Adult GCSE courses

grace2much

Hi all, I need some advice. I've been off work for 4 years now with ongoing health issues and receive DLA and sickness benefit. Before my illness I had been self-employed for 30 years starting 3 businesses. (I'm now 52).

I failed me 11 plus and left secondary school at 15 with zero academic qualifications but after school, I became interested in business and finance. I have always read a lot.

Enough of me.............this pass year I have been helping my 10 yr old son with his maths tests as he prepares for our local grammar school selections exams. I love it!!! And it has spurred me on to try for a GCSE in Mathematics. With receiving the above benefit's is there anyway I can get a grant or help? With my illness it would be best if I could complete my GCSE via a distance learning course so I can work with my illness and go at my own pace.

Any ideas on the best way forward? Thanks in advance........:D

LittleVoice

grace2much wrote: »

Hi all, I need some advice. I've been off work for 4 years now with ongoing health issues and receive DLA and sickness benefit. Before my illness I had been self-employed for 30 years starting 3 businesses. (I'm now 52).

I failed me 11 plus and left secondary school at 15 with zero academic qualifications but after school, I became interested in business and finance. I have always read a lot.

Enough of me.............this pass year I have been helping my 10 yr old son with his maths tests as he prepares for our local grammar school selections exams. I love it!!! And it has spurred me on to try for a GCSE in Mathematics. With receiving the above benefit's is there anyway I can get a grant or help? With my illness it would be best if I could complete my GCSE via a distance learning course so I can work with my illness and go at my own pace.

Any ideas on the best way forward? Thanks in advance........:D

Without a full level 2 qualification (5 GCSEs at A*-C), you should be able to study for GCSE maths at no cost at a local college. Unfortunately I am not aware of distance learning organisations which would be able to provide this free tuition.

dmg24

The chances of receiving funding for a distance learning course are about zero, unless you want to look at OU, but that would be at a higher level.

It would be worth speaking to your local college to see what they offer. I find availability for adults hit and miss - my local college does not offer any single subjects, but there are others that will allow you to register for one course only.

Cookiee

Hi :-) Go to Learn direct hun x They do online courses in maths, english etc and they are free. You get adult qualifications which are recoginsed at GCSC levels. I have just done my maths as I threw up in the middle of mine lol

There is good support groups in your local college librarys for Adult learning and they dont make you feel like a thick idiot :-D

Good luck hun x

anamenottaken

Cookiee wrote: »

Hi :-) Go to Learn direct hun x They do online courses in maths, english etc and they are free. You get adult qualifications which are recoginsed at GCSC levels. I have just done my maths as I threw up in the middle of mine lol

There is good support groups in your local college librarys for Adult learning and they dont make you feel like a thick idiot :-D

Good luck hun x

If you have the time to do a GCSE do that.

I normally advocate the qualifications in adult numeracy at level 2 (= GCSE level) but that is more of a quick fix for someone who is reasonably competent already and wants to get a paper qualifcation in short order.

For someone who really likes doing maths and might want to do more with it, then GCSE is the way to go. You learn far more. Really. Numeracy is not the same as Mathematics.

grace2much

Thanks all for the help its appreciated. I think I'm going the GCSE route as I have all the basic numeracy skills and want to push myself as far as the old 1.5 brain cells will take me:-)

Oldernotwiser

LittleVoice wrote: »

Without a full level 2 qualification (5 GCSEs at A*-C), you should be able to study for GCSE maths at no cost at a local college. Unfortunately I am not aware of distance learning organisations which would be able to provide this free tuition.

You could only get funding in this situation for a full level 2 qualification (ie 5 GCSEs) not for doing just one.

The OP could look at doing the C&G Numeracy Certificates which are considered as GCSE equivalents and are free.

saintjammyswine

Speak to your local FE college in the first then book an appointment with your local Next Step advisor. Although it may not be GCSE, which is full level 2 at C+, there will be at minimum an equivalent qualification. Good luck and well done for getting this far.

liz-paul

My local FE college offers reduced fee's fr part time courses for those on benefits. I think this covers GCSEs. I think that my evening class last year (recreational) was about £120 full price but only £30 for concessions which might be affordable. But yeah, ask at your local college and remeber there might be more than one close to you.

grace2much

Ahhhh the penny has dropped. I was muddled in my thinking as before I thought I "had" to go through the GCSE maths curriculum in a college etc. Now I realise I can learn online or through books etc and then just merely sit the exam at an approved college.

This makes things a lot better for me as my concern was with my ill-health I was worried if I would be able to attend night classes regularly. But now I realise I can learn at my own pace and then take the exam at college.....great!!

Now another question.........Is there any standard recommended books I can buy on amazon or easons etc that would take me through the GCSE Maths curriculum? Or/and is there a website that would be the equivalent of a online GCSE school classroom where you can learn online. Thanks in advanced:o

poet123

http://www.move-on.org.uk/practicetests.asp This is a good site which we use to prepare students for Functional Skills (formerly Key Skills) If you want GCSE material there are loads of text books out there, and Bitesize is a good online resource.