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Secondary education

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Original poster

carpentry AND physics !!!!!!!

57 replies

Tortington · 17/10/2008 09:48

ds2 is off to college next september, and this is much topic of discussion in the custy household as his twin sister is of to college too (ofcourse)

dd wants to study english and law

cool

ds wants to study carpentry and physics

w..t....f

he would have to go to two different colleges - one to study carpentry and one to study physics.

he reckons he will get 3 or 4 gcse's and i have begged him to do a-levels and go to university but hes just not interested.

but wants to study physics.

i had a holy row with him and said he had to pick on or the other.

but i am thinking - why? no harm can come of having a-level physics and he might get bitten by the college bug - maybe get some brainy friends

what say you?

OP posts:
Mandelbrot · 18/10/2008 17:27

Can he do physics and or maths as an evening course?

He is a teenager, they seldom want to rise before noon, the timing should suit.

Blandmum · 18/10/2008 17:29

LOL at the timings being right.

You'd be exceptionally hard placed to find Physics and Maths A levels being offered at night school.

I used to teach in one, and the only science on offer was Biology (which I taught). Entry level and GCSE maths was on offer, but nothing higher.

Physics teachers are in such short supply nowadays many schools don't offer physics GCSE, just the double science, when non physics specialists teach the physics component

lazymumofteenagesons · 18/10/2008 17:33

If you re read post it says e in science - I hope this is a typo. I really don't want to sound patronising or put anyone off doing a levels, but if this is the case i don't think science a levels are for him. They are hard courses with a huge jump from gcse combined sciences. DS1s school has just done IGCSEs in all three sciences (although he dropped physics and he still finds his biology AS much more complicated.

Mandelbrot · 18/10/2008 17:36

Ah, mb, I'm spoilt for choice round my way. You can do Mandarin GCSE somewhere near me, in the evenings. Local authority website is the place to look.

But yes, I imagine physics teachers are in v short supply as the only subject teenagers want to study at university is meeeeja studies, aka a degree in T4.

"I got a 2:1 at Marquita Oliver! I majored in Hollyoaks!" etc.

Custy - bribe him to do physics: give him a chisel and invite him to whittle his own particle collider.

Blandmum · 18/10/2008 17:40

If he does Physics, and has a pulse, he will never lack for a job, they are that scarce!

I've taught GCSE physics ( and made a reasonable job of it have an A level in it) but I don't really like teaching it. thank God, I'm just teaching A level and GCSE biology now.

Mandelbrot · 18/10/2008 17:52

lol at '....and has a pulse'

But true.

Original poster
Tortington · 19/10/2008 00:07

pmsl. ok am off to buy chisel

nope its not a type E in science

OP posts:
Blandmum · 19/10/2008 09:08

I don't want to be a downer, but I would be very, very worried at someone starting A levels with an over all Grade E.

You'll hate me for typing this, and I bet I know what his answer will be, but could he do the woodwork A level and resit his Maths and Science GCSE and bump up his grades. then start his AS Physics when he is doing his A2 in Woodwork?

will the school/ college let him start with an E grade? I know that we wouldn't let anyone start A level without a minimim of a C grade, and that is par for the course round with us.

Original poster
Tortington · 19/10/2008 12:43

oh no just E in gen science - overall grade c

i wouldnt let im to a-levels unless he got a c - waste of time. i agree

OP posts:
bagsforlife · 19/10/2008 13:33

My DS got an A in Biology and Physics. There is no way he could have done A level Physics, did Biology AS and got an E!

Blandmum · 19/10/2008 13:37

I've had kids drop from a B grade to an outright fail.

there is a hell of a jump from GCSE to A level. Every year I warn them that they have to work as they go along, every year some of them ignore me!

Original poster
Tortington · 19/10/2008 13:59

thanks hmmmm, don;t know what to do now

OP posts:
JJ · 19/10/2008 14:01

MB, when you say anyone with a physics degree and a pulse can get a job, what exactly do you mean? I did physics and chemistry at a university level and then got my masters in chemistry as well. So what kind of job could I look at?

Actually, what would I need to do to get some sort of supply teaching thing? Could that work at all?

Custy, good luck to your son! Agree that he has to be good in math to do well in physics. I don't know anything enough about the UK college system to say anything else.

Blandmum · 19/10/2008 14:22

If you did a PGCE/GTP and went into teaching the world would be your Oyster!!!!!

Physics teachers are so scarce on the ground they would snap you up in seconds flat (also chemistry...but physics is the key)

Supply teaching agencies would probably want you to have a teaching qualification....they want you to 'jump right in' and teach, rather than learn on the job IYSWIM.

You could probably offer private tuition.

Have a shufti at the OU PGCE, you can do it part time and take up to 3 years over it. Or you could do the GTP, train as you work scheme.

If you don't have a teaching qualification you can work in the state sector (in spite of what is often said on MN! I did this for 2 terms while training) but you will be limited to the 'Unqualified register' and they pay you a lot less.

Reallytired · 19/10/2008 14:25

I don't think that a physics degree opens up as many jobs as it did in the past. There are far more vocational degrees than in the past. For example degrees like audiology, computer networking, software design graduates take jobs that physics graduates would have done in the past. Generally you have to do a masters to make yourself employable after doing a physics degree.

Anyway if the OP is more practical than academic why not look at some NVQ/ BTEC courses in engineering. It would satisfy his desire for carpentry and physics and physics. My brother did a BTEC in engineering as he was similar to the OP ds.

You can still go to universtiy with a BTEC and if he chooses not to go to uni then it will prepare him for the world of work better. There is also less chance of him coming out with absolutely nothing. (Ie. getting a bunch of Us at the end of an A-level course)

bagsforlife · 19/10/2008 14:25

Is there any science course he could do that isn't as difficult as A level Physics but would still nuture his interest in physics somehow? Like a general sciency type course not leading to A levels but with still with a qualification at the end of it. Sorry I don't know if these sort of things exist. A teacher at a post 16 college might know.

bronze · 19/10/2008 14:26

More work from carpentry than physics the way things are going.

Reallytired · 19/10/2008 14:26

fgs don't push him into to going to uni. He has his whole life ahead of him and can always go later.

Blandmum · 19/10/2008 14:42

Good point!

Have a shufti and see if he could do an applied science A level.

It will cover all three sciences, is a 'real' A level but is geared more towards poroject based work than death or glory exams. It also coveres a wider range, so sligtly less of the ball breaking stuff is covered.

JJ · 19/10/2008 15:14

Ooh, excellent. Thanks for the info.

Original poster
Tortington · 20/10/2008 18:59

just a bit of feedback.

we have found a college that does both
looked for applied science, but its not on the prospectus.

so he can do an apprenticeship in carpentry and physics

he said he will do maths.

no have i got this straight

the first year of an a level - is now an AS level 1/2 and Alevel?

things have moved on since i were a kid.

you are not going to believe this martianbishop - i hope you come back and see.

i need advice for dd

she was filling in her college application today- she wasnt to study english and law - a-level.

howver she had always had a love for drama - she just adores it.

now the a-level preforming arts ( it might be called something different ) says must have a talent for two out of three from
drama, music, dance.

she wanted to take up keyboard for xmas so she could do an a-level in drama

although i am really thinking - for what purpose???

she will have to do loads of after school stuff for the drama etc, practice a new keyboard skill as well as do her eng lit, eng lang, and law a-level and drama

what to do - i kinda said " whats the point"? and she said "OH BUT J CAN DO CARPENTRY AND PHYSICS?"

arse!!!!!

i really think i need to steer her - i dont really want her dancing on worthing pier.

what say you?

OP posts:
Original poster
Tortington · 20/10/2008 18:59

sorry and physics GCSE i mean

OP posts:
Original poster
Tortington · 20/10/2008 19:00

arse - a-level i really mean

OP posts:
bagsforlife · 20/10/2008 19:15

Nowadays you do in the first year of Sixth form or Sixth form college or whatever, AS levels and then you go on to A2. So you do one year AS (advance subsidary I think is its real name) and then in the second year A2. At the end you receive an A level.

You take an AS exam at the end of the first year and recieve a grade A to E, all of which are a 'pass' or U which isn't. Then you do the second year (A2) and at the end receive what we would have known as an A level! Grades A to E again. But what is different now is that you can re-take modules and so get the grade up as you go along, if you see what I mean, ie you could do well in several modules and badly in one but retake the bad one and get the overall grade up.

You can drop the subject at AS level and i presume would be an equivalent to half an A level and is a qualification in it's own right I think but most people go on to 'complete' it at A2.

You can do AS/A2 in drama, so your daughter could do that with English and law.

Hope this helps. i'm no expert but have two older DCs who have been through this plus work in a sixth form in an administrative capacity!! Am sure martianbishop or teachers can be of more help.

Blandmum · 20/10/2008 19:38

Re your DD, you are Mrs Worthington, and I claim my £10

If the A level is in Performing Arts I'm assuming that she will have to do more than just drama....otherwise it would be an A level in Drama? But no idea really, I'm just guessing

AS is the first year of A level, and you do get a certificate....it is 1/2 an A level, but if you want to go to Uni you still need the two year AS/A2 qualification IYSEIM

I think in general that kids need to enjoy what they do at A level. Fine to do something you don't like if you know that you need it to get into Uni (I did this with physics, loathed it, but needed it).

But unless they have specific reuirements I always give the same advice. Do the subject that you love

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