Editor
They name themselves the Brickie Boys. The group is without doubt one of the winners of the BBC’s Young Reporter Competition.
On GCSE outcomes day, the boys are on a mission to point out different younger individuals you could be successful even when you don’t get the grades.
Riley, Remus, Muhammad, all aged 17, and Heath, 16, met for the primary time a 12 months in the past after they enrolled on a summer time course in bricklaying.
Following the course, all of them enrolled in a Level One course in bricklaying.
None of the group did properly at school and they didn’t take the course too severely both at first, says Remus.
“At the beginning, everybody was messing round after which, I don’t know, out of nowhere it grew on us and we realised that that is life,” he says.
The course was run by ACE Training in Oxfordshire, a not-for-profit supplier that takes younger individuals from faculty – or those that or aren’t in training, employment or coaching – and teaches them development expertise.
It gave them their futures again, says Muhammed.
“When I heard about this faculty, they stated it’s not all about GCSEs and every thing they usually’d enable you step-by-step,” he advised the BBC.
“I feel this made a second probability, second possibilities all spherical.”
Natalie Games, one of many tutors serving to college students to resit exams and discover employment, says: “Loads of our college students don’t think about themselves, numerous our college students will come from faculty damaged.
“Loads of the time, we have now actually difficult conditions with the scholars to start with however, hopefully, most of our college students go on to do themselves proud and do us proud as properly.”
The boys have come a good distance within the final 12 months. They all say the course has helped them to mature, develop communication expertise and develop in confidence.
“This time final 12 months, I went to get my outcomes and I knew I wasn’t going to go any of them however I nonetheless went in, picked them up, and I didn’t go English or maths,” says Riley.
“Natalie’s helped me lots with my English and maths and I’m fairly positive I’ve handed and now I’ve bought an apprenticeship, so it’s all going good for me.”
Heath says he “failed every thing”, including: “I didn’t really feel like I had anyplace to go after that, I felt I used to be truly fairly trapped.”
He has additionally gained an apprenticeship and resat Maths and English.
“I’ve gone from not getting any GCSEs, being not very properly behaved, to passing maths and English and getting a commerce out of it, so it’s impacted my life in a great way,” he says.
The boys say the concept of going right into a commerce was not promoted in school as a fascinating factor to do and was thought-about just for these seen as unintelligent.
But Heath says he’s “truly contributing one thing outdoors of simply faculty, I’m constructing partitions for homes – and that’s what individuals want”.
“Generally it’s a good job, and it does pay properly,” he says, including: “You can have numerous {qualifications}, you may have numerous GCSEs and nonetheless be making the identical amount of cash or lower than some tradesmen.
“I simply consider that it’s incorrect the best way it’s perceived, it’s not appropriate actually.”
Muhammed is now mentoring youthful college students enrolling on the school’s carpentry course, and in the future needs to arrange his personal enterprise.
That is a dream shared by Remus, who can also be now beginning an apprenticeship with a constructing agency.
He says: “I really feel like faculties put an excessive amount of strain on GCSEs.
“It is an enormous factor, don’t get me incorrect, however I don’t assume it needs to be marked out as life and loss of life.
“Your GCSEs don’t outline who you’re and you’ll nonetheless have a future with out them.”
