To ask if SEN children in mainstream should always do all 8+ GCSEs?

Don’t wait til the wheels fall off, that means your child having a truly awful time in school which may take a lot of recovery time. There’s no kindness in setting him up to fail. I’d rather have the fight now than end up having the fight while also trying to support a burnt out child.

I would not wait until the wheels fall off. That could risk the whole placement breaking down. When is DS’s next AR? I would use that, or an early review if the AR this year has already taken place, to push for amendments to the EHCP that mean a reduced number of qualifications and alternative qualifications must be provided. In the meantime, I would look at alternative qualifications to find ones that will work for DS.

My eldest has done this and dropped one GCSE so far (SEN with EHCP in mainstream). I suspect another one or even two will go soon too

DC don’t have to take 8 GCSEs. It isn’t essential. It sound like it wouldn’t be in your DC’s best interest to.

Units in mainstream schools run differently. Some expect DC to sit a full complement of GCSEs. Others sit a reduced number, or none, as standard. Some have more flexibility than others.

You could look to get wording in the EHCP for a more tailored curriculum with a reduced number of GCSEs &/or other qualifications (not necessarily functional skills, there are others too. FS don’t work for all. That way, it doesn’t matter if the school isn’t supportive of sitting fewer.

When you say not pass, do you mean not get a level 2 pass (i.e. grade 4+) or do you mean not pass at all (i.e. won’t get level 1 passes, grades 1-3, either)? Understanding that will help when you approach the school.

At my kids secondary it depended on what was in the echp. If it was full time 1 to 1 they were able to drop subjects and do additional work with the 1 to 1 supervision if it's a 2 to 1 it's not so easy as theirs not always enough staff to supervisor the children who want to drop the subjects. A lot of schools have sen units now but their limited on space in them. Speak to the sen and the school

I think that's to broad SEN covers a very wide range of abilities
And whilst some children with SEN can easily manage 8+ GCSE subjects
Some will struggle to pass any
It should be dependent on the individual, s needs imo.

The school my dc go to has a provision unit attached. The whole year group are put into groups. A higher achievers group (expected to do minimum of 9 gcses, with a language, humanity and tripple science), achievers (expected to do a combination of 8 gcses /btecs) or bespoke group and this means they can do anything from just English and maths to the full 8 gcses. School shouldn't be setting dc up to fail.

I work in the SEN dept of a mainstream secondary & we have young people who do not take all of their GCSE’s. They will be put in for study periods or tutoring during the classes that they are not doing.

My DS is Year 10 in a school where 10/11 GCSEs is the norm. However, his condition has deteriorated a lot since Year 9 & needs increased, largely due to epilepsy & it has been decided he should be at SEN school. He can't get a place though. At the start of Year 10 he was doing 9 subjects & not coping. Now that has been cut right back to English language, maths, science & drama GCSEs, French & Spanish FCSE. The Senco has said we can decide near the time whether he sits exams at all. In the place of lessons cut out, he has extra drama (favourite subject), extra maths & English. Lessons often on own or in small group in SEN block. Normal school hours.

My DD was in mainstream with some shared TA resource on her EHCP. She should have been in an ASD unit but things didn’t go according to plan. Her school allowed her to drop a subject in Y10 to use that time to do homework and get support with maths in the hub. She passed everything at 4 or above with an average of grade 5. Could have done better with less exam anxiety and demand avoidance but we were relieved. Her mainstream secondary were very good with her. You are absolutely not unreasonable and very few people need 8 GCSEs.

Surely it should be judged on a by child/pupil basis rather than a blanket policy.

There is just no need for 8 GCSEs for any child, my son has SEN and in the end couldn't cope in school, he only did 6 which was enough for college for A Levels and he's now in his second year at university.

If your son won't pass GCSEs at all they should be looking at functional skills. You should fight it, all that stress for no reason.

I'm currently looking at SEN provision for my son, but he's only just due to start school. The specialist schools I've been to don't aim for GCSEs, of course it would be pointless and yet another thing to make disabled kids conform then fail at. What the hell are they thinking? Please please, fight this.

If your child is unlikely to pass GCSEs I don’t think they should be forced to take them. Surely functional skills would be a better use of
time?