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Secondary education

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

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Original poster

Help/Advice on Year 11

9 replies

TwoToTango · 31/08/2016 13:39

My son will be in year 11 in September. Am I right in saying that they have to stay on in eduction for another year?

He is not sure what he wants to to do career wise - I have told him if he gets good results in maths/english/science this will give him options.

Do school usually help with careers/college advice etc.

At what point should we start looking at college courses/apprenticeships etc.?

I know its out responsibility to sort things out but do schools get involved to any extent?

The school are not very good at communication generally. They had mock exams before the end of Year 10 only a couple of the subject teachers told pupils their results.

Any advice around Year 11 and leaving school would be much appreciated (sorry, I know this is a bit vague)

OP posts:

cricketballs · 31/08/2016 14:12

Am I right in saying that they have to stay on in education for another year?

he will have to be in either education, training or employment until he is 18 (in other words has to be doing something rather than laying on the sofa all day every day)

He is not sure what he wants to to do career wise. Do school usually help with careers/college advice etc

OFSTED expect all schools to offer career information to all students from year 8 onwards. Schools are also judged on destinations of ex students so you should find that there is much more focus on year 11s.

At what point should we start looking at college courses/apprenticeships etc.?

the colleges local to us start their open evenings late September and they are heavily advertised

I know its out responsibility to sort things out but do schools get involved to any extent?

see previous answer regarding OFSTED

The school are not very good at communication generally. They had mock exams before the end of Year 10 only a couple of the subject teachers told pupils their results.

How close to the end of term? Essay heavy subjects take a long time to mark therefore may not have been marked before the summer holidays

Original poster

TwoToTango · 31/08/2016 15:12

Thank you cricketballs - thats really helpful. I'll look out for college open days. To be honest he says he just wants to leave school but he's intelligent (in top sets) although not academic if you know what I mean. I can't help but think he would be better getting some more education and then looking for an apprenticeship when he is more sure of what he wants to do so he has qualifications to fall back on in the future.

Late June/early July they did the mock exams - we were told that results would be issued as a print out before they broke up. Unfortunately typical of the schools (lack of) communciation although to be fair they are trying to improve.

OP posts:

LIZS · 31/08/2016 15:20

He has another 2 years to be in education or training until 18. An apprenticeship at 16 would still include qualifications via a college like a btec in a related subject. To get on a level 3 course he needs minimum 5 gcse at c or above including Maths and English language.

Original poster

TwoToTango · 31/08/2016 15:25

Thats really interesting LIZS - I've heard about the Level 3 courses and wasn't sure of the qualifications - i would hope/expect him to get 5 gcse at c or above.

Has anyone got any advice of apprenticeships and the pros/cons of starting one at age 16 or waiting until age 18?

OP posts:

noblegiraffe · 31/08/2016 16:59

If he doesn't like school, would he be better suited to the more relaxed environment of a college? If he is academic, then he could do A-levels and start an apprenticeship at 18.

Lots of information about apprenticeships here www.gov.uk/topic/further-education-skills/apprenticeships - the parents guide at the bottom would be a good starting point.

If the school isn't very good generally, then I wouldn't rely on them to give all the options.

AnyTheWiser · 31/08/2016 17:04

Are you sure he didn't just keep the mock results to himself, if they were handed out in school?

titchy · 31/08/2016 17:13

An apprenticeship at 16 would involve a further qualification which should be related to the work, so unless he's absolutely certain he wants to be a chef/electrician/fitness instructor etc that probably wouldn't be the right route.

As noble says a college environment might suit him much better and offer a wider range of courses, BTECS as well as A levels if his results aren't enough for A levels. Have a Google and see what colleges you have nearby and what they offer.

Original poster

TwoToTango · 31/08/2016 18:56

To be hones AnyTheWiser that was my first thought! but he was told the result of his english exam (the only one he found out) and I asked several of his friends, including a couple who would have been likely to have got good grades and have no reason not to say - they all said the same.

If he needed help with any subject it would have been good to know before the holidays so I could have helped him - all seems a bit disorganised but perhaps it just me not knowing how this happen.

Thank you all for the information, its really helpful - its good to know there are so many options. Will keep a look out for college open days.

OP posts:

lljkk · 31/08/2016 19:21

Am I right in saying that they have to stay on in eduction for another year?

Not really, it's a farce. You/he may get a few phone calls from council and unread leaflets. But nothing else happens. There is no other penalty if he dosses around the house on sofa all day.

Apprenticeships are for a minimum of 1 yr & he'd be lucky to be left with > £50/week spending money after expenses for a full time job.

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