What happens if you don't get the results for 6th form?

[hidinginthegarden]

Our local sixth form looks for 5 passes (any subjects) as entry requirement. What happens if a child doesn't get that despite predictions that they will?

Dd who is massively anxious is really struggling with GCSEs and I'm worried that she won't have sone enough to get the 5 passes. She's bright and clever but hasn't done well at school at all.

One of the LSAs mentioned that it wouldn't matter but they would take her anyway. But is that real? Does anyone have real life experience of this with a very anxious teenager.

If you dont meet the entry requirements you don't go to the sixth form. Or sometimes, depending on the sixth form, you might be offered a lower level course, such as GCSE resit (not with any choice, you just resit the 5 offered) or BTEC level 2

Hi OP, IME it varies by school what is required for sixth form entry. Is there another school that DD could get to that may have lower requirements? Near us, there is a range with some schools requiring 7s in the subjects you want to do for A levels and others with much lower requirements, especially for students studying BTEC or T Levels rather than A levels. There are also lower requirements for things like catering college, or some apprenticeships are available for 16 year olds. Get onto google and see what is available locally so you have a back up option.

You can do a level 2 BTEC which is 4 GCSE passes or there are some level 1 courses at college.

if she doesn’t get 5 passes at GCSE and suffers from exam anxiety, i think you need to consider alternatives to 6th form

be careful no one is obliged to count it as 4 GCSE passes. In some places it counts as a maximum of 2

She's bright and clever but hasn't done well at school at all.
and that is unlikely to change and then she will have wasted two years

better to consider alternatives

In the absence of extenuating circumstances most students would then have to go to a local college. A girl in my year failed a lot of her GCSEs as her mum passed away a few weeks before the exams but her teachers and head of year knew she was a good student and under normal circumstances would have got the required grades.

If she struggles with exam anxiety has she looked into a BTEC at college rather than A Levels? Or potentially an apprenticeship?

Yes I agree with others, start looking at back up options of college courses.

Tbh if a student cannot achieve five passes (assuming they mean grade 5 x 5) then A levels may not be right for them. A levels are basically exam-based and quite in depth. What subjects is she looking at? It's not unusual for schools to ask for at least a 6 at GCSE in a chosen A level subject. For maths and MFL a 7 is desirable tbh.

More coursework based qualifications are also a way to many universities - they suit some students better.

Usually they then go to college and take alternatives to A levels.

BTEcs, vocational qualifications, etc.

I meant to add, I know (of) a number of students who have not done so well in GCSEs but have then gone to college to retake or do another type of course abd fine well.

Both My DD and DS got their grades but both chose not to go to sixth year. They both went to local tech instead ( one doing btec and one doing A’levels) and then uni.
Sixth form college isn’t for everyone.
Both of my two much preferred the more relaxed and adult way they were treated in tech and they both got top grades and their top choices of uni. I have also a few friends whose kids went straight to work and have thrived.
There is always another path.

You need to speak to the place itself, there's no overall rule or approach, there could be many factors to take into account and no one can tell you what they are for specific subjects at a specific setting

What are they defining as a "pass" at GCSE? Is this grade 4 or better?

When you say "sixth form", do you mean her school's sixth form or a sixth-form college?

If it's a college, are these the requirements to get onto A-Level courses or to get into the college at all? Is there the option to do BTECs, T-Levels, Cambridge Technicals, CACHE or any other kinds of vocational qualifications? Someone with severe exam anxiety will have a pretty rough time doing A-Levels.

to do what? A levels? They are a BIG step up from GCSEs.

Tbh alevels are a massive step up from GCSEs so if a person is just scraping to pass GCSEs for whatever reason, then alevels are going to be far too hard.

The entry requirements are there for a reason.

Without passing, pupils are unlikely to have enough knowledge or the right skills to progress.

And college/sixth form is FE, or further education. Higher education is university.

My DD was in this position and it had never entered our heads she wouldn't get the required grades, so it was a complete shock and panic.

The 6th form offered her subjects that were not suitable at all and would not have enabled her to continue on her chosen career path. Eg dance and photography.

We had a mad scramble for a few days, an interview at college and she got a place on a level 3 btec course that would be accepted for her chosen career course.

She has just finished her 3rd year at uni, and despite my panic and dds tears at the time, I look back and think it was the best thing for her. Continuous assessment is much better than end of 2yr exams imo. It better represented her abilities and gave her better study and essay writing skills than she had, setting her up well for uni. Being treated like a young adult, a different set of peers, and actually learning about what interested her instead of generic subjects. And she learned that if things don't go as hoped, all is not lost.

I didn't go to school in the UK and had the impression that colleges were somehow 2nd best, or for the less academic but I'd argue this now.

My 2nd DC has just completed college, and is hopefully off to uni in sept, and dc3 is planning on going to college in Sept even if she gets grades for the 6th forms she has applied to.

My advice would be to spend the time researching local options, that will be accepted in her chosen area of uni study (if this is her hope). Colleges (in this area anyway) are usually good at taking late applicants after results day, so don't worry about applying now but it would be good to have a plan b if results day doesn't go as hoped, so you can act quickly if needed.

And remind your DC, our grades don't define us, only open or close doors, that perhaps we are/are not meant to walk through.

All that said, I hope results day works out well for your DC.

I think if she is just expecting 4s and 5s, sixth form is not the right place. If she is expecting a few good grades (6 and 7) but worried about some other subjects, there might be more hope. So someone with 7s in music and art might be ok repeating maths and/or English, but just squeaking through with five 4s, it might be worth planning something else.

If it is the sixth form at the school she is currently at, and the teachers know her and her circumstances, it's possible they will let her stay on anyway. Other options are basically college for a BTEC level 2 if she gets 5 x grade 4 and above (usually) as I doubt you'll find a sixth form offering lower than 5 x grade 5, or if she gets lower than 4's then a BTEC level 1.
Alternatively she could get a job and do an Access course when she's older if she wants to, or look for an apprenticeship, or other vocational courses at college.

Thanks all. Apologies for posting on the wrong board. Yes of course 16-18 is FE.
The college she wants to go to does BTEC options too and that's what she was planning along with one A level - her favourite subject which she should pass easily. We've actively discouraged an academic route but school were convinced she'd be fine! Hmmmm

Some sixth forms do not offer the opportunity to resit Maths/English which is required if she scores below 4 in either of them so do be aware of that. She might need to go somewhere which offers that option. Hopefully it is just a last minute panic!

About 40% of young people do not get 5 4s and above including English and maths - and I can't believe people still do not know that local FE colleges are inclusive and will have an offer for almost any young person. The secondary school have massively failed in their duty to support progression here.

Our secondary school doesn't offer sixth form so she has to go to college anyway for the next stage.
The college are asking for 5x passes for all options including btec level 3 (her preferred option).

Sorry I was wrong about entry requirements - you can get into sixth forms with 5 x grade 4, and college for BTECs with 4 x grade 4, usually including at least one of English or maths.

OP if your DD doesn't get the grades she requires to do the Btec L3, its not the end of the world, usually there is an equivalent L2 qualification she would be able to do for a year. This may, if she hasn't done well at school and doesn't like exams be a blessing in disguise. It will give her a 'soft landing' into college, and a taste of the subjects she wants to do at L3. If she doesn't get a GCSE grade 4 or above in English or Maths, she will have to redo them, at the same time anyway. I have a DS who is doing GCSES at the moment, and is having to fight for every point to get into his preferred course, so I know how massively important it seems now to get the correct grades, but one extra year at college is not the end of the world. In the great scheme of things, one extra year wont make a blind bit of difference.