Am I worrying unnecessarily--DD is repeating Y12 and doing BTEC Media!

[Cuddleczar]

My DD2 didn't do well in her AS levels, just scraped two out of the four, and is having to repeat Y12. (Despite all As and A*s at GCSE.) She has decided to change schools for that (had many problems last year, many due to lack of support at school and friendship problems). I am hoping the new school will be much better. However. The new school offers BTECs as well as A levels, and she has opted to enrol for BTEC Media plus 1 AS level (probably maths). She was doing Maths, Chem, German and Biology at AS last year. Part of me thinks that the BTEC course could be a good thingI think coursework assessments will suit her better than exams and she is a very hands-on practical person. But I am also worried that she is specialising too earlyshe has no experience of studying media to date...what if she decides later that she doesn't want to do it at uni (that's currently the plan)? She will have cut off her other options. Trying hard to stand back and let her go for what she wants to do (clearly what she did last year didn't work), but I am worried. Any thoughts anyone?

What were her grades? You have admitted yourself that a BTEC will suit her better and I agree that for a large number of students the coursework approach rather than terminal exams is a far better method.

I understand though your worry about the specialised nature of the course as I encouraged my own DS to do business rather than travel and tourism due to this very reason after failing his AS year (he is currently doing very well and is looking at marketing degrees due to this!)

Media studies is a large area and I would imagine that they offer units that allow students to taste the majority of these - which can lead to many areas for her career; is it possible for her to try the course and perhaps review her choice in a couple of weeks with a view to either sticking with it or changing to a different subject area?

What does she want to do this time next year?

In her two passes she got a C and a D, and failed two with a U and an E. This time last year she wanted to go to uni to do a very challenging and academic course. Then, during a difficult time for her in the autumn, she said she didn't want to do that and was casting around for something else. She fixed on certain media courses. We have been to several open days for these courses (it was an eye-opener for me, going to unis that used to be the old polys, and finding that they do really brilliant courses that are catering to produce graduates that industry wants, great jobs available at the end of it). One concern I have is that she has shown little interest in getting involved in volunteering in this area...although I accept that some places do not accept teens to volunteer until they are at least 18. One factor in favour of her repeating the year is that she will turn 18 and be able to get some volunteering in before she submits her UCAS form. I am worried though that some uni courses will not be open to her in 2 years' time because they might require specific A levels.

You might want to investigate with the school just why she has dipped so badly. Students who get As at Gcse will normally be in the ABC bracket at A Level.

Op, strangely, I came on to the site to post a very similar question.

My DS didn't do as well as he really should have done in his GCSEs (pure laziness on his part) and is lucky that his 6th Form place is still available to him. He has absolutely no idea what he wants to do as a career, but is more creative than academic. He is going to do Graphics with Art A level and Creative and Media Production Level 3 BTEC, so no "academic" subjects at all. He is talking about doing a fine art A level too, but I feel that is too ambitious and will mean far too much coursework.

Is your daughter doing the level 3 course? I don't know if there is any other type of BTEC Media course, but the one my son is doing is, according to the school's prospectus, the equivalent of two A level courses and is recognised by universities. Apparently, it develops independent research and planning skills as well as skills in written communication and presentation. I would have thought such skills would be valuable in many careers, whether they go on to university or not.

I think it is quite difficult, in this social environment, to allow a child to decide not to take an academic route. DH and I wondered if he would be better retaking his GCSEs but we have decided to stand back and allow DS to choose his own route. We ask only that he puts the required effort into what he chooses to do.

However, I too would like to know how useful a BTEC in Media is.

well she is narrowing down her options quite considerably.I would be a bit sceptical about the Pollywolly's claims about great prospects for their meeja students
It does sound as though AS are too difficult for her though.

I think it probably depends where in the country you are and whether kids are prepared to relocate. My dd is doing L3 media Btec and I'm quite happy with that as she wasn't cut out for A levels and i want to keep her motivated to learn for the next 2 years. We are located in West London where I think there are more opportunities for jobs in media but if that doesn't happen, she will have had a happy 2 years studying something she enjoys.