Any experience of long term illness in Yr13, failing A levels and impact on uni offers?

[NicoAndTheNiners]

Dd has been quite poorly for the last six months plus. In nov she collapsed and spent over a week in hospital where she was diagnosed with coeliac disease and a hiatus hernia. So not life threatening Sick but explains all the multiple days of vomiting, lack of energy, etc over the last few months.

Her attendance this academic year is less than 70%. She's still having days where she's sick. Accidental glutening, also just developed a lactose intolerance which causes terrible d&v. Anemia, low vit d, muscle pain. Major weight loss. She's had two days off sick this week.

Her product design teacher has told her she's going to fail product design as she doesn't have time to make her product. She's less worried about failing her other two subjects but obviously with such low attendance her grades may be affected.

School want me to provide doctors letters, detailing how long she's been poorly for, hospital stay, impact and effect of coeliac disease.

They're then going to contact her first choice uni and ask them to change her offer to an unconditional. Does anyone know what the chances are of this happening?

Is there anything else I can be doing/school can be doing?

[TeenTimesTwo]

Could she withdraw from exams / uni this year, drop down to y12 and then repeat y13?

[NicoAndTheNiners]

That's a possibility.

But her second choice uni has given her an unconditional. So would she lose that offer?

I'm thinking while it would be a shame this year if she didn't get her first choice at least no matter what happens she will get her second choice.

What happens if she dropped a year then potentially she might not get offers next year?

[errorofjudgement]

I agree with the other posters and think she would be better building up her strength and health this year, completing her A level study next year, before starting university level study otherwise she will be starting off behind the other students as she hasn’t finished the A level work.

[ShalomJackie]

If she goes back to year 12 she reapplies but surely has a greater chance of passing her A levels.

Although her second choice is unconditìonal check because most are only unconditional if firm.

As more and more people go on to degrees and seemingly get 2.1s employers do look back to what A level grades people have but she will obviously be able to explain her mitigating circumstances.

There is no real reason why she won't get offers next year too if ahe got them tgis year.

[Scifi101]

Isn't there the issue that you can only attend school until you are 19?

[NicoAndTheNiners]

You can repeat a year in sixth form so won't be an issue. I'm ringing the school up tomorrow so will talk to them.

She doesn't have to firm her unconditional offer so that's good.

[clickazee]

Could you contact the university and see if their unconditional holds for a deferred place. Then she can re-do her A level year, knowing she has a place whatever happens.

[clickazee]

Pressed too soon. Reassure her that her health is more important, and that however upsetting it probably is for her, there is a significant number of students who get ill in the A level year, recover, and go onto university. In fact it happened to my sister 20 years ago. At the time it was awful, but looking back she realises it didn't have any impact on her subsequent university or career.

[NicoAndTheNiners]

I've rung the school today and good news is that her UCAS tracker has updated her first choice from conditional to unconditional.

So at least regardless of what happens she can go there.

School sound like they're going to put more support in place to help her with her practical work. Am waiting for head of sixth form to ring me back.