GCSE reduced subjects advice needed

Sounds really stressful OP. Get a meeting with the school asap.

Like others have said English is 2 GCSEs and science should be the combined foundation which is easier but still 2 GCSEs.

PE is quite hard and science based and if he has no interest in drama or DT then they can’t force him to take those subjects. What about Business?

They tried to make my DS drop history but not until Yr 11 when it was clear he couldn’t cope with 9 subjects. He refused! So you can push back on the school.

Be forceful.

Can you afford a private educational psychologist assessment? Often things like dyslexia and ADHD only become apparent when the work load increases. The running out of time might indicate an issue with working memory. Intelligent kids fly under the radar often until GCSEs then it all falls apart. This happened with DS. We got him the assessment and he went on to do reasonably well. With medication.

It sounds like they’ve gone about it terribly but if your son isn’t likely to pass his English and Maths without significant additional support the school appear to be doing what would be in his best interests.

You are doing absolutely the right thing by trying to contact the head and senior but I would be phoning now rather than emailing due to the deadline. I would also do some basic research into the requirements needs by colleges or 6th form that he would like to go to for A-levels. That way you will have a better understanding of what you are actually querying.

At the moment you just sound in a panic and ill informed when it comes to how his options will affect his future choices.

The only thing I would say is I don't know how you have got to year 9 to now your child is performing poorly in maths or struggling in other subjects. Have you never looked at homework to gauge what level they are at or asked at school? Presuming you are in England, you would have sats at primary school and they would have given you an indication. I'm in Scotland and as we don't have these sorts of tests it is harder to guage particularly if communication from school is poor. However, I do homework with the kids and can tell from the level of the spellings they get and maths questions and how well they can do them whereabouts they are achieving. I have a bright child who has dcd and is often away with the fairies, extra time in exams is likely to be something she needs. I would get a sen assessment even if you have to pay privately.

You just come across as having been quite passive in this respect and expecting school to tell you how he's getting on, their communication has also been very poor! As a parent though I'd expect you to have had some idea at which your child is performing at.

People are getting madly hung up on A levels. The OP's ds is obviously struggling at the moment - so focus needs to be on GCSEs, and understanding where he is now.

I think it's worth the OP knowing that A levels are not the only path. I am a typical MN mother, and didn't look beyond them. My third child told me a week into her biology A level that she was going to change to Btec Health & Social. She achieved a Distinction Star for that, equivalent to an A star A level (my DD is very clear that it was much easier to achieve than the A level). She went into her 2 A levels with 1/3 less revision, and a load less stress. And yes RGs (with the exception of the elites) do accept Btechs.

At the risk of sounding like Yoda, OP, I just want to say that there are many paths to a successful life

His year 9 assessment scores were all below the year group average. Not way below. But they were below. His results do not reflect his intelligence or capability. He said he knew all the answers but didn't get to complete the assessments as ran out of time. So the unanswered questions that he hadn't got to pulled his total score down, even though all the questions he did answer were correct.

The person marking can only give a grade for what is written. It does look like he needs support in getting things down on paper.

The practical subjects are also GCSEs so he will have enough for A Levels.

A Levels are not the only route to uni.

Great advice.
If you can’t afford an educational psychologist ask the school. I’m not sure about the UK, in Ireland support is needs based, ask about extra support, my DD will have extra time, a computer, quite supervised room, she’ll take the routine exams -(she is behind)I think it’s better for her to try.

Another way to look at this op is that English and Maths are the most important. So much so if you fail you have to resit. School clearly have concerns DS might be borderline for passing these so are giving him extra lessons to give him extra chance of passing. The fact they hadn’t previously communicated this to you is a separate issue.

TBH the number of gcse isn’t that important and it sounds like he’s doing 7? Or maybe right as I assume he’ll get 2 science instead of 3. Is he doing 2 English?

I would advise fewer GCSEs at better grades is better than more subjects then not passing some.

Definitely talk to school but it does sound like they are trying to put in as much support to get DS the best outcome.

Immediate action - speak to the Head Teacher, Head of Year, Head Of GCSE year groups - essentially the decision makers.
Explain how unhappy you are about lack of communication and how unhappy that this has come at the last minute.
Tell them which subjects he would like to take - tell, not ask.

Do you have any money to spend on an educational psychologist?
It sounds like he has executive function differences. In his exams, it sounds like he is accurate but just doesn't finish it in time.
My friend's DC is clever but often seemed 'away with the fairies' in class, he could have got written off as 'not trying'. They got a thorough report and have mitigations in place at school. One of them is that he gets extra time in exams.
It's an expensive assessment but has made the world of difference to this DC - he sat the 11+ and got a place at grammar school. There is no way he would have passed without extra time

You need to ask to see the data/ evidence that has underpinned their decisions.

hi I have looked at the OP posts but not read the full thread.

My DC's selective school is saying that Ebacc is no longer a consideration in choosing GCSE subjects, in case that helps.

If your DS has performed well in year 7 and 8, then I think that is a very potent argument for raising a concern with the school about them treating him so differently.

I agree that potentially doing 2 subjects with NEAs would be a lot of work - unless DS is passionate about those specific subjects, it doesn't make sense to push him in that direction.

Good luck, you sound like a great mum xx

Oh yes. He will need to get a 5 in maths and English to be able to do any a levels so it makes sense to prioritise those.

he's bottom set maths. that's your priority. not a level discussions. lots of other options at 16. im crap at exams. did a btec. went to uni. earn 6 figures.

Some families would be biting the schools hands off for this option. I know of people who fight to allow their child to drop a gcse or to veer away from the ebac pathway.

The exams are an assessment of how your DS is doing. You can’t just say he didn’t do well because he didn’t answer all the questions, this is what will happen in his GCSEs. No exam is without a time pressure.

Take the extra tuition and take the softer pathway and let him thrive. Take your pride out of the picture.

English also has two - language and literature

Oh and OP what the school have done here is appalling. I’d go to reception and sit there refusing to move until a staff member of suitable authority appeared to help you. I found this was the most effective way to get traction with secondary.

Just a thought. If your son is bright but was unable to finish his school tests it may be worth getting his hands checked.
My DD got extra provision in exams due hypermobility in her hands which made wtiting difficult and painful.

Just here to say that the reports I got throughout primary school for my kids were all ‘on track’ for the Kay stage that they were at, which was a 2-3 year window. I asked how they were performing against their class / against the whole of Scotland average in the national tests they sat and the school didn’t give this information.

Then in secondary, same thing. picking subjects with only the vaguest notion of whether my child was good at them, no test grades in reports etc, it was only after prelims for Nat 5 exams (like GCSE) that the education system put a grade to their work. You could ask and ask and ask and only be told they were ‘doing fine’ and made to feel hysterical if you asked for more detail.

Lack of info from schools happens all over the place. Teachers don’t want to suggest a child could get X grade to be proven wrong.

I don't think it is uncommon for schools to split the kids up like this. My son's school has two "pathways," one of which is designed to give extra support for those struggling in Maths and English. But all this is clearly outlined to the kids and the parents well ahead of GCSE choices being made. A couple of the kids in my son's friendship group were put in this "supported" group and they got a little bit of ragging, from what I hear, but it was short-lived and the group all remained friends into A levels, and beyond.

The point is that the school are probably doing this with good intentions but have not gone about it in the right way. The poor communication is an issue. If I were you, I would call the school and make an appointment with the Head to discuss. If you really think he can cope with the higher GCSE demands, perhaps you can set out a plan to the Head, a structured period for homework, perhaps some extra tutoring to get him up to speed. How does he feel about it? If he is the bottom set for Maths, he must be struggling and might be happy about the lower levels of pressure in the supported route? Please don't project onto him if you are just thinking it reflects badly on you as a parent - it might be what he needs. But I don't know, nor do you really, so talk to the head and get the school's rationale (which they should have told you already!)

Finishing tests was hard for me because dyspraxia made my hands shake. Then I'd get stressed and they'd shake even more. No one noticed because I was bright and keeping up in every other aspect. They just thought I couldn't handle pressure, not that I had a developmental issue.

Sounds to me like your son has slipped through the cracks. I would get him assessed by an educational psychologist straight away and say your not accepting any kind of pathway, he'll choose whatever he wants, until we're sure we have all the facts.

I agree you need a meeting with the school to understand their thinking on this.

It is very rubbish of them not to have communicated with you on it before.

If they feel that he is unlikely to get a 4 in maths and English without the intervention I can see why they would do this, however, as your DS is not interested in practical creative subjects it's a real shame for him to drop subjects he likes for subjects he doesn't like.

To answer your earlier question about the subject choices, they would not stop him doing A levels if he gets decent marks. DD is doing a similar selection and is predicted mostly 7s & 8s which will get her into A level eng lit, film & photography which is what she wants to do, no problem. He obviously would exclude himself from mfl a level if he does not do the GCSE though.

When l was teaching it was normal to split students onto different pathways before options.

However all parents were informed of the decision and invited to come and discuss it if needed.

Just to reinforce what others have said. He only needs 6 gcses to access a levels. If doing less gcses will get him higher grades in those, that will be a lot better for him in terms of access to a levels.
I wish that more schools offered this as a option as I think a lot of kids would benefit from less gcses.
I also agree that I would be asking about whether he has been assessed for access arrangements for exams and whether he might be able to access extra time, and/or a smaller room to work in (if he is getting distracted). It's still worth pursuing this as it can be put in place over the next few years and could really make a difference for him.

Firstly don't fill out that form, secondly tell the school you need an urgent meeting with the form teacher, head of year and headmaster to discuss this and then if that is not given tell the school you will be contacting the governors. Thirdly he may need help with exam nerves and also need an assessment for dyslexia to rule that out because it would mean he gets extra time in exams. Most importantly as I'm sure you are doing it's vital you let your son know you're supporting him so he doesn't lose confidence in himself. The school have not given adequate explanation or reasons for their course of action which they are obliged to.

My eldest has diagnosed processing issues - visual motor processing and visual processing speed. He often found it hard to start the work he needed to do, even though he fully understood the questions and knew the answers.

This was highlighted by their school at the end of year tests and they were able to assess and then apply extra time for tests and exams going forward. Definitely worth pursuing.

Can you work out what he wants to do out of that mimimal list and also his preferred options out of the whole list. Then suggest they and you work closely to identify issues and put in a joint work plan to try to close the gap before the end of the year. You can then see if you can close the gap so that DS is up to speed.
Get an urgent meeting booked and in the meantime get school to send you all reports/assessments so you have a clear picture.
It is immensely dispiriting to have to resit maths/english post-16 and more limiting then rather than go into college with a smaller but better clutch of gsces