Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Average (or lower) acheivers exam thread time?

299 replies

yolofish · 27/04/2015 00:57

Is it time for this? I mean those of us with kids who will not get 11 As in their GCSEs, or 4 As at A level.

I know most mumsnetters will not be in this particular boat Wink but quite frankly in this house we just have fingers crossed for a C at GCSE English language for DD2, so she can get into 6th form and dance to her heart's content, and for DD1 good enough results to get into Y14 to finish off her media studies A level (started too late in Y11 to finish this time round).

They are not knuckle draggers, or indeed thick as pig shit (both comments I have read on here). They work hard, are good kids - but a row of A*s will not be on the agenda.

Join me please if you feel the same!

OP posts:
Original poster
yolofish · 20/08/2015 13:38

oh nicole. she's doing well with the apprenticeship thing though, and she has got her Eng.Lang so she's not dooooomed. dont beat yourself up honey.

OP posts:
MrsSadness · 20/08/2015 16:48

Can I join you? I can't tell you how pleased I am actually to find this thread. I was on the other thread and thought I was so alone because DS was never in the 11 A* category...

He got:
C in DT
C in ICT
F Maths
E Eng Lit
E Eng Lang
2 Eng Speaking (whatever that means)
E Physics
F in Geog

He was supposed to be going to college on a Level 3 BTEC course and I am sure he was offered unconditional Level 2 cond Level 3 but his DF cannot find his offer letter and now disputes he was offered this.
He has an appointment tomorrow to find out.

I am gutted. He is severely Dyspraxic and it has been such a battle to get him through school for me. He was expected to get an A in both DT and ICT although I guess to get any Cs is something (although not according to the other thread I read...)
I would never say to DS how sad I am that his grades are what they are but I really hoped he would do better and now we don't know if he will even be able to get into college Sad

Moominmammacat · 20/08/2015 16:59

My DS is super-dyspraxic and it's been a huge struggle but turned out ok (so far...). Yours obviously has a talent in the DT/ICT area so focus on that. Keeping them emotionally balanced is much more important than exam results. Good luck.

SugarPlumTree · 20/08/2015 17:18

Nicole it's a hard lesson for her to learn and probably harder as a parent to watch. She'd done really well with the Apprenticeship though, especially off her own bat.

MrsSadness will keep fingers crossed firmly for tomorrow, I think for some DC it's the whole sitting exam thing and this is where BTECs come into their own with the coursework which definitely suits some people so much better, especially when they can do the subjects they are interested in.

Really hope tomorrow brings better news for you all.

mummytime · 20/08/2015 17:39

MrsSadness I would expect him to be fine for a level 2 BTec, if he can cope with the continual assessment, (if they are really worried they might suggest level 1 for a year). He will also have to redo Maths and English.

TheSultanofPingu · 20/08/2015 18:13

MrsSadness please don't despair.
Ds1 was in a similar situation 5 years ago.
He started at a level 2 and stayed behind a couple of days for help with his English.
He did two years at college, then went onto an apprenticeship.

It may be worrying for you at the moment, but I'm sure the College will help and advise your Ds and find the right course for him.

Original poster
yolofish · 20/08/2015 23:19

mrssadness I totally agree with moomin - emotional balance and playing to their strengths is the key. you know what, when people get to work no one ever says they have to be brilliant at everything, anyone who knows how to build a good team finds people with different skills that complement each other.

at school today one of DD2's classmates was crying because he 'only' got a B in English. that seriously does piss me off... yes I know his expectations were higher, and he was disappointed, but I kind of think that that kind of disappointment needs to be kept a bit private. On the other hand, one girl ran up to one of the teachers shouting "miss, I ONLY got 3 Fs" implying she was expecting more... this girl and DD2 were friends since the age of 5 until they drifted apart - but she's already found herself an apprenticeship. Not everyone is school-shaped, and some take longer to find their niche.

OP posts:
Original poster
yolofish · 20/08/2015 23:22

oh and yes totally agree about the BTEC/course work approach suiting so many kids. BTEC courses are also really practical and job-related - they are great in my view, and very much under-rated on here by some.

OP posts:
Kez100 · 20/08/2015 23:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

therealsquireofwideacre · 20/08/2015 23:51

All Ds and Es here for my poor dd who has dyslexia and worked like crazy to get these marks. My extended family are all very sniffy and her self esteem is on the floor. She just isn't an academic child and quite what she will do now I'm not sure :( She wants to work with animals and she's not an unintelligent girl, she just can't pass exams. If results were linked to effort she'd have had As.

Original poster
yolofish · 21/08/2015 00:17

oh squirrel my oldest is dyslexic too and if only results were linked to efforts it would have been A*s all round; sodding dyslexia is a right bugger. also have extended family (well inlaws if I am honest) with same approach. If she wants to work with animals can she do a BTEC animal care course at a local college?

OP posts:
Mysillydog · 21/08/2015 08:36

Dyslexic dd in Y10 here. She did short course RE and got a D. She's at a selective school and everyone she is friends with has A/A*. Instead of a kick up the bum, she says she feels like the result has kicked her down and knocked her confidence even more.

SugarPlumTree · 21/08/2015 09:02

Kez that is lovely to hear. DD is doing a BTEC along with a couple of A levels in things she really wants to do and I feel very positive about it

Squirrel I really feel for your DD. Have you got an agricultural college near you at all ? Ours does have level 2 courses she would be able to do. What has she done work experience wise so far ?

chaiselounger · 21/08/2015 09:56

My godson got 3 passes, not maths and needed 5 for his college course.
????
He seemed shocked. His mum was not.
These things work out, but it feels big at the time, doesn't it?

icouldjusteatacroissant · 21/08/2015 10:36

my sn dd got 6 C's. she did way better than expected but failed English language. as far as I'm concerned she did too well for the college course she was starting on in September. the course manager phoned yesterday while I was out and talked her into starting on the next level up.

I am so cross as I'd already spoken to the manager and told her dd would be staying on the lower level course. dd and me had agreed this happily together, but she has been talked into the next level and there is no changing her mind.

there are 39 projects to cover in the first year on the higher level, and dd will not be able to cope with it without massive input from me Sad Angry

Kez100 · 21/08/2015 12:05

I'm sure you could call them and talk about it further. They might think she will cope well given her results and they do get a lot of free time on BTECs to work on their projects. Both my son and daughter had a 15 ish hour timetable with the rest of the time free (that included one whole day a week at home).

Some A level students change courses at half term - your DD hasn't even started yet, so I am sure a change to the level she wants (while resitting English) should be possible.

Kez100 · 21/08/2015 12:14

I've just seen you have said you cannot change her mind. She might thrive off of this opportunity.

icouldjusteatacroissant · 21/08/2015 14:25

thanks kez. the problem is she cannot self study at all. never has been able to. school accepted it as part of her Sen. how on earth she thinks she can start now is beyond me.

I really didn't want her to start on the higher level and be moved down a few weeks into the course. it happened at school and she felt thick, stupid, humiliated etc.

it's going to happen again and she will not listen to me Sad

icouldjusteatacroissant · 21/08/2015 14:26

oh and she has banned me from contacting them further. I could have her moved down but that wouldn't be right would it.

Kez100 · 21/08/2015 14:49

No, I wouldn't. She is old enough to start taking control. I think self study is something they grow into - at different rates.

My DD went to Art College. She decided this overnight at 15. She hadn't done GCSE art so took her own work to the interview and blagged herself onto the level 3 course (she had enough GCSE grade C's for level 3 just no Art, which was supposed to be one of their conditions). They told her they would take her and move her down to level 2 if she didn't cut the mustard in the first six weeks. That was it! She worked so hard, pulled everything out of the bag. Ended up with triple distinction star and an unconditional University offer after interview and portfolio review. (Her GCSE predictions had been C/D/E's by the way - so I know where you are all coming from.)

Personally, I would support her and congratulate her on her achievements which are way beyond expectations. When she starts BTEC just keep a distant eye and make sure she doesn't get behind. At the end of the day they could probably move her down to Level 2 if she really struggles but in the meantime throw lots of positivity her way.

icouldjusteatacroissant · 21/08/2015 16:51

ah thanks kez. I must sound very negative, when usually I am a cup half full kinda girl Grin

your DD did amazing by the sound of it and really pulled it together when she needed or wanted to.

my DD has sn as I mentioned, and a lifelong debilitating condition that affects every thing she does.

believe me we have congratulated and celebrated but I so want to still protect her. she is vulnerable and I feel the course manager took advantage of her vulnerability when I wasn't home to protect her.

she is very immature for 16, I would say she is neurologically about 10. I can see that doesn't add up when I said she got 6 C's, but sure you know what I meanHmm

Kez100 · 21/08/2015 19:05

Yes, I understand. It's a difficult call I can see.

For what it's worth, I've found the parental links change significantly from school to college and again from college to university (the latter parents have no input at all except to bankroll them!). For most students of course, that's a really healthy way to ensure their development. But i've no idea how you should approach this with college, as what the tutor did by ringing her is what I'd have expected for my two with no sen or, in my sons case, sen but very different problems.

Actually, thinking about it, when my son had his college interviews for his course he was accompanied by a sen lady. I remember now because his interview was very late compared to his mates and it was because the sen accompanied meetings were all undertaken over the same week. I wonder if the call your daughter received should have only been undertaken with sen department involvement?

icouldjusteatacroissant · 21/08/2015 21:22

I don't know really if the phone call should have been chaperoned, I don't really have a clue what should have happened. dd does have support but of course everyone is on holiday still atm.

I have tried to broach the subject again today but her patience with me has run out.

notquiteruralbliss · 23/08/2015 20:51

Nicole, well done to your DD. She sounds as if work will suit her better than school. For what it is worth, my DD2 had zero motivation at school and only completed 1 GCSE (managed not to sit all parts of the others) but is now (at 19) doing really well at in a job she loves and planning to do a part time degree. I think that they just need to find something worth making an effort for.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page