Is it possible to repeat Year 11

[smashthepumpkins]

DS is on track for a very underwhelming set of GCSEs and refusals have rapidly been coming in from potential 6th form schools.
This is mostly down to him not engaging with his school work this year. His school sits GCSEs early and he has a couple of P6s, a P5, a P4 and a P2 so far. Current school has told him they will only enter him for Foundation level Triple Science, which means a P5 at most. And we've reset our expectations around his maths and English too. So postively assuming he gets one more P6 (Comp Sci) and then 3 further P5s (English and Maths and Science) with a good wind behind him, he's looking at no higher than a P5 average. As he really wants to go on to uni to study Computer Science (plan B is join the airforce), he will need to do A levels and the schools around us all seem to want a P6 average and 6s or 7s in his chosen A level subjects.
Would spending a year resitting a number of his GCSEs be a good idea? Something like a specialist GCSE college (exorbitantly expensive but not sure of other options) where he can be in a class of 6 kids, focused only on 4 or 5 subjects for the year. Or is it better to carry on, find a place at any 6th form that will take him and hope that he can settle down and do well on whatever 6th form subjects he gets accepted for?
He is severely dyslexic (no EHCP tho) and not very effective at independent study, and has been totally overwhelmed by this year's upcoming exams - leading to periods of extreme depression and anxiety. For this reason I feel like an extra year at GCSE with additional support of focused, targeted, small group lessons is the right way to go. DS is not happy about this option - being seen as a failure by his (small) group of friends, being left behind, etc.

Has anyone been through similar? What would you suggest? And are there alternative options I'm not aware of? (I didn't go to school in this country, learning as we go!)

Honestly, probably not advisable. Maybe best to ask him what he actually wants to do next year in terms of studies as he might be more interested in going down a practical path e.g. car mechanics, cooking (with a view to becoming a chef etc.), sports training (like football coaching) and so on. If he’s not enjoying academic life then it’s probably not worth pushing it so hard. Just make sure he gets English, Maths and Science (what’s the minimum they say you need these days?). Oh, can he write code and does he enjoy it? Could be an option and very in demand obviously.

If it makes you feel any better, my parents didn’t think I’d do that well in my GCSEs either, but were pleasantly surprised when I got all A* to Cs (with only C in double science, rest were higher). It was a while ago!

best of luck to him

So he has 4 GCSE passes already. (I get the number, but interested in what the “P” is? Not seen that used before).

And he’s set for 5 more? (English, Maths, CS, 2x Science.

I think another year of GCSEs is a waste of time.

Start college on a BTec related to Computer Science (there are several). If his GCSEs mean starting a Level 2 BTec not Level 3 then fine - let his “repeat” year be a perfectly normal third year at college level. So then he doesn’t feel behind, and he’s not resitting subjects that aren’t his preferred pathway.

Why haven’t you pushed for an EHCP to help him with college choices and arrangements?

Our eldest failed Maths and English GCSE, went to college and did BTEC Computing and re-sat his Maths and English.

He's now at university studying Computer Science. A levels aren't the be-all and end-all. There are and always have been other ways.

not very effective at independent study, and has been totally overwhelmed by this year's upcoming exams
This is a concern wrt to A levels tbh. They need a lot of independent study.

He's set for 8 GCSEs at 5 or 6 (yes what does the P mean?) which sounds good to me. I would look at college courses which may suit him better, maybe in comp Sci?

A friend's lad did poorly in his GCSEs (worse than your ds tho) and retook at the local college, not exorbitant at all, then followed that with a post 16 course. But I think your ds can skip that first step with 8 strong passes.

If he fails any core subjects (below 4j he may be able to resit at college alongside a level 2 or 3 course ie btec Computer Studies. Not sure why he can take triple science at Foundation rather than double at Higher so he could still get higher than 5s. Realistically with below 6s and his learning issues will mean if taking traditional A levels it could prove difficult to achieve high enough grades for uni.

Maybe he should consider a BTEC instead? eg like this one t out local college: www.eastleigh.ac.uk/careers/computer-science-and-computing/course-listing/computer-science-level-3-extended-diploma-full-time/

Some unis will want maths A level (but you need a minimum 7 tat GCSE to do that) but not all do.

Rather than repeating y11, taking an extra year at 6th form may prove helpful. So start at a Level 2 course, e.g. https://www.eastleigh.ac.uk/careers/computer-science-and-computing/course-listing/digital-futures-level-2-full-time/

That would give a year to mature / improve MH and get used to BTEC way of working before embarking on the L3 course.

I've got a dd in year eleven and one at university. My youngest needs to get sixes to do the subjects she wants to do at sixth form and will only get them if she revises now which is a difficulty as she doesn't want to whereas my oldest has always been very diligent.

The science teacher at his school will have decided to put him in for the lower paper as she will have been looking at his work and his grades and she's decided that that is the best paper for where he is at. So it doesn't sound like he is cut out to do one of the sciences at A level.

If he was mine, I'd be focusing on getting a five for the sciences and trying to pull his other subjects up to a six.

If he goes to a GCSE college (I've never even heard of these) will his GCSE results be spread out over three years? If so he's going to be explaining that for the rest of time. As an aside I thought the government had put a stop to schools entering pupils early as a tactic.

I think Testinas BTEC plan is a good idea.

If you pause for a minute OP

do you think next year would result In better grades? I suspect that instead he will feel even less motivated and it will knock his confidence and he will end up with poor results anyway.

Perhaps be looking at a vocational course at college

If he’s interested in both computer science and joining the RAF he could do something like Cyberspace Specialist and get a Level 3 Apprenticeship that way - he will need at least a 4 in Maths & English Language (and preferably a science or technology) and to pass the Defence Aptitude Assessment for the role. He could even end up doing a degree (for free) further down the line if he wanted to.

Is this a state school in the UK, though? The 'P' prefix and taking so many GCSEs prior to year 11...?

Applying for the RAF apprenticeship sounds like a plan - ditto BTEC of some description, rather than A levels.

Thanks so much to everyone for their very useful replies. Sounds like most would advise against re-trying GCSEs, and possibly uni path too. His (UK, state secondary) school puts so much emphasis on applying to 6th form and achieving grade 7s and up, that alternatives weren't really explained and are made to feel like a lesser option. His year group is the last at the school where they sit the GCSEs early, they have since phased that system out at the school. Not sure why they prefix the grades with P - it is just the grade really.

I really appreciate all the suggestions around BTEC Computing, and maybe spending the extra year at college instead - will start exploring those options locally. Thanks @RAFOfficer for pointing out the RAF apprenticeship route.

He's a smart kid, and when interested in the material can really shine, but he's not equipped to deal with this educational system's way of assessment. I've always felt that he needs a year to catch up with his cohort anyway, both in terms of ability and maturity. A re-set of our own expectations around A levels and uni is also a good challenge - if he's struggling at GCSEs then we shouldn't expect a dramatic turnaround just because he'd be studying subjects he'd actually be interested in, or in a way that's more accessible for him.

Re EHCP - we are still in progress with appeal/tribunal.

In theory he could still go to uni with a level 3 Btec, either the extended qualification equivalent to 3 A levels or one alongside a single A level. Alternatively an apprenticeship may suit his learning style better.

Also explore why he wants to go to university to study Computer Science. If he actually means "I want to do computer stuff", then an apprenticeship might be a better option, either after GCSEs or after BTECs in sixth form.

It also sounds like he's at a selective school. Is he feeling demoralised in relation to his peers, which won't help encourage him to work? Might be worth unpicking that.

It sounds like he's on track to get a solid set of 8 GCSEs at 4/5 or above which is pretty good if not judged by selective school standards, not the "underwhelming" you've described it as. And it sounds like you are applying to the wrong sixth forms!

As others have said, I think BTEC could be a really good option for him. If he will be going for foundation science, I assume his maths is not strong? He really needs strong maths for Computer Science at uni, but a BTEC in Computing could lead to alternative degrees within IT. Does he know what he'd like to do within the field of computing if he could?

In terms of resitting GCSEs, within the state system it is difficult- he could do a level 2 BTEC at college alongside resitting English and maths, if that's needed but in terms of a chance to resit a full set of GCSEs, it's unlikely you'd find somewhere offering this. You might find a private school who'd take him on?

The other thing to bear in mind is that if he resits GCSEs, then he has no chance to resit A-levels in the state system (funding up to 19 without an ECHP).

I think based on the GCSEs you mention, he should look at colleges and a level 3 BTEC course. If he does very well on the first year of this it may then be an option (depending on the college) to switch to A-levels. But honestly, he would be better off getting DDD (three distinctions) from a level 3 BTEC than getting, say CCC or lower at A-level.

I mean this kindly, but he sounds like the sort of student who will struggle at A-level (overwhelmed by final exams, etc) and the BTEC courses give far more in the way of second chances/completing work at your own level/own pace, and less pressure on 2 months in the summer of Y13.

He really needs strong maths for Computer Science at uni,

You really don't, I've been there, done it and more than got the t-shirt in an IT career as a programmer, consultant and data specialist.

I'm shit at maths and always have been.

iirc Some unis want maths A level, others don't.
It's a 'do your research' kind of thing.

Yes, he probably needs to rethink A-Levels, mainly because most students in his position do much, much better with Level 3 BTECs than they do with A-Levels. I don't think he needs to rethink university at this stage at all, he can get there just as well with BTECs. Once he's finished his GCSEs and started on a good course he has time to have a really serious think about what exactly he wants to do after it, and that's the time to think about whether it's university or something else.