GCSE reduced subjects advice needed

Can you email your child’s teachers? You know his maths ability but it sounds like you need to at least ask about his English ability and whether the teacher feels that your son is at risk of not passing atm. I would assume that any problems in English might translate to other essay subjects too.

Does your school provide targets and attainment grades? My kids had expected GCSE grades based on year 6 SATS as well. Remember that if they use jargon like meeting his target, it means the grade generated by his year 6 SATS grade and not necessarily achieving a GCSE pass.

That sounds like a GCSE options evening rather than what I'd consider to be a parents' evening (where the teacher would give you individual feedback about your child).

For reference, DC's school does both - it has a parents' evening where you can make appointments to meet with individual teachers to understand your child's progress (and recommendations for GCSE), and then a few weeks later a GCSE options evening which is for the students to find out more about courses offered.

I think this is pretty poor from your school. Any chance of moving your DC :) ?

Struggling with exams can also be exam technique. GCSEs are half subject knowledge and half exam technique unfortunately.

Are you able to see the marking in his exercise books for homework where he presumably isn’t at a time limit?

My DD did even though she haa dyslexia and extra support for English Language.

English Lit is so much more like geography or history rather than English Language . You are learning a subject (Scrouge for example) and answering questions on the book.

My DD did so much better in Lit than Language. We learnt Scrouge by watching the play and watching the Muppets version on TV.

You get SPAG points same as geography but most of the marks are for answering with the correct quote or answer.

So they have then. It was last week. Just busy and you didn't speak to all the teachers.

it could be all types of things but it will be something, my daughter has dyspraxia which affects her fine and gross motor skills - she would frequently only get a few lines down on paper as she was so slow and torturous writing. Once we knew this and she was allowed to use a word processor for written answers she flew . do seek a review ASAP

What an awful shocking situation for you to be in. One thing I would suggest doing is checking the entry criteria for whichever college your child is likely to want to go to. That may reduce some of the pressure on you both right now. My child was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD only a few months before GCSEs. They weren't expected to pass anything, but actually did pass 6 in the end and has been able to start A-levels. I thought it would be game over when school suggested dropping a GCSE but actually turned out to be a blessing. Good luck.

Hi OP. I'm sorry you're going through all this.

You need to demand an urgent meeting with the Head of Year today. Don't take no for an answer.

If what he's saying is true - ie. his weaker exam performance is a timing issue, rather than an ability issue - he needs a full Ed Psych Assessment now.

For instance, teachers at DS' school noticed that although the answers he was giving were very good, he often wasn't finishing papers. He was assessed - processing issues were identified - and he was given 25% extra time.

I'm amazed tour son has never been referred for an Ed Psych assessment if his profile is as you claim. Especially if his performance has deteriorated in key subjects since the start of Year 9 (this is when children who have previously been 'ok' ish or under the radar often start to struggle, as exams become longer GCSE-style papers and the content they are required to learn increases).

If the school is adamant about this pathway they have put him on, they need to show you very clear evidence - ie:

CAT scores since entering the school
Other assessment results of concern throughout the school
NOT JUST ONE ASSESSMENT.

If they are unable to produce more rigorous evidence than just this recent test result, you could suggest he does the test again (or a similar paper).

Ask them to specify why he was never assessed for SLD. Usually this would be the first port of call when a student is slipping behind. It's very odd.

Get answers today, Just go into the school if your emails are being ignored. Good luck!

Fair enough maybe not the C of G
But in the OP's shoes I would be emailing anyone who would listen

I really don’t think the urgency matters. What the school want is time to ensure all of the kids options can be timetabled. They’re not entering people for GCSE exams more than 2 years away in 10 days time. They just need the forms back so they can start working out if everyone gets their choices, how many classes they need and whether it all works. That’s the urgency. Getting one form back a week late (when they have messed that child around hugely) is fairly inconsequential.

Or a processing disorder, like dyspraxia or dyscalculia. How is his handwriting legibility and speed?

That’s interesting @VickyEadieofThigh abd @ArseInTheCoOpWindow can I ask what kind of school?

ds1 who has LD had to do it; as did a student in my form with quite severe SEN who wasn’t expected to gain a grade 1.

No, they don't. Just English language.

Nothing will happen faster by contacting the chair of governors, trust me.

I am one. I'm also a retired secondary head. Chairs only get involved at the far end of a complaint.

They didn’t at DD’s achool
Eng lit was only for top pathway.

I don't think any of us have any idea whether you "have to do both" at OP's DC's school. OP should definitely check.

Pretty much everyone has to take English lit in the first pass.

If they don’t get a grade 4+ they only retake English lang. But schools are judged on it so IME they need to enter students even if they will get a grade 1.

It’s not tiered either grrr.

@Arizona29 youve not told us what your ds plans for his future career? We may be able to reassure you as lots of posters here have been through this.

You still have to do both (at my DDs school the text sometimes differs), you just get an extra lesson a week in replace of a humanities or a language for example.

Surely someone on this reduced-subject pathway wouldn't be doing English lit?

I am really worried aboug the impact this will have on DS's options, choices, future success and I'm worried about this affecting his self esteem.

Failing a subject or getting low grades in assessments through the course will also affect his self esteem.

I would investigate how you can get his test scores to reflect his knowledge and understanding so that he can be in the 90% who don’t do the standard pathway but if his friends are high achieving and likely to take the piss if he struggles with a subject then it would be worth picking different subjects so that he avoids stigma. My children had access to a combination of GCSEs and other qualifications like level 2 BTECs which didn’t stop them getting uni offers later.

I’m screaming processing issues too - I moved DS2 into private in desperation in year 9 . I have since met so many lovely bright DC who have a diagnosis now that state just didn’t pick up on .

Yes, this!
I remember my dd getting a school report (funnily also year 9) saying the was failing in maths when she had been doing just fine. It was last day of term and teacher had gone straight on holiday!! But I was so puzzled and angry this had never been mentioned that I pestered the school until they contacted said teacher and turns out it was a mistake!! It CAN happen.

yet he has no SEN and has never been given additional interventions at school

My son has ADHD and dyslexia and school were shit at getting him to diagnosis stage because he was academically average, well liked by his peers and didn’t physically attack people (adults or children) He was seen as coping fine so not needing intervention like the kids who would physically kick off. If I didn’t circumvent the school, I’m in no doubt that he’d never have been diagnosed.

The bit about knowing the answers but not having the time to write screams processing issues. It doesn’t mean that he is stupid, it means the time from reading the question, thinking about the question, formulating an answer then writing it is longer than average and you can get extra time if it turns out that’s an issue. That would hopefully mean that he can demonstrate his understanding and knowledge to get the grade that he deserves.