GCSE Support - nervously waiting

[Hellocatshome]

Hopefully everyone from GCSE Support The Final Frontier can find this new thread!

County council

That sounds really good. I guess it's between the school and the college where they are accepted to help form a Plan B!

My DS has signed up to do a T Level at the college (sixth forms don't exist where I live). If he doesn't get the grades he still attends his enrolment interview and they discuss other options. He doesn't want to go to college at all but he's got to do something! He has been looking at apprenticeships but there aren't many.

Yes, loads of different options, as I know only too well having been through them soooo many times with DS!
There's going to be a college representative at my DS's school on Thursday plus there's a college helpline.

DS likes the sound of an apprenticeship too. He actually just wants to work! Or at least he thinks he does 😩 just worried all the best ones will have advertised at the beginning of the year. Wondering if he can somehow apply for one for next Sept and do something else in between (no idea what). Hoping support is there on the day.

Interesting - thank you!

@HippyChickMama well done to you for pushing forward and achieving academic success! A very inspiring read! As you say, sometimes it takes time and the right circumstances to push forward. That was certainly true for me also. I strongly believe that alternatives to A-levels are the way forward for many students. DD2 just completed the Level 3 Extended BTEC Diploma and this was a great alternative for her as she’s dyslexic and wouldn’t have coped with A-levels. She did really well in the end, although she decided not to go to university this year she has the option open to her.

Has everyone done their child benefit update to confirm their child is staying in education? I was chased up for mine weeks ago as it links to child maintenance.

DS has always known he wants to do an apprenticeship so we have been looking at them well before he was ready to apply. Many have start dates all throughout the year not just September. Just keep searching and applying throughout the year. He can always leave whatever course he has ended up on and start an apprenticeship at any time.

Just to note not everyone needs to do this. If you are in England and they are doing an apprenticeship warning over I think £190 a week you can't claim child benefit for them anymore.

I've said to my DS he should start the course and continue to look at apprenticeships.

Thank you @Hellocatshome that's really helpful to hear.

Yes, that's the tack I've been taking. I just hope the college can offer him something that will inspire him a bit.

Yes, important reminder. I submitted the application information online, but had no response or confirmation of any kind - did anyone else?

I did mine online and also didn't get a confirmation. So I tried to do it again a couple of weeks later and it wouldn't let me. It said one of the reasons was because I might have already submitted it. So fingers crossed it's worked!

We've had hysterics this morning because I dared to look at the local apprenticeships. There are some great opportunities on there and I thought it would help give her an idea of what she could pursue if she can't go to sixth form.

It didn't help

@Iheartbobross
Re not being in education.

Your old school may take an interest as they, I think, have to publish info on leavers destinations, and they won't like to have NEETs on their statistics.

If not in education or training you can't claim child benefit, but they can't claim benefits themselves either.

To be honest the impression I have had from these boards on MN is that no one really chases / enforces. Perhaps some councils are more proactive than others?

If they don't get the grades I think they should be encouraged to find something such as a level 2 BTEC (or Level 1) in the absence of anything else. There are a wide range of courses, you'd hope there would be something.

Interesting to note: If they haven't got maths / English Lang the only way to get free teaching is via being on a full time course / apprenticeship. They can't access 'adult education' courses until the academic year where they are already 19, i.e. y15 equivalent.

@Middersweekly I was diagnosed with ASD as an adult and school just wasn't the right environment for me in the 80s and 90s. Ds also has additional learning needs and has received support throughout school, though it's been patchy and required some 'encouragement' from us as parents. A lot of my students have specific learning differences and have a similar story but find the adult learning environment easier to cope with than school. I'm very proud of my achievements, it's been a long, hard slog to get here, but I wanted to reassure other parents on this board that GCSE results aren't make or break by any means 😊

Love this. Thank you. DS overcame some SEN difficulties and refused support in secondary. So reassuring to read this.

And thanks for all the other answers to my queries

Hi all. Adding myself to nervously awaiting brigade. DD is keeping herself busy but I can tell she is getting anxious now.

Can I join you too. DD has to get very high grades to meet her offer at the 6th form she wants to go to. There's not much wiggle room if anything goes wrong and we don't really have a plan B beyond asking to stay at her current school. She had a fairly rough time in covid and afterwards, this new 6th form has been the thing that's got her back on track and excited about life so it'd be doubly difficult if it doesn't come off.

I am definitely more nervous for DS's results than I was for mine back in 1985. I don't remember my parents being stressed at all or even commenting on my results. It seems like it was a different world back then. Last night I dreamed that DS got a 5 in PE... he didn't even take PE 🤣. I also dreamed that his Maths result was missing, which is more 😱 than 🤣.

🤣 @SirSidneyRuffDiamond I've been having some stress dreams too!! Lol at us.

@HippyChickMama absolutely agree, if anything this is just the starting point from which to move forward. They absolutely have time on their side to figure out their next move and what is right for them.

@Iheartbobross I hear you. DD2 was exactly the same. She didn’t want to be treated differently and refused any support or extra time for exams. It was a worrying time. This was also 2 years ago when everyone in the UK were being awarded TAG’s but abroad it was business as usual and she had full exams with external exam board marking so she felt she had been robbed slightly as her friends from back home were receiving 8’s and 9’s and her grades were B’s and C’s. She really struggled to be proud of what she’d achieved but plodded on with an Extended BTEC and did really well in the end. The combination of essay based work and exams was the right way forward in her case.
Regardless of the outcomes on Thursday I hope all the DC are really proud of what they have achieved. Especially those who have SEN. It’s just the beginning of their journey.