video support with Highers

[hosnav]

My son is about to move from GCSEs to Highers. For his GCSE courses he has really benefited from youtube channels and online programmes specifically designed to support kids with the course content and with exam prep. Do such things exist for Scottish Highers? Or are the students just dependent on what their school provides? My son has really struggled with following the teaching of one of his school teachers so the online content he can access has been really crucial in his ongoing progress. I am also realising that while for GCSE there is a textbook created by the exam board for each course (as well as many others by other publishers) yet there don't seem to be official text books for Highers - is that correct?

If the 28% is from the ‘league’ tables then it is the percentage that leave school with 5 highers C-A.

For some courses 4 higher passes are ok to gain a place a university. Others may go via college and take an hnc/hnd before going on to 2nd or even 3rd year at university.

Others may have decided to take qualifications that led to vocational courses and didn’t need to attempt 5 highers.

@celtiethree yes, from the league table. But is it the percentage of the total students in the Year group, many of whom won't even be on Higher courses? Or is it the percentage who took 5 highers and then passed them? The latter is clearly a lot more concerning than the former.

@celtiethree sorry, I can now see you actually already answered that in your original reply! So yes, 28% is more of an indicator that a large percentage probably don't even do 5 Highers, rather than that they are all taking 5 Highers but 72% are failing to pass.

[quote hosnav]**@RaspberryCoulis* and @dazedandconfusedd* he wants to study Medicine and you have to have Chemistry plus two out of Biology, Physics and Maths. His least favourite of those is Maths . . . do you think that's a problem? He doesn't actually want to do English either but I read that most schools make it compulsary . . . is that right? He'd prefer to do psychology but the school he's most likely going to only offer that in S6, which seems odd to me. I was wondering if that may be negotiable if you have high enough grades in the Sciences at Nat 5 level.[/quote]
My DS is currently S6 and didn't do Higher English, not compulsory at his school.

But before making their choices the kids are advised to look at the courses they are interested in and choosing accordingly - the science based course he applied for wanted 4 highers, two of which had to be biology and chemistry, and maths and english at least at nat 5.

As an example, medicine at Glasgow asks for Chemistry, Biology and either Physics or Maths, at least B in Nat 5 English (or GCSE in your son's case). So I would say that if he doesn't want to do English then it's not essential any more for a whole range of science-y degrees.

In "my day" in the dark ages absolutely everyone did H English and H Maths unless there was a very good reason not to. Not any more.

Thanks for posting about higher English as it's quite a discussion point in our house at the mo.

My son also has this dilemma for choosing his S5 options. He wants to do highers in applications in maths, chemistry, physics, geography and a AH in maths. (He is taking higher music and maths in S4).

He then plans to take AHs in stats, mechanics, and physics in sixth year.

Is the lack of English going to a stumbling block in the future? He wants to study comp sci at a top uni and then work in the comp sci field.

Thanks to anyone who can advise.

@Aurea have a look at the requirements for University courses he’s interested in. Some say “English or a subject which requires the use of English”. This generally means essay based subject (humanities)

DD friend did geography H last year along with science and maths as was apply for engineering, going for 5 As and was unlikely to get A for English. Now holding unconditional offers.

Having said that, skills learned in Higher English course will always be useful in future careers.

Thank Sootess- this is useful.

I have had a look at his uni shortlist, and none require higher English for Comp Sci. St As requires Nat 5 English at a B grade and the rest appear to be a C grade at Nat 5.

Double check that they accept AH statistics as not all do