Daughter unlikely to pass her A levels

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my DD has always struggled at school and just managed to scrape 5 GCSE passes to enable her to be accepted into 6th form college. She works really hard, has great attendance, fully engages in lessons, does her homework and currently is doing nothing but revise, however, based on all the previous papers that she has completed
in lessons and her mocks, she’s on course to fail badly. One of her courses is a BTEC which she has passed with distinction but the exam side of things just doesn’t work for her. She’s just sat with me absolutely distraught as all of her friends are smart and she can’t face results day when they will be celebrating, she feels embarrassed and ashamed. We obviously support her unconditionally but how do I help her deal with the way she is feeling? I know as parents we always want to make everything better but I’m struggling with how to do this. Thankfully she decided long ago that uni was not for her at this stage in her life so she isn’t worried about that, but I don’t want her to feel stupid/embarressed/ashamed/failure - her words not mine. Has anyone else been through this with their child?

Thank you so much x

The probation service does have various entry levels but they require “experience of working with challenging individuals whose lives are in crisis and display challenging behaviour”. Sureky DD doesn’t have this? I would find out how to meet all what is needed.

As a result of this thread I browsed CPS careers out of interest as my DS is year 12. They are advertising for various entry level roles in various parts of the country that look good.

She’s interested in the CPS too at any level, thank you, I’ll take a look x

It's the paralegal officer job I was looking at but there seems to be loads of different posts that may be open n the future.

Look at the detail in what they want and see if DC meet the behaviours criteria. Very difficult at 18. Not impossible but lots of people who are paralegals are law qualified and waiting for a better job or trading up from a lower ranked job. Just be careful about thinking this level of job is taken by 18 year olds with no relevant work experience or obvious transferable skills.

I think I would encourage her to look at next steps… have you sat down and looked at the apprenticeships website? Don’t know whereabouts in the country you are, but look for options where A levels are not needed for next steps, and if she has a job by then, her grades will be irrelevant.

just had a Quick Look, and depends on where you are in the country, but there are paralegal apprenticeships that only require GCSEs and PSCO apprenticeships on there at the moment. If you look at the legal one, it only needs one A level / level 3 pass in one subject…. So her quals will lead her on to her next steps. I’d focus on this…

@MeMumI Interesting that the apprenticeship pays half the CPS job. Plus it’s for a sewers and road adoption company so ultra niche. They aren’t solicitors. It’s nearish to me!

Does she know what retail careers entail? It's not all about working on a till or stocking shelves.

There is management, HR, often there is research and development, organising deliveries, health and safety, IT...

Lidl has a 4 year apprenticeship route.

careers.lidl.co.uk/early-careers/degree-apprenticeship?dclid=CPX5i_earI0DFZwJBgAdWHMJTQ&gad_source=7

@sashh I think looking at a company that already employs her is a very good idea. Even if it’s temporary whilst she gets something else lined up but there are so many roles in bigger retailers.

Hi OP, I teach A level at an inclusive school and teach kids like your daughter most years, as well as some high flyers of course. Our school's aim is that they progress to the satisfying career pathway of their choice. They pretty much all do.

Tell her (as you have) that by going through this she has built the skills many employers actually want and need. Work ethic is a lot more important than the ability to write an essay! She's got a job - that's good too.

She should plug on. She might surprise herself in Politics, and with the points from the BTEC and hopefully a Criminology pass, will be able to progress.

I had a student many years ago who really struggled due to ADHD and dyslexia. She is excelling in the workplace now. She worked her way up with a local firm who took her on after school. I follow her on LinkedIn. She won a trainee of the year prize!

For posters who don't know BTEC, it's done now - the work's all finished and marked and being moderated. The DD has that qualification. BTEC is a lot closer to what you do in the workplace than A-level.

@Needlenardlenoo Not in law though as that’s nearly always a degree occupation.

It was in Law actually.

Well done on being a supportive mum OP, regardless of results, it sounds like you have your DD's back and that's what she will remember most.

I also had a wobble at A Levels. My GCSEs were great but home life became tricky once I went to college. Things still worked out for me (though I no longer have the career I went in to) and I did it without helpful parents.

Wishing your DD all the best.

We’re in Warwickshire where opportunities seem
somewhat limited unfortunately

@NeedlenardlenooYes but it’s a very narrow field relating to that company. It would take a Herculean effort to get a job requiring solicitor qualifications from that type of work. It’s in house and the work is very niche.

I think you're replying to a different poster @TizerorFizz?

Yes! You are right ! Always look at the small print!

Thank you, thinking of you and your DS too and hoping for the best outcome x

Hey, if results day is worrying her, then you can definitely plan to get the results delivered I think? When we collected my daughters, I remember that there were lots of people on holiday and that was absolutely fine.

A levels really aren't the main thing in life, and she will 100000% be happy and successful, because she has a good attitude. All of her friends will know this and support her. I found with my daughter, that it was helpful to have this app called luna (we are luna on the app store) because it has articles about dealing with results day anxiety and exam stress, revision methods etc.

It's also got lots of stuff and expert advice on self esteem and general wellbeing, my daughter struggled a lot with body confidence and it really helped.

Good luck to your daughter !

They get the results on line don’t they? School is just about photos and meeting friends.

That certainly wasn't the case for my DC - the youngest did A levels last year. Their UCAS accounts updated quite early so they knew whether or not they'd got into their chosen University course or not before they went into school but they didn't know the actual results until they collected them in person. Anyone who couldn't get into school could phone later in the day but there was no option to receive results by email or any other online method at their school.

And support from staff

@Pinkfluffypencilcase Well yes if they need it!

She's done well in a BTEC which is very positive thing. The criminology (which isn't actually an A level but still a level 3 qualification) she might pass. She's worked hard, and even possibly enjoyed college! She has furthered her education beyond GCSEs and expanded her general knowledge and horizons. No education is wasted. I scraped 5 O levels (two Bs and three Cs) and I got three As at A level and got into medical school. I have a first class honours degree from a Russell Group university and a PhD. Anybody that wants to give college a try should damn well give it a go. She is barely out of childhood - there's no rush to find the right path in life.