What options are there for students with dire Alevels due to life events?( computer science )

I've just seen this Gov funded online course called Upskill to cyber not sure if might be of any use, have also sent details to DS who might be interested

www.sans.org/mlp/upskillcyber-uk/

@C0p3nhag3n Yes Access is an option at 19. It’s cheaper (free) than doing a year 0/ foundation year.

But must check entry reqs. There’s a few available and some unis are specific others not.

Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realise that.

Access course is an option if he is aged 19 by 31 Aug.
Also register on www.apprenticeships.org.uk - do a search for apprenticeships in vocational areas he might be interested in within the area he is prepared to travel (say, 10 miles?) and set up alerts so he will be notified of anything new starting.
Ask to see the school careers adviser before he finishes sixth form for the year and see what they are aware of locally.
He could also book in to see the National Careers Service and see what they suggest.
Lots of luck to him :-)

My DH is exactly the same, he has an amazing job with a large company, didn’t go to uni. Not many he works with did. He hasn’t mad any difference to his career at all

Definitely, but not if a young person chooses to go to University. An EHCP will cease then.

My Ds is 19 and will have his EHCP for at least another two years, but I think there's a good chance he may need one longer than that.

Does he have any special arrangements/reasonable adjustments in place for exams?

An EHCP can last up to 25 in some cases.

Further level 3 study could be possible with an EHCP.

Possibly. However it still may not give entry to all cs courses, as some may want a specific grade in a specific subject. His A level grades may suffice without or he can take standalone courses to add UCAS points if the uni he wants uses them. If he applies later as a mature student he may bypass the need for any resits or extra courses. Try not to focus on uni as the be all and end all though.

See what grades he ends up with and go from there.
He could do an access course once he’s 19, or he could search for foundation years which accept his specific grade profile via UCAS. Some only want the equivalent of two E’s, so he has options!
Given his needs I wouldn’t have said the apprenticeship route sounded the best option, but that could be re-considered after this therapy finishes and he sees where he’s at. I suggest they might not be the best route because they can be high pressure - both applying if you go for high level ones, and the day to day experience of being an employee.

Sounds like he needs some time out and time to rediscover himself and relax tbh. University can plunge many into mental health issues... it's not something I'd recommend for those already suffering.

Two people at my university killed themselves by jumping off the roof. Don't risk it.

If he gets any grade at A Level then he has a 'full level 3 qualification' so no more funding available.

He can take out an advanced learner loan for a level 3 course. Similar to uni student loan. However if he uses it fir an Access course then this is wiped on completion of degree.

DP did a HND in a related ish subject which allowed him to move onto the second year of CS degree.

We were at a poly which became a university

Might also be an option?

I dropped out one time at college and got good grades eventually. He could wait and apply to uni when he got some good predicted grades.

Also he could do some work/volunteering in his year out if he felt well enough at some point, to get something on his CV. Unis will like that too.

OP

This isn't going to sound good but keep reading.

If he gets any grade at A Level then he has a 'full level 3 qualification' so no more funding available.

But he has options.

He could resit as a private candidate, so he would be studying on his own, if her does this I would suggest only doing 2 sunjects.

He could start a course with the OU and then possibly transfer to a brick uni.

Or he could study with the OU and take his degree with them, if there are medical needs, which there seem to be then he could get full funding.

I'll be honest I'm studying with the OU so I am biased.

He could start an apprenticeship.

He could work for a few years, if he is only just accessing the help he needs it might be the best option.

If you can afford to support him he could do some volunteering.

Foundation years are another good idea, make sure it is a 'foundation year' not a 'foundation course'.

If he takes a year or two out then have a look at universities that have more open entrance requirement or if they have colleges have colleges for older students, Harris Manchester college at Oxford has an open day in a couple of weeks.

https://www.hmc.ox.ac.uk/event/open-day

https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/mature-students

This is not the end, this is a new start. Some people go through school, college, uni in a straight line, others, me included, take the longer prettier route.

We get to the same place but slower, with more memories and more experience.

I'd forget uni next year. Get a part time job and look into short courses at college or online and then apply for next year. Would be my advice.

Well tbf I was going to say the same.

Also OP if you DM me I will tell you the university name!

There are loads of foundation years, especially for this subject. Something like 'applied computer science' or computing will be easier.
Have you tried asking around the unis/going to open days?
I know someone with ASD... got all D's at A-Level , got in anyway because he'd impressed them with his programming abilities on the open day. This was less than a decade ago.
Got a first, earning 100K+ now.
Not meaning to be classic MN but he is an excellent programmer, started at 9 etc. He was just terrible at written exams.
Worth seeing if these things still exist?

At the end of the day unis want money, some are very project oriented with minimal exams so it is worth, to them taking on students regardless of their A-level grades. The big graduate schemes are degree blind, and as a -programmer there are so many ways to show your worth before graduating by contributing to open source etc nobody cares about grades.

Open university, maybe? They don't have any grade requirements

Watching is Ds may not pass either. Good luck to you & your DS, OP xxx

@C0p3nhag3n Another thing to consider, in time, are the coding bootcamps. Some, particularly in cyber security, seem to have government funding. They do require that the person is actively seeking work after the course, though.

As someone who works in HE please don’t encourage him to start a course until he is in a good place for it. My uni is absolutely rife with mental health issues that are beyond our help and it is devastating to the staff to see students in such difficulties. Obviously some things occur whilst they are with us, but it’s a really bad idea to start with existing issues until they are truly under control. We do try our best but we aren’t able to hep everyone and it never ends well. My safeguarding caseload is horrendous.

That said, my uni will take practically anyone on to the Year 0 programme and in clearing we take pretty low offers on a lot of computer science and allied programmes so if you PM me I can say where.