Trying to help but need urgent advice - please!

I'm trying to help a 16yr girl who is leaving French Baccalaureate this summer to find her new school. She is two years behind (due to moving from France etc). She is fed up with being in a class with people of 14yrs (2 yrs behind) but knows she needs to do GCSE's. She is able but enjoys socialising rather than academic life.

Issues:
a) She no longer can go to a "normal" school due to her age (if she joins the 16yr olds then they will be starting A Levels which is too high a level for her).
b) There aren't any Colleges near her which are suitable.
c) Colleges further away state they first take pupils from their area (so she might not get a place)
d) Independent/private options are at least £11,000 per year (which would be more suitable if she was academically minded).

Decent advice seems to be really scarce. Any ideas?

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 1

gomg

Well she will have to find a college to do them, or she can teach herself and just sit the exams at a center which allow her to

Reply 2

CatherineGB

Thank you for your response but unfortunately she is no miracle worker! She is a young girl who has grown up with the French system so has not learnt subjects in English. So the idea she can teach herself or just sit the exams at a centre is not possible. She has not had any understanding of the english system. We shall carry on looking but since writing the above message I have tried the national career call line plus 6 other websites but no helpers...

Reply 3

tohaaaa

Original post by CatherineGB

Hi, you could consider getting a tutor, and then asking a local school to enter her for exams as a private candidate.

Reply 4

BKS

I think the easiest solution is finding a college somewhere, she might as well apply to further away ones or find something she can do at nearer ones. That sort of situation requires some sort of compromise, she's not going to get a perfect solution

Reply 5

CatherineGB

Thank you for your responses. Appreciate all of them. I have looked into all the colleges in the whole of London for options. Boy this is tough and yes compromises all the way.

Home tutoring not an option as the parents are limited in funds but more importantly it's the other hours they are concerned about re monitoring, getting up to mischief, completing homework etc. as they both work long shifts.

William Morris Sixth Form, Hammersmith offers GCSEs - but most of their pupils already come from 3 local schools or local catchment area (Hammersmith Borough) so may not have a chance (as live in Ealing Borough). Apparently they hold a few places back for those schools in case pupils fail/need to retake GCSEs so although they may say they have places they may not really be free.

Richmond Adult Community College (Richmond Borough) has GCSEs but no French so we would need to find a tutor or another college to do that separately (French is a must as she must be so much more advanced than some as it's her first language).

Twickenham Academy & Richmond College could be possibilities but have very strict catchment criteria and oversubscribed (plus do not do French).

If anyone knows anything about these Colleges (experience/background/details) it would be really appreciated to hear some feedback as we are going in blind. Tried to call all places but on holidays.
Many thanks.

Reply 6

BKS

I suspect there has to be more colleges in London doing GSCEs than that. I'd suggest she forgets about French. Employers will take her ability in French for granted so she has no need for a qualification in it.