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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

BTEC National Diploma for Uni

35 replies

KnottyAuty · 01/02/2025 22:23

trying to decide on 6th forms for DS. One of them offers BTEC Diploma alongside 2 A Levels. It’s a small setting which DS really likes the idea of after a large secondary. But BTECs arent accepted by all unis. Does it matter that he might be reducing his options later for uni applications?

OP posts:
KnottyAuty · 03/02/2025 17:16

RampantIvy · 03/02/2025 17:14

Have you had a look at the admissions criteria of the local universities your DS is interested in?

Just done that! Posted a bit upthread - was reassuring as there are more options than I expected and includes 2 RG unis in case he does really well. So a good spread. Thanks!

OP posts:
TizerorFizz · 03/02/2025 17:21

@KnottyAuty Yes. I would not be unhappy with that. Nationally 42% got A or A star for maths last year. FM was 59.4%. So many take this subject because they know they will
do well in it. If the school suits him you have to take the options really.

Some universities and courses are not choosy, so they don’t even want the highest BTech grades but I would not bank on this for Comp Science. What unis can he commute to from home?

caringcarer · 10/03/2025 08:56

I would have thought that Maths, FM and a BTEC in computer science would be fine. Out of all the BTEC subjects computer science is largely a practical subject. Being happy and comfortable at a smaller Sixth form would likely help your DS to perform at his best. Feeling happy and comfortable cannot be overrated. Could your DS do another smaller qualification one evening a week to show he has wider interests as his options are quite narrow?

KnottyAuty · 10/03/2025 10:21

caringcarer · 10/03/2025 08:56

I would have thought that Maths, FM and a BTEC in computer science would be fine. Out of all the BTEC subjects computer science is largely a practical subject. Being happy and comfortable at a smaller Sixth form would likely help your DS to perform at his best. Feeling happy and comfortable cannot be overrated. Could your DS do another smaller qualification one evening a week to show he has wider interests as his options are quite narrow?

thank you!
DS' interests are very narrow so there's little chance of any broadening there 😂 But thanks for the thought about doing something else on the side. I shall mull that over xx

OP posts:
pinkdelight · 10/03/2025 10:53

The sixth form at my DS's secondary only did the ICT Btec so we hunted around and found a college further away that did compsci A-level (along with maths and FM) and now he's going there and have to say we're really glad of it. His friends who stayed put are frustrated with the Btec as it's very 'IT' with little programming and not stretching the bright ones. It would be fine if they wanted to go straight into IT office jobs but they've started to realise (later than you/your DS) that it's not going to count for some unis in the way three A levels would. That's okay, as you've sussed, for places like Goldsmiths where it's not a mathsy kind of compsci and mainly about the artsy application, but it sounds like your DS is like mine who isn't so interested in that side of things and wants the more hardcore compsci, digging into data and things that are frankly beyond me!

I get that he's set on the small school and you've done your research and of course his happiness is vital. That said, my DS is ASD and I've been surprised and impressed with how he handled the change, mainly because he's fully focused on studying and not bothered about the social side of sixth form. It depends on the nature of your DS's sensory issues, but I wouldn't assume a huge sixth form is necessarily going to be full on noisier than a smaller one just because there are more kids on roll. The class sizes will probably be similar and he'll only be in the classroom or the library for most of the time. Plus unis are big, especially in London, so if you think he could cope with UCL or Imperial, then arguably a large sixth form is better preparation? And keeps options open.

I'm not at all anti-Btec and think my younger son might well do one in his artier subject, but I just wanted to add my experience here because the ICT Btec specifically seems to be a very different beast to a compsci A level, and if he wants to do compsci at a high level, then he's arguably better doing three 'straight' A levels (e.g. maths, physics and FM) plus his own programming on the side, than doing the Btech just to have a CS qualification only to find it's unhelpful for uni and potentially frustrating for the next two years. There's also the shortage of CS teachers of course which has led to the lack of CS A-levels, but a side-effect is that some of the people teaching the Btechs are more like business studies teachers who can do ICT as opposed to the CS teachers with maths backgrounds, so again, it becomes about office-based vocational ICT, which doesn't sound like a great fit for your DS as it isn't for my DS's friends.

Again, I'm aware you've done your uni research and if he's all good to go to City, South Bank or have a crack at the 'top' ones who say they take Btech (might be worth asking how that shakes down in reality), then stick with the sixth form of choice. But just wanted to mention all this having been through it all recently, and now going around to uni open days and seeing how very different CS degrees are in different unis, I'm feeling relieved we took the gamble of going further afield and giving him the most options going forward. Good luck with it!

pinkdelight · 10/03/2025 11:05

(Apologies for the essay! And do go with your gut. Just wanted to balance the angle about it being a practical subject - because that's key to your decision. The Btec is practical, but CS A-level and the kind of CS degree you imply he'd be interested in is much more mathsy/academic. They can all programme ofc, but that's like being able to write in an English A-level/degree, it's a way to demonstrate/apply knowledge. It doesn't make it a practical subject and it's very much about the maths, concepts and all of that, not about fixing a hard drive.)

caringcarer · 10/03/2025 18:39

Another option would be to go to the small Sixth Form for Maths FM and Physics and do some Computer Science on an evening course. Have a look at larger college for an A level evening course.

Pinkissmart · 10/03/2025 20:30

KnottyAuty · 02/02/2025 09:14

Thanks @sausageupanalley

DS is interested in Computer Science… The BTEC is being driven by lack of availability of FM locally and him wanting a small quiet 6th form. he’s completely dead set against our local giant 6th Form with 3000 students…

I’ve been through the uni sites and Kings and Queen Mary seem to accept BTECs. Imperial and UCL won’t consider him at all. It’s hard to let those two options go when he’s so academically able… But if it means he has a better chance at a good 6th Form experience and is happy then maybe it’s worth it?

I’m just worrying about the possible scenario where he doesn’t enjoy the 6th form and has cut down his options…

Weve got one more 6th form to visit at a school out of borough but we missed the original open day so won’t get a visit for another month. But he could do all A Levels there - and maybe a fourth in Physics as his GCSEs will be good enough.

sorry for the rambling but I’d love to hear opinions/experiences of others. Thanks!

For heaven's sake, let go. Would you rather he goes to a college which doesn't suit him, and he ends up hating it? And possibly doing far worse than he has the ability to do?

KnottyAuty · 10/03/2025 20:44

Pinkissmart · 10/03/2025 20:30

For heaven's sake, let go. Would you rather he goes to a college which doesn't suit him, and he ends up hating it? And possibly doing far worse than he has the ability to do?

None of the options are perfect. I think we’ve got 3 possible options. Just wish the one he wanted wasnt so far away - high chance he can’t cope with the travel based on past 3 years… he’s autistic so it’s all a bit tricky

OP posts:
pinkdelight · 11/03/2025 08:11

KnottyAuty · 10/03/2025 20:44

None of the options are perfect. I think we’ve got 3 possible options. Just wish the one he wanted wasnt so far away - high chance he can’t cope with the travel based on past 3 years… he’s autistic so it’s all a bit tricky

Totally understand, and that's what this board is for surely, working through these tricky choices we have to make. Hope it's helpful and good luck with it!

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