Ds in year 11 and considering dropping Spanish. Yay/ nay in his position(10 other GCSEs) and do unis insist on a language? *edited by MNHQ*

So he needs 3 6s, 2 5s and an 8.

Obviously he won’t be happy with that but it’s all he needs. Make sure he knows that- in my experience kids can get bogged down in thinking they have to get top grades. But both of you knowing that he doesn’t- even if things do go wrong the chances are it won’t be a disaster. Can I suggest - I have supported children, both mine and other people’s, with mental health issues at school- that you try (hard, I know!) to forget about grades and just focus on keeping him at school and trogging on. And drop Spanish if he can. Maybe drop something else as well if the school will let him. Nobody needs 11 GCSEs.

I’d be quite surprised if he needs an 8 for anything, or a total of 11 GCSEs. Can I suggest you check what the exact requirements are then help him concentrate on getting what he needs for the next stage. Do everything you can t stop him putting pressure on himself- 8s and 9s might be nice to have- but unless he has his sights on Oxbridge not even remotely necessary.

Although he may say that his anxiety isn't about school, the worry about grades is likely to not make things any better so I would advise he drop the subject. I know a couple people I went to school with who dropped GCSE language, and having that extra study time during school hours for other subjects helped them have a little more of a breather when at home. Like PP suggested, maybe going for a run/meditation or socialising in the saved time.

On the flip side, I wasn't allowed to drop my language at GCSE (I didn't have a valid enough reason other than it was the only subject I couldn't get along with and wanted to focus on subjects that would help my chosen career), but they did suggest I dropped to foundation. This was a few years ago now but the highest I could get was a C, which I got with minimal revision because it was very basic stuff compared to what we were being taught. I then got the C and it is just like any other GCSE on my certificates, it doesn't state that I did foundation level, just "GSCE German" but it's just capped on how high the grade can be.

ditching it will give him time/break and lessen his load.......

I would wonder if he needs to do others as well especially as he is planning on going into STEM - why does he need 10gcse?

why RS/History - if their not something he loves /is passionate about about then maybe drop one or both of those as well...History is a big load !

It is more important his key marks are as good as they can be so maths/english and science......what is the minimum he needs to do the A levels he wants ?
If he's not in a great place you will need to help him/school prioritise.... whta subjects are really important - I feel parents and schools get caught into xm must do this is its important/the bright kids so need to acheive 8./9 potential blah blah ... better to have good results that get hom to where he wants to go next and bugger the school stats

this is about reducing the overall load on him......

Sorry- I meant what grades generally does he need for 6th form? Because you said in your OP that his grades need to go up, but unless he’s aiming at Oxbridge, frankly whatever he needs to get into the 6th is all he needs and perfectly fine in the circumstances.

What does he need for his chosen 6th form?

noble is right. If the last year with my Ds has taught me anything its that mental health is a priority. He is a high achieving student who will not meet his potential, but that's fine. He is doing the best he can with everything that is going on and that is all that is important.

Aw thanks Gin!

OP, I really don’t understand your dilemma. What does he get if he keeps it up? A possible grade 5 in a GCSE he doesn’t need, worry about revising for it, ongoing uncertainty about foundation or higher tier entry, having to attend the classes and do the revision on top of everything else.

Dropping it: An instant end to the concerns about revision and tier of entry. The chance to spend the time he would have been in Spanish lessons improving his grade in English, less pressure on him for revision. You talked about 20 minutes of Spanish revision a day - he could use that time for going for a run/meditating/relaxing and working on his mental health instead.

His mental health is so precious - prioritise it over a GCSE. He’s telling you it’s too much for him to cope with.

If the school have offered it, take it with both hands. Y11 is a difficult and stressful enough year as it is without the mental health issues he is already suffering. Anything that will give him a bit of a breather should be welcome.

I agree with Noblegiraffe. She is a teacher and always gives excellent advice. It is far better to do 10 GCSEs and get better grades, than take 11 subjects and get lower grades.

Also, his mental health is much more inportant than a GCSE he doesn't need.

Op I really would drop it if school are supportive.

re the 5 in F and 5 in H, there is no difference in the result, you get a 5, it never says which paper you took on your certificate. If that's what you meant!

If you meant in terms of the different exams, they are very different, foundation is a lot easier questions, yes you gave to get a high % to gain a 5 (about 68% last yr, as opposed to 56% for a 5 in higher) but the questions are much more accessible. If he has been doing higher mock papers he may be surprised (my ds was I recall). pm me if you want more info 😄

Mental health comes first, he can always pick up Spanish later including at university so drop completely. Even 10 subjects could be too many in view of his ongoing problems in year 11 unless he is able to achieve say a 6 in his mocks with no extra work for at least one of them.
His grades are more important for sixth form and university entrance than the quantity.

BlOO maybe see what the mock result is like but I would still be inclined to drop it completely. Ds wasn't actually too bad at his language but his coping mechanisms are poor and we just wanted one less thing for him to worry about.
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Ds's autism means that he finds revision very difficult. We encourage but we don't push. His mocks started last week and we have already had some panic and he's gone into school with chest pains and feeling unwell.

We are having to make decisions for Ds regarding sixth form. He doesn't know what he wants, so we will have guide him into what we think is best. He is now getting some special needs support at his school but he has been incredibly unhappy there so I think we are going to move him elsewhere.

I do hope the counselling helps your Ds through the difficult time he is having. My Ds has been referred to camhs but it's a 10 month wait and that's if his referral is accepted. School can't offer anything so I think we are going to have to pay to get him some support with his mental health.

Good luck with it all. I'm sure with your support and the counselling that your Ds will come through this and there will be light at the end of the tunnel for him. Don't worry too much about the Spanish, I really don't think it will have an impact on his future if he drops it and if it helps him feel less pressuredd then it will be a positive.

I am smiling wryly at scraped an 8...

Yes piggy I laughed at that too, scraped an 8 indeed, that's a great grade!

My Ds is also year 11. He has had a difficult year (just been diagnosed with autism) and has mental health issues. He dropped his language gcse at the start of year 10. It has definitely taken the pressure off a little as he's gone from 11 to 10 gcses.

In our experience I would say drop it. In the long run his mental health is just as important as his grades. Last year Ds did self study in his free lessons, this year he is doing intervention and he's fine with that.

Good luck with it all. it's hard supporting a child through year 11 that is having difficulties. We are finding it really tough. I hope things improve for your Ds soon.

Surely the only thing that matters here is his mental health?
Yes let him drop it, he's doing plenty of other GCSE's and sounds like he will score higher than half the children in the country of the same age as him.

@Bl00mingCactus - what does he need to get into his choice of 6th form?

scraped an 8 ....Only on Mumsnet!!