My daughter failed all her GCSEs & school loophole means she can’t resit – I’m fuming & had paid for a private tutor

GCSE results day took place yesterday and some students may be thinking about resitting exams if they didn’t quite get the mark they wanted. 

However, one worried mum has revealed her daughter – who didn’t get a single pass – can’t resit any of her tests at her school.

Taking to Mumsnet, the concerned parent shared: “My DD darling daughter] failed her GCSE miserably.

“My DD didn’t get a single pass in her GCSE exams. 

“She got all 3s which caught us off guard and now we’re not sure which way to turn.”

To “pass” a GCSE, you normally need a mark which is four or higher (on the one to nine scale, where nine is the best).

This was a shock to the mum because, when practicing with past exam papers at home, the daughter was scoring around fives in past papers in maths, English and science.

The mum shared how they had even forked out for private tuition for all three subjects for the past year and a half – but it hadn’t helped her pass marks.

The worried mum added: “Her school does not allow resits. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.”

Many parents were quick to chime in with some reassurance.

One advised: “I am pretty sure there will still be college courses she will be able to access probably whilst retaking English and maths alongside, but you’ll need to check.”

Another added: “She will need to retake maths and English as she got grade 3. 

“She will be eligible for a level 1 or 2 course at a local college and they have retake classes for maths and English, or you could look into functional skills level 2 for maths and English which are equivalent to GCSE passes.”

A third agreed: “Do not panic!! Speak to your local college and see what her options are. 

“She can resit at college and honestly it will be fine in the end.”

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The mum shared how her daughter was supposed to go to the Sixth Form of her current school to study history, sociology and business.

However, one parent advised: “I would say, gently, that A levels are not the right course.”

Others advised that the girl should look into an apprenticeship or going into a trade instead.

Typically the rules are if you got below a grade 4 in maths or English, you’ll have to resit them at school or college until you pass (or turn 18).

Colleges usually let you take these alongside another course (vocational or A-levels if you qualify).

NATION’S RESULTS

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Thousands of pupils scored top GCSE results despite starting secondary school when Covid shut classrooms – as more older teens than ever were forced into resits.

This year’s 16-year-olds were the first cohort to complete their entire secondary education since Covid, starting Year 7 in autumn 2020 when schools were still in lockdown.

Despite fears of long-term disruption, GCSE results have remained remarkably stable.

Official exam board data shows 21.9 per cent of entries across England, Wales and Northern Ireland were awarded top marks (grade 7/A or above) – almost unchanged from 22.0 per cent last year.

This was higher than in 2019, the last year before the pandemic, when 20.8 per cent of entries achieved the top grades.

And more pupils than ever managed a clean sweep of the very best grades. 

A record 576 teenagers scored straight 9s in at least ten subjects, up from 543 last summer.

But English and maths continue to remain the toughest hurdles, with 60.2 per cent securing a pass in English and 58.3 per cent in maths.

Older pupils continue to struggle most, with the entry from those aged 17 and over jumping 12.1 per cent this year to 482,402.

Most were sitting compulsory resits in English and maths, where only 15.3 per cent scraped a pass in maths and 19.7 per cent in English.

Education leaders have called for the Government’s policy of compulsory resits in the two subjects at GCSE to be scrapped.