getting high grades, elitism or whatever to teach. But it's the basic of needing people with capabilities to do the job to a high standard for that profession otherwise it just dumbs down the outcome. I don't think it is necessary for some profession like the police to need a degree.

A distinction in a Btec isn't a 'crappy A level', is it? There are some very good courses which accept those in place of good A levels.

Someone going to university with a clear idea why they're going is a very different matter to a kid who gets some mediocre A levels and goes to uni just because they can and they don't know what else to do.

The question I'd ask in this case is, if your DC panics in exams, how is the course she's interested in assessed?

The ex-polys she's been to have a much lower percentage of exam in the assessment than the RGs. Eg Exeter sports science is 50/50 coursework and exams,

bubblesbuddy I can't find an ad for a PE teacher where you are asked to teach anything else - except Sports Science or PE which she would have a degree in anyway.

I've never known a History teacher to teach anything other than History!

sorry meant to add NTU is roughly 30% exams

I've never known a History teacher to teach anything other than History!

Lol! I take it you're not familiar with the state sector then? History teachers are expected to teach all humanities. PSHE and politics sometimes as well.

I can't find an ad for a PE teacher where you are asked to teach anything else

That won't be in an ad. It is the reality though.

Two of my children are in the state sector and one of them does history and the history teachers teach history. There's a govt and politics teacher who also teaches psychology.

I didn't do a levels and still went to uni. I got in on nvq level 3 so it's definitely worth looking at a range of uni's and their requirements.

Anyway, she'd teach PE (curricular) and possibly PE or sports btecs. So there's her two subjects!

PE or Sport is not listed as a subject on Teach First. It’s not a shortage subject and lots of women teachers do it part time. You need to find out how many NQT positions there are each year. A new teacher doesn’t just get to teach without passing the NQT year. You are not really understanding the general picture/requirements of teaching in schools.

I noticed at Oxford Brookes, the Sport course only requires 2 A levels. It occurred to me that this is a really easy route into teaching when compared to maths grads for example.

The Police do need degrees. (Well some do). The nature of crime these days is complex and often carried out by highly intelligent criminals. The days of the average Joe or Jo being in the Police and getting to Detective level must now be limited. My DD is a barrister and has a few friends who have not got pupillage. They are all bright and if it was attractive, they would be great in the Police. However they don’t want the drudge of every day policing so have discounted it. The Police need very bright grads like every other profession. I want to think they are up to complex investigations just like teachers must be well qualified to teach.

Twistella you seem very naive about schools these days and very reluctant to hear what others are saying.

Every school I have worked in have made redundancies in their PE departments. Many PE teachers have to teach wherever the school has a shortage of staff... citizenship, RE, humanities, dance, I’ve even known them be made to teach maths if the schools can’t recruit.

Schools are tight on funds, good maths/science teachers are hard to find. When there is a vacancy many will cut hours from the PE curriculum or combine classes to free up a member of staff to cover the gap. Not ideal, but it happens everywhere I have worked.

If your DD is passionate about being a PE teacher she should of course follow her dreams. However she should go in to it with open eyes. Tell her to get some work experience in a school ASAP. My best advice would be to look at large secondaries where she is more likely to be used as a PE teacher. Make good relationships with the primary feeder schools offering sports clubs for them as this gives her options if she was ever made redundant.

I think just offering PE and wanting to be a teacher isn’t enough

Would you say this if dd was studying History and wanted to be a teacher?

Yes - most secondary teachers have 2nd subjects (at least) . PE Teachers have always had second subjects. Back when I was at secondary school in the 1970s. Back even when my Dad did his teacher training in the 1940s (PE and History, ironically, were his subjects, if you are interested).

People are only giving you the benefit of their inside knowledge. If it is an areas you aren't familiar with, then I'd have thought that would be the benefit of posting on here.

“Northumbria”

Sorry, I had to laugh at this. The clue is in the name. Northumbria is in Newcastle. Sheffield Hallam is in Sheffield

“I sometimes read on Mumsnet how pupils with B and C grades shouldn't bother going to university”

TheThirdOfHerName the snobbery on MN about universities is sometimes quite depressing. Your DS has done so well. Good for him.

user1471450935 one of DD’s friends is doing the same course at Lincoln.

Back for good
agree with you regarding second subjects. My uncle did his teacher training back in the early 1950s - PE and maths.
teachers at my dc's school also teach more than one subject - PSHE and Science, history and geography etc - these are secondary schools.

OP, A levels dont suit everyone. DD has extremely slow processing speeds, and despite extra time will perform very badly on some sorts of tests. (CATs, Grammar 11+, UKCAT.) At 11 her prep school head, based on her CAT score suggested she would not cope in any selective London day school and that she would need to board.

As it turned out she is quite a gifted mathematician/scientist with an impressive abilty to remember what she was taught in class, and this carried her through GCSEs and A Levels. However for a long time the assumption was that she would focus on her other skills (inter alia she is sporty) and she herself decided she did not want to work in an office. The assumption was that she would be looking at something sports related and practiical, perhaps physio, perhaps PE teaching with maybe some younger years maths on the side, nursing etc.

I think it is worth starting with your DDs strengths and what careers might fit. Not everyone is academic, not everyone is good at exams, not everyone enjoys studying, but also many high performing kids will not have skills your DD has.

Its the fit that matters. Then making sure you have the right training for that fit. If this means University and working very hard to get there, choosing the course carefully, and then continuing to work hard to thrive, then do it. But in plenty of careers practical experience, and training via an apprenticeship can be as valuable.

My own view is that 'a degree' is such a common currency that it has little value in itself. Employers will be interested in the knowledge skills and experience gained during those three years. And that these come from picking a relevent course and doing well, but also from experience gained from being involved in University societies, on the sports field and in term time or vacation jobs.

DD had some good if expensive careers testing organised by her (private) school. The eventual report was quite insightful, both in areas they thought she was suited to and areas which she was not. Plus suggestions on how to get there. I will dig it out and post the name but premably several people offer similar. Might something like this be an idea?

I noticed at Oxford Brookes, the Sport course only requires 2 A levels. It occurred to me that this is a really easy route into teaching when compared to maths grads for example

@bubbles you are absolutely determined to rubbish dds choices, but as that says more about you than her I won't take it personally.

Oxford Brookes ask for BBC at A level. They accept other combinations which might include BB at A level plus CC at AS. Which would mean that a student would have had to take four subjects in year 12 to As level then only take two on for year 13. As students need the equivalent of 3 subjects for funding they would almost certainly have done an epq /btec/work experience for that final year.

She will be applying with 2 A levels and a level 3 btec which gives the same tariff points as an A level.

No, it's not an RG uni, no, her results aren't stellar, but as she's one of the most resilient, hard working and diligent people I know, I have no doubt that she'll do well in life.

Oh and by the way, you only need 80 ucas points, CCE or two Bs at A level to read maths at London Met.

Ah this is the thread for me I got CE at A level in 2014, took a year out and then applied for an extended degree (like a foundation course, takes an extra year but they let you on with poor grades). They ended up cancelling the extended course due to undersubscription and placing me on the regular one with entry requirements of BBB! I was very lucky. Just graduated with a 2:1 and starting teacher training in 2 weeks