By Rory Edwards
Rory Edwards is a local parent, teacher of 28 years and a school governor. He offers us an insight into certain dilemmas parents might face throughout the school year.
Over the past few weeks, we have been look-ing at different schools as our middle daugh-ter is now in year 11. She is already thinking about what subjects to study and where to go for 6th form. Changes to funding in schools and colleges over the years has led to them having dedicated staff to try and get as many students onto their courses as possible. If you are in a similar position to us, how do you and your children filter out the marketing speak and decide what to study and where to study them? Here are some questions which may help you. I have chosen examples from the subject that I teach, Maths.
Should I stay or should I go? It was a lot easi-er when I was at school, most of us stayed in school if there was a 6th form there or we went to a college if the school didn’t. There were fewer courses to pick from and the school leaving age was 16 so if we didn’t stay in education, we went into the world of work. If, like us, you’re comparing schools, I would look at the pastoral support that a school of-fers before looking at exam results. Whether it’s about general school life or achievement in the classroom, how will you know if your child is doing well or is not coping? It’s worth finding out how often you’ll be contact-ed with good news as well as not so good news. Will the school phone you or will you only find out that things aren’t going well when you’re sat in front of the teacher at a parents’ evening?
What subjects do you enjoy? There are likely to be at least twice as many lessons in certain subjects compared to GCSE so it’s important that students have more than a passing enjoy-ment of the subject. If they choose to do Fur-ther Maths as well, you’re likely to have three times as many lessons a week compared to week (I know some of you are probably sweating at the thought of this!) This might seem contradictory advice but just because enjoy a subject, it doesn’t mean that it’s the right one for A-level. You may love numbers and doing Sudoku puzzles but if you have difficulties solving equations, it may mean that A-level Maths isn’t for you. Also, there will be subjects that aren’t offered at GCSE, for example Psychology or Economics. Check the skills needed for these subjects are decide if you have them.
What qualifications should you do? Most of us know that students can do A-levels or BTECs but there are other qualifications out there. Have you heard of T-levels? These new qualifications started in September 2020 and are the equivalent of 3 A-levels. They are based on the same standard as apprenticeships and it includes a 45-day work placement. As these are relatively new, you may have to look around to find a school or college that offers them. A Distinction grade in a T-level is equivalent to three As at A-level.
Keep an eye post-18. Any post-16 course is over very quickly and even before they’ve finished it, your child will probably be look-ing for a place at university. If your child has already decided what they want to do at uni-versity, make sure they know the require-ments for that course, the subjects as well as the grades, before choosing post-16 subjects.