Can anyone offer urgent advice on sixth form choices?

[Whistle73]

Eldest daughter did much worse than expected in her GCSEs.

Two of her original choices (psychology and sociology) are now not an option.

She wants to study criminology at university after sixth form.

She is now doing BTEC sport (which was always the plan), BTEC law and has the option of either doing English or Photography A level or another BTEC.

The BTECs are 'sold' as being the equivalent of an A level but I can't believe that is true. Am I wrong?

I guess what we need to know is, is university completely out of the question with very disappointing GCSEs (a B, a 6, two 5s and the rest 4s).

Is she better off getting a bad grade at either English or Photography A Level or a very good BTEC but in an unrelated subject to criminology (health and social or performing arts for instance).

I would like her to take English Lit ideally, but that particular GCSE was the real shock. She was predicted a 7 or 8 and only got a 5. As a result her confidence is now shot to pieces and she doesn't want to do it at A Level.

Any advice would be very gratefully received, she's in school today and will need to make up her mind by tomorrow.

The other thing you could do is go onto the UCAS site and try to see the requirements to do criminology at various levels of university.
if you can't find the info then ring some of the admissions departments and ask them what they think of the subject combination you are thinking of.

What do you mean by the local college just isn't very good ? Is that objective (ongoing hopeless ofsteds, people you know having had poor experiences) or 'hearsay' based on looks, academic snobbery etc? Also some departments might be dire and others good if you drill down a bit.

I would look at which courses are available at the local college, she might find one she loves the look off and will probably do better,

Hi Whistle73,
My Ds1 is off to study Criminology at Lincoln in 11 days.
Like your DD, he got B's, C's, a D and a E at Gcse. He too lost chance to do his favoured A levels, chose 4 he could do, couldn't do Geography due to clash, 6 weeks in drop 2 A levels, and took on Geography and went with 4, instead of 6th forms 5.
A/s we got C,E,E and a disaster. Chemistry dropped Criminology taken on. This August left with C,C,C and a D in world development. The others, sorry, where Criminology (in 1 year), History and Geography.
He wants to be a Police Officer or possible prison sector.
To ask teentimestwo question
Tariffs depend on university you apply to,
So RG and Surrey and the likes want A,A,A or roughly 150 points
The likes Coventry , Bradford and Hull and wanted 112 which is B,B,C
Lincoln asked for 104 which is B,C,C so did CUScarborough.
Derby and a few others where 96 points which is C,C,C
then likes of Salford and Plymouth where are 80 (C,D,D) or 72 (D,D,D)
Think there are a couple which will accept around 56 (D,E,E)
A* = 56 points
A = 48 points
B = 40 points
C = 32 points
D = 24 points
E = 16 points.

As for subjects accepted most are. I wondered if your DD could BTEC Sport, Business Studies and Criminology at her 6th form.
Ucas has a Tariff calculator, just entry the BTEC your DD wants to study it will tell the tariff points she will get if she passes.

Please ignore the comparison to Media studies, if we had a pound for every person who has took the p1ss or told Ds it was worthless, including 6th teachers, he would have been apply to fund freshers week.
Sorry can you tell Ds and us have spent 15 months looking into every aspect of Criminology degrees
Finally good luck to your DD, remember once she has Btec's/ A levels no one will ask about her Gcse's and if she gets a degree no one asks about A levels. Also if she doesn't like a subject don't force her to continue most 6th forms/FE colleges allow and expect students to change subjects in 1st 8 weeks. (no one tells you that!)
to you it's hard, but your DD will find her feet and learn to run again, once again good luck.
A final yeah for all Criminology students.

Wow User that is enormously helpful and inspirational. Thank you so much.

Re: the local college, I'm probably basing it on most of those assumptions if I'm honest.

We are in a grammar school county with two top performing grammar schools in our town.

We are also lucky enough to have two outstanding non/selective academies in the town, one of which DD is at.

There is one failing school in the area and that is the only local school that doesn't have a sixth form. Consequently the local college is full of the kids from the failing school. Yes that makes me an academic snob but I know someone who teaches there and he wouldn't send his own kids there.

It's a difficult decision for you to make as you have had so little thinking time.

• 3rd choice A levels
• BTECs that your school happens to offer
• local college that has poor rep and you haven't already looked round

What about the other non selective. What's their offer?

Whistle71
Only too glad my post helped, thought it was too long.
once again and possibly to your DD. It awful when results aren't quite what they hoped for, it so hard to suddenly change your mind/choices.
is there anyone she can ask at 6th form or advise, or can you email them. A girl at Ds 6th sat in a couple of different options for a week, before choosing her 3rd option.
Could you (and possibly your DD) arrange a visit to the FE college, if only to completely dismiss it. WE looked at a couple, after A/s, whilst school decided if they would allow Ds to continue into year 13. The 2 we thought we would like/approve, we hated, the one like you describe, we loved and would have sent him too.

Once again good luck to your DD and you. When it went wrong in A/s the teacher, who inspired to do 6th form and taught him partly for that subject, took him aside at start of year 13, told him to forget about, he still believed in him and go prove the buggers who said you aren't good enough wrong. One door closes, 2 open up.
He was and is a brilliant teacher and person, I hope your DD finds her passion

Just heard from DD and she is being allowed to take psychology on a trial!

She is over the moon and I feel its a good outcome - if it is too hard for her at least she will soon know herself and not be always wondering what might have been.

She's sticking with BTEC sport which was always the plan and has switched sociology to BTEC law.

Thank you so much for all your advice, it's been great to hear everyone's point of view and you've all been very helpful.

Hope it all goes well.

Whistle73,
Brilliant news for your DD.
Wondered if she would consider combining her love of both PE and Psychology and consider a Sports Psychology degree, as well as a criminology degree.
So pleased.

Really pleased for you - we are also in Hampshire and it seems like we are very lucky.

All I can say is things have changed massively since my day if you dd's grades are considered disappointing. It makes me worry for my rather lazy year 11 ds. He has been predicted 6-8s but whether he will actually do that well remains to be seen.

Satsuma - totally. If you don't get a string of 7s with just the odd 5 or 6 you're seen as a failure here. And this is not even the local grammar school!