Missed GCSE grades but offered complete change of Alevels to business, PE & Sociology

[lechatnoir]

DS was meant to be doing PE, Biology & Psychology A Level but got a shock 5 in Biology (predicted 7). His school say hard no to Biology + Psychology and only agreed to PE as got a high 7 for this one and strong throughout the course.

They've offered him sociology and business studies (neither of which he did for GCSE) and he's keen to accept because he wants to stay at his school but it seems totally random and I'm worried he has little interest in either and will really struggle. Plus he didn't even do Business for GCSE and presumably most/all of the students will have this head start.
He's undecided about uni but keen to work in sports although clearly sport Physio that he had considered is now off the table.

Any thoughts?

What did he get in his other grades? Maybe a BTEC might be a better bet for him long term than a levels.

Do they offer a BTec in Applied Science? A good fit with PE A level and more chance of success potentially.

It seems v strange that they would prescribe your child’s options in this way. So the school mocks predicted 7, he got 5 … did he just have a bad day or there is a gap in their teaching?

Is there another local college who would permit him to take his preferred options?

I doubt business studies requires gcse to keep up. Psychology has a maths content, what was his grade for that? Will they offer at least one more traditional subject?

Are there local colleges that offer a Sports Btech?

Does he play a lot of different sport, or one sport in particular?

There are courses in conjunction with football, for example, if he’s a talented player.

Sports BTEC Extended Diploma?

'Wants to stay at his school' is not a good enough reason for doing unsuitable courses (if they are unsuitable to him of course).

He's got to think harder (and realistically) about what he wants to do after A Levels and find a school or college that will let him take what he needs for that next step. I agree that the current offer probably isn't the best option.

What did he get for English OP and does he have any hums GCSEs?

Sociology tends to get 'offered out' by schools , as does business to try to keep bums on seats (sixth form funding being as it is in such a dire state). Rarely do they offer any advice on the content, or on the skills and abilities needed.

PE and sociology is not a daft combination that said and nor is PE with business.

There is some content overlap between PE and sociology. But the skills are entirely different : not necessarily a bad thing.

What does he intend to do after A levels?

Consider a move to a college that does Level 3 Applied Science. I think that would align better with his interests and keep him on track for his future aspirations. Do check whether it would affect uni applications - there are certainly unis that take it but some higher ranked ones may not.

Or he can try the offered subjects, and you could reassure him that he could just drop out or finish the year if he hates it and restart Y12 again with completely different subjects in 2026.

If you do look at colleges he could also check out health & social care perhaps.

For some healthcare uni courses applicants need "a science". Psychology would get him into some courses even without the biol, but I believe sociology and business studies would not count as sciences, at any rate to the course I am thinking of. So that might be another consideration if he is thinking more broadly about allied healthcare eg occupational therapy.

Criminology is widely taken by psychology applicants who miss their grades but I'm not sure that would align much better for him than what school is proposing.

I wouldn't rule out physio completely. PE is an acceptable alternative to Biology on lots of courses. My DS was considering it for a while and wasn't doing Biology A level but did have PE. He chose a different direction in the end, but there were lots of courses which just asked for 3 A levels including a biological science or PE. Have a look at a few courses' entry requirements before he abandons the idea if it's something that he's really keen on.

I think that it would be a shame to give up on his dreams when a grade 5 in biology would make him a good candidate for BTEC Applied Science. Remember that level 3 BTECs don’t prevent him from applying to uni and it’s aimed at students who get grade 4-6 at GCSE so he has a good chance of doing well.
I understand why he wants to stay at the current school (mine did the same but dropped out after a year to do a course at college that he was suited to and got a top grade) but the likelihood of academic success won’t be high if he picks for that reason. Does he go to a school that asks people to leave if they aren’t achieving high enough?

You don’t need GCSE Business to do A-level so don’t worry about that but does he know what Sociology is? 2 new subjects is a lot and a massive risk- especially if he’s never shown an interest in either. Did he score highly in his essay subjects like English? Psychology is an essay subject and I’m wondering if he was denied psychology because of his essay subject grades?

Wow lots to unpick here. So English he got 5 in lang (missed by 1 mark another unexpected drop from 7) eng lit 7 so sociology should be doable. No humanities and 6 in everything else - chemistry, physics & maths, DT & Food Tech.

unfortunately, BTech aren’t an option and he is really adamant he doesn’t want to leave and because he doesn’t have a firm plan is really not too fussed about the subject change - it’s only me that’s slightly alarmed he’s doing 2 subjects he’s shown zero interest in prior to now.

Explore other options in subjects he’s interested in, so T levels, btec, etc. he’s got to think long term not just about staying somewhere comfortable for two further years.

if he wanted to be a physio then maybe that’s still possible with the right level 3 subjects? If not look at sport and exercise degrees. Friend of mine did this and works as a self employed sports exercise therapist, well actually runs her own business employing others and earns a fortune. Ok, she’s not a physio but I’ve had multiple appts with her for sports injuries and she’s better than any physio I’ve seen. People are falling over themselves to book with her as she has such a good reputation. It’s all very hands on, so from where I am as a job does not seem different to a physio.

Though picking a random degree and looking at entry requirements it seems that as long as 40 ucas points are from PE or science it doesn’t matter what the other subjects are so maybe he’d be ok. https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/courses/sports-exercise-therapy-bsc/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22048016845&gbraid=0AAAAADxpzNGNey4XvHtLq4xLi3SO92Od7&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqqDFBhDhARIsAIHTlktFT3TT8j3S9-7DF2yXdmbWMTlzZruY-MBthKVTD0Zs0LLgTBKm9JsaAhGNEALw_wcB

Yes, the 7 in lit does suggest he can write well. Does he have any interest in sociology though? Academically he should be fine but lack of interest can be a killer.

I think my question is whether they are really offering what is in his best interests or the subjects it might suit them to fill. I'm not necessarily averse to 2 new subjects, but like you say, for someone who's shown no interest in either AND chose to do zero humanities at GCSE? They are both quite humanity-y.

Maybe explore with him why he did no humanities at GCSE, and whether that might impact on whether he is likely to get on with that new subjects.

Sociology is quite popular among students who do it. I did a bit at uni and found it interesting. But it seems a bit of an odd departure for him.

Have they said why he can’t do psychology?

Biology makes sense but psychology should be doable with 7 in lit and 6 in maths I would have thought?

I got C in lit and B in maths and statistics and took A level psychology as a mature student 26) and got an A!!!

It’s a shame he’s so set on staying at school when other options may be better for him. Is he not willing to go and look at colleges?

My DD was set on sixth form but we looked at a college and she loves it. We’ve found it’s a better path and they need to learn to move forward and out of their comfort zone at some point.

Did he pick those 2 subjects or were they ones suggested by the school? If he doesn’t like one (or two) then can he switch to another subject?

My dd did psychology and said that a lot of her class did sociology as well. She briefly considered it but when she looked at the summer holiday homework for sociology, she realised that it wasn’t for her. Does your school set similar?

That's a good point @itsgettingweird . I've just checked our 4 closest sixth forms/colleges and all would let him do Psych with that grade profile. With some margin.

PE, business and sociology or psychology is a great combination if you want a career in the sports world . . .

I guess see if you can find any information about the syllabus for the A levels they’ve said. Look online. Sit down with him and go through it, ask if he thinks he’d like them?

Like some of the other posters, I wonder if the school is offering what they can deliver easily (staff picking up subjects not their specialism) and not having staff to teach more specialist A levels, but desperate to maintain student rolls. What's his friends been offered, and are they being steered towards alternatives? It would not be the first time a school has been known to manipulate offers to fit staff / budgets and not to what students want!