Is this an unreasonable expectation...

[tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz]

DD Y11 so GCSEs looming. She's not academic at all but a bloody hard worker. She wants to stay on where she is to do A Level History, Media, English Lit.

First set of mocks indicate she should be ok with hard work to get the entry specific grades for these subjects however like many providers also need minimum 5 in maths.

Here is where my worry lies.

She has struggled with Maths since her first day at school. She's got a weekly tutor and DH take it in turns every night sitting with her for an hour working through her developmental areas highlighted by teacher. Her confidence is growing but when she does practice paper questions she struggles to pinpoint on many questions exactly what it's asking, how to break it down and often this overwhelming feeling makes her not try. So it's a challenge to say the least.

In November mock recently she got a 2. In her year 10 mock last May a 2 also.

School have said if she manages to scrape a 4 in real exams they may admit her with a view to resitting in November (as in 2 and a bit months later) when she will have to get a 5 to stay. This is regardless of how well she does in every other subject.

Am I being unreasonable to feel it would really suck for her I'm guessing to be taken off her course mid way through at existing school if she were to fail a resit again? Especially a pass level in a subject she realistically has no chance of hitting in that time frame.

Please be gentle in replies - I need realism for sure but this is keeping me in awake at night

(For info she has applied to a local-ish college as a second choice who have lower entry requirements and state that if her maths isn't as needed she can edit "until it's obtained" which feels more achievable. She unfortunately has tunnel vision and naively seems to think as she's an existing pupil with exemplary attendance, behaviour and attitude record that they will make an exception.

Also apart from an additional weekly half hour maths tutoring session which started before Christmas, this is the only additional support school are able to provide)

Thanks for reading x

To qualify whilst not naturally academic she enjoys the subjects she wants to do at A Level and while she has to work hard still she is good at them and her mock results show she's on target to get entry grades for them.

I think unfortunately the school would already argue that they are being lenient by admitting your DD with a 4 at GCSE, when their policy specifies a 5, and giving her a chance to retake.

Encourage her to not only do past papers, but to look at the mark schemes - she may well be bypassing questions where she doesn't think she can get the final answer, but can still gain marks, and dropping marks by not giving a full enough answer elsewhere. Mark schemes for maths are very specific and it might help her to train herself to achieve more.
Sites like Onmaths are very good as they show what grade has currently been scored in a paper along with how many more marks are needed to get to the next grade.

I think that is absolutely ridiculous. Also why would they want to detract from intense A level studies to make her get a better grade if she already has the magic pass. Just stupid.
that said do you think they are just saying that so she keeps aiming high - there may be examples of other kids in sixth form who don’t have the exact grades, have you asked around?

I'd let her move if other colleges would let her in

Thanks all, really appreciate your input.

Good point about paying close attentions to mark schemes, I'd not considered that as a strategy and I doubt she has ... almost like started at the destination and working your way backwards!

I'm encouraging her very enthusiastically to keep the college in mind as an excellent Plan B.

And yup - realise that if they make exceptions for one kid it sets a precedent.

Oh for it to be July and all done one way or another

Good point. I managed to collar the head a few months back at a revision workshop and his reply was "she should always be aiming higher " which while very true doesn't acknowledged that for some kids a 4 is like climbing bloody Everest how I eye rolled

A local college may happily take a Child that excels at what she's good at. In our area a lot of 6th forms want high entry grades to filter kids. My god daughter was same. Her own school rejected her

Unfortunately, each year, many good, conscientious students with exemplary records are told by their schools that they cannot progress to sixth form.

Keep school sixth form as Plan A. But make sure Plan B is also there.

@tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz What entry specific grades does she need to stay on to do her A levels? I would want to know in writing from them if they would kick her out in November if she does not get the 5 on the maths resit. There is no legal obligation for a child to stay in school after 16 so they can ask a child to leave on the parameters they have set.

I would be seriously considering another college, she would pass with a 4, she has struggled from day 1 and making her resit for a higher grade is madness and unfair when it is clear this does not come naturally to her.

I think walking through a paper with her rather than doing it herself would help. Depending on what board she is doing there are lots on youtube, it is called a walk through for search purposes. I have linked one below. If using past papers online have the exam question paper open on one tab (or use two laptops for this) then the mark scheme open on another tab and walk through one question at a time. She does the question and then looks at the mark scheme to see if she would have got full marks. I think working on her confidence would help too. Best of luck to her.

That's really helpful thanks so much. We'll have a look at that. I know she's doing lots of past papers with her out of school tutor too.

So yup I think I knew I was being unreasonable to expect school to filter somehow. They are a high rated school too so I guess they will want to keep kids who will do very well at A level - DD is unlikely to make their figures look very good.

Ok so I'll take on board the practical revision stuff whilst continuing to big up Plan B college (DD isn't as keen as all her friends are staying on and the college is much bigger than when she is now. I think it's a comfort thing too. But hey ho).

Again, massive thanks folks x

I would see if I could change tutor. My sister is a teacher and she says that there always are multiple ways to teach things like maths.

I am not familiar with GCSE level maths but I have taught my children up to year 6 (oldest top set in year 8, so I no longer do maths). When I have explained, they have complained that “so so explain it differently” - well listen in school then and don’t fall behind 🙄was my reply.

I doubt that maths is hugely challenging at GCSE level if properly taught in a way that works for the specific child - but I could be wrong.

I would

> buy the maths books, preferably a book which has different sets (A, B, C) questions is possible - exist in year 6.
> start a year or two below, do the subject tests to see what the foundations are - in maths, it is very easy to get lost without foundations. Again, my DC are younger but in for example comprehension, we bought first the books from a year below, went through them, then the stretch book for the year below, then the current year book, then the stretch. It was all about building confidence in the basics.
> set up a plan for working maths about 20-30 min a day. Make it fun, a cookie, hot drink, sit with her.
> learn it with her, compete about who solves a problem first (my DC loves competing with me and winning, so completely ok to not be good at the topic).
> do check the mark scheme but also ensure that she really understands the basics
> new tutor with new perspective
> see where you are in a few months.

In reality her friends won't all stay, no matter what they plan now. Don't put pressure on her to achieve a 5 in November if her grade is less in summer, a fresh start would be better, is she taking .foundation or higher papers

Agree completely. If anything I'm having to keep a lid on how pro the college I am

Foundation

This is very much mine and DHs approach since Christmas. He and DD have what's they call "Maths Club" for 30 mins every day and we intend to keep this up. They mirror either what she's done on school that day or what she's done with tutor the previous

At the moment I'm happy with the tutor. She's been addressing the basics as you say which she identified very quickly we're not way near cemented in and we're seeing a difference since she's been involved

As you say I think unfortunately it's those basic skills which she never "got" and without them you are a bit buggered.

I'm feeling better that actually we ate on here right track doing what we can to support and as I say she's such a hard worker it's actually heart breaking at times

But whatever the outcome I'm trying to think positive that we know she will have worked her arse off and there will be a path for her it just may not be the one she has her focus on now

Thanks everyone x

I think you are wise to encourage her to look positively at other options. My DC go/went to a popular school with an over subscribed 6th form and there is absolutely no wriggle room on the admissions criteria. A few years ago a friend of my DS's was devastated when he was told on GCSE results day that he couldn't come back because he had failed english even though he had 7-9s in his intended A level subjects. Unfortunately his parents had been sure that because he was a long standing pupil and very good at everything except english that they'd make an exception so they had no plan B. They had a very stressful time then trying to find somewhere else and I believe he was ultimately happy and did very well but it could definitely have been less stressful all round if they'd planned for the worst rather than just hoping for the best.
Our school doesn't even offer GCSE resists as they can easily fill the 6th form places with pupils who meet the criteria. It does seem harsh, but I can see the school's perspective. They have to set objective criteria and stick to them. If they started making exceptions for particular pupils then they'd have to do it for others to avoid being biased and there just isn't the capacity for everyone who wants to attend.
You've had some great advice on how to boost your DD's prospects of a 5 in maths and hopefully she'll get there but I would definitely have a clear plan B in place so that you don't end up spending results day on the phone trying to sort things out as a last minute panic if things don't go the way you hope.

It may be that the school does not offer functional skills maths which she might find easier and the college do offer it. It is also worth considering that if she wants to go to university some of those will have minimum thresholds for maths too so it is worth trying to find some way to get her through a maths qualification. Hopefully with practice she will get the grades she needs. She can hold multiple offers and decide when she gets her results.