Extra dance class while doing level 3s

[paulears]

Most schools would suggest 3-4 hours of study a night as a bit unhealthy, and perhaps 1 hour of study on the right thing would be better. If somebody is doing almost a double week, hours wise, does anyone check what exactly are they studying? Few teachers will have time to even check this home work - so make sure the 3-4 hours is productive. I'd bet it's perhaps wasted, if it doesn't relate directly to either exam questions or grading areas.

BTEC is not supposed to be different standards in different schools or colleges, but there is scope for teachers to select units that are 'easier' to deliver and assess. For example, let's imagine a college decided to use the unit "Period Wig making" - they'd spend an entire year learning about period wigs, but the reality is that they'd perhaps only pick this unit if they were going to do Les Mis, and the show would need wiggy people. No Les Mis, a bit pointless picking a wig unit!

BTEC award grades by performance being compared to strict criteria. The teachers choose the work content, and it gets matched up - so often BTEC can be very deep in very narrow areas, but students may simply not even know about common sense things if these are not mentioned in the criteria. In A Level, you're at the mercy of an unseen paper, so you learn a wider range of things, but probably none at a great depth.


Penultimate thing - the teachers will be under severe pressure from the management to keep as many good students as they can and prevent them going elsewhere. They will recommend college to the kids they wish to lose, and find good reasons for putting off others. Simply good business, as Government funding retains jobs, and good students mean better results. Do not think they always have your kids best interests at position No. 1!

Last thing - for many kids who lover performing, doing it for a living may be the wrong thing. Professionally, dancers are old by 30 - they cannot keep up, and with auditions based very much on a meat market principal, the onset of wrinkles for the girls is a killer. Hence, I think why so many go into teaching. If they want a solid well paid career, with the option to work as long as they want, then A Levels in academic subjects will still work better - and they can always perform locally for fun. I'm quiet sad that each year, my old students who still are working in the industry are getting fewer and fewer - and the first of these left my care in 1996.

[2dancersmum]

Government guidelines for years 10 & 11 are 1.5 - 2.5 hours homework per night. My son was told 1 hour per subject for A level and he did 4 A levels. However, I agree that it was not 3-4 hours a night every night. His work was always marked and relevant so I do not think a student should expect that 1 hour a night would be sufficient for A level, especially if the aim is university entry when high grades are required. My sons workload seemed typical of friends from other schools aswell. Choice of subject probably also is a factor.

[Katymac]

Their teacher told them they could only cover part of the syllabus in college due to time constraints and that there were sections to work on at home (science & maths) in addition to set homework

[paulears]

That is worrying - I'd take issue with missing parts of the spec out from teaching time - they can do work on it, but it needs teaching first! Individual teach yourself study is really university style!

[Katymac]

Which is why DD won't be going there