My son left school four years ago with B, D and E grades in his AS exams after difficult teenage years. After nearly three years in the army, where he has trained as a medic, he is now highly motivated and wants to take A-levels. He hopes to apply to university to study medicine, and wants to study chemistry, biology, maths and government. Private tutorial colleges are prohibitively expensive and the local colleges tend to get poor results. Are there other options I haven’t thought of?
Louise Golding, northwest London
If he is still in the army, he should see a careers officer there in case there is any chance of the army providing support or a bursary.
Your son could well be a credible candidate for medical school: his life experience will meet many of the criteria that are as important as the academic ones. He may find it helpful to read Outcomes for Graduates (Tomorrow’s Doctors), a guide by the General Medical Council (tinyurl.com/oluxjet).
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Despite your concerns, he should consider local colleges or even paying for some tuition from money he has earned in the army.
Medics also apply to European universities such as Prague, which set their own entrance exams and accept lower grades than UK medical schools. He should focus on biology, chemistry and maths.
I have a friend whose 18-year-old daughter has just moved to the UK from Spain. She needs to get into the system here to have a chance at university entrance next year. She speaks English, Urdu, Spanish and French, and might have a career as a translator or teacher ahead. What advice can you give?
Isobel Brown, west London
She needs to consider what she wants to study at university and then select A-levels that suit both her strengths and her intentions. If she wants to be a linguist, she will receive a warm welcome from universities: between 2007 and 2013, the numbers applying to read French fell by a quarter.
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She will want to take three good A-levels in related subjects at a local school or college, although to do this in one year will be tough.
My daughter has been sent home for the day from her school for “uniform infringements”. These include matters as trivial as a cartilage-piercing, “inappropriate footwear”, and a skirt that her form teacher has decided is too short. As a result she has missed seven lessons she needed for her GCSE exams. Is this remotely sensible?
Name and address withheld
Yes. Your daughter’s school has a uniform code and it is reasonable to expect everyone to follow it. Schools must uphold the rules that they publicly proclaim or risk losing all credibility. Your daughter has missed important lessons not because the school is unjust or petty, but because she mistakenly believes that she has rights other pupils do not possess.
This week’s questions are answered by Andrew Halls, head master of King’s College School in Wimbledon, southwest London. If you have a question, email, with your name and address, educationquestions@sunday-times.co.uk