sixth form AS failure now what?

[positivethoughts]

Hi
With the eleation of his GCSE results my son was all sorted straight on to the 6th form of the school he has attended most his secondary school life to do 4 x subjects.

..by November he had dropped maths then by xmas bombshell he doesnt enjoy his english , no support , fallen behind.
The 2 other subjects IT Business studies he loves and is doing well
After few talks with teachers,head of year he was told he can not stay on at the 6th form as he will be seen as a 'part time student' and they do not have this scenario at the school so goodbye ... my son who was at school every day is now sat at home I dont know where to turn? what to do? I pleaded with the school to let him keep doing the other 2 subjects just until end of the summer June so he would not be at home vegetating...but the schools answer was no..
Is there any other options open where he could carry on with these 2 subjects untill we rearrange a new start in September elsewhere.. I feel like he has been kicked
out on the street and left..
Thanks for reading

I'm a bit at what your son's school has done. I'm surprised he was allowed to drop maths and go down to three subjects so early as most students continue with 4 till the summer even if they are finding them difficult.

He will at least get a fresh start in September but until then he needs something to do. Part time work/voluntary work will at least keep occupied and out of the house. I don't know how he could carry on the AS study other than working independently. Perhaps an evening course at a local college might help to get his confidence back and keep him engaged in studying.

Try contacting your local Connexions office - they are there to support teenagers aged 13-19. They might be able to offer encouragement about trying something different.

www.connexions-direct.com/

Have you looked at your local FE college? Many of them run A level courses as well as vocational courses. Well worth a google

I would also checking out the local FE college. Ours offers almost as wide a range as the local 6th forms.

My own son started one course and by Xmas knew it wasn't for him , and he was doing badly. He managed to switch on the understanding he caught up the missing work (and did..just) and while he's not flying high, he's happier doing a Btec than he was his previous options.

I think it's pretty hard that school have been so unhelpful:( BUT it's not the end of the world.. there is no reason he can't either try elsewhere or take this as a gap year (perhaps find a p/t job at least) and start afresh in September.

Possibly unrealistic, but is it worth contacting other local schools to see if they would be amenable to him joining their 6th form and continuing with the IT & Business Studies? At least until the AS exams in June?

BTW am also at your sons previous school!

My DD may soon be kicked of one of her AS courses. If they won't let her continue to the summer and at least finish AS level, I'm looking at arranging a tutor and entering as external candidate.

When I say looking I mean I've found a web site with A level tutors on, in preparation for some potentially bad news.

Has anyone else done this? Is it a realistic option to take AS and even A2 using just a tutor, instead of attending school or college?

I'd be interested to know this, as DD is really struggling with one of her A2 subjects, but needs to get some grade to get the points she needs. Be watching this thread closely.

DS was miserable at school. Eventually we took him out and continued with home tutors; he took the ASs at his old school which we agreed with them before he left. He did OK - not fantastic but certainly better than he would have done at school. His problem was complete lack of interest and motivation so keeping him up with doing work at home was very difficult - you can make them sit in front of their books but making them learn or memorise anything means you have to do it with them 100% like you would a toddler.

Taking him out of school was the right thing to do (especially as it was a private school!). I'm not sure whether shovelling him through his As was right though - he didn't get good enough As to go to university and anyway has always been absolutely firm that he is not going.

We were blinkered - he'd always been in the top set for everything, scholarship entrant, school had him down as an excellent university sciences candidate etc. Unfortunately we didn't pay enough attention to him and to what he wants out of life - which is not a glittering career in the city, but a quiet bedsit, some peace and quiet, a top-quality pc, a very few close friends, and no stress.

My daughter is having extra tuition because she so badly wants to go to University that I want to be sure she gets her grades. Her tutor has a mature (ie 25 year old) student who dropped out of his As at 16 and has come back now. He got an A* at a level after studying with her for just 5 months, not because he is a genius but because he is a bit more mature and really really wanted to do it.

I would say - look at your child. If they are struggling with their A levels there's a reason, and at 16/17 they are old enough to both make a few of their own decisions and to take the consequences of those decisions. There are alternatives to the As/University/Career sausage factory that all kids are pushed through. They are all going to live till they are 100, there's plenty of time and opportunity for all that later on if now's not the time.

I wish I had said to my son 'you can stop your As but if you want to live here it's going to cost you xxx per month, so go and find yourself some work'. Pushing him through his As against his will hasn't achieved anything for him - he stacks shelves at the local supermarket, and still has no ambitions.