What are the best education/ preparation options for Alevels(maths, psycology,CS) during a year off due to illness after GCSEs?

J03s this coming academic year is looking so different to normal anyway that it may not be a bad thing starting the year after. Hope you get the education hours he needs to help him.

I would be happy for my Ds to start his A Levels next year as well as he is struggling immensely but we have nothing else for him at the moment. So it feels like we need to try and get him back.

You could buy the CGP "revision" & question practice books, especially for Maths. Maybe not much use for topics not covered at GCSE, but he should be able to "self study" topics previously done at a lower level that have a natural progression to harder elements. You'd then also have the books for when he eventually goes back to formal study as exam preparation.

Punx Sadly, nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to health or education.

Seems like we just get the healthcare side of things on track, then the education falls to pieces or vice versa. It never seems like both can actually work well alongside one another - or actually communicate with each other for that matter!

10brokengreenbottles. I think you’re right about it being more to do with money. Which is frankly ridiculous, as how many medical needs pupils do LA’s even have to deal with at this stage of their education. The LA are very keen to tell me my ds is a unique case, so I doubt there are many more in his situation in our LA at least.

I have had trouble even getting them to engage with me. His original Plan Co-ordinator ignored my voicemail messages, then bounced my email back, saying he was no longer involved due to the case going to tribunal. Claimed to have passed it to a senior co-ordinator, but of course I heard nothing. I now have a name - of the person who officially conceded the tribunal - but no contact details, so that’s my next job.

I only found out they’d conceded when a Comm Paed called to say she wanted me to organise an OT assessment, as she couldn’t do it and as he was mid-transition to adult medical care, it was too complicated to go via his medical team. I did that, had a phone and face-to-face assessment, received the report. All confirming he needs to continue study at home and needs and EHCP. No involvement by LA or Comm Paed at all. They were allegedly contacting his specialist for specific medical advice and arranging an Ed Psych assessment - but no, nothing.

I have heard of a case where a parent of a child with the same health issues as my son challenged the head of children’s services directly and asked them why they were failing their sick child. On that occasion, in that LA, they then restarted EOTAS. Pretty sure that would never happen in my LA though! (Longstanding experience, as I have an older child with SEN.) I do have an excellent contact in my other child’s Plan Co-ordinator, who has helped me find out what’s going on before, so if nothing changes in the next few days I will contact her and ask for help.

I would also look online. Both my boys found You Tube videos really useful, especially youngest Ds who struggles to study 'normally'. He prefers watching an online explanation than reading a book to study which he tells me he can't do! I think there is plenty of A Level maths videos.

Moose and greenbottles it is pretty shocking that there is no statutory duty post 16. It's a real worry when your child is that age and you don't know if they will return to school.

Moose I agree, it is disgusting. Being generous I would say it's one section of the law that's not caught up with another, but sadly I think it has more to do with money.

Have you asked the LA some of the questions in this document from SOSSEN? They may need reminding the relaxation of the time limits only applies where it is due to coronavirus.

Totally agree re focus on Maths... and if there is anyway you can afford a tutor to work 121 with him online (zoom typically) that would be amazing... both to provide a relationship that builds his confidence and for the practical aspect of Maths. I know a very good but expensive tutor who has worked wonders with my DD, focusses on Maths but teaches all the sciences and is so emotionally literate and supportive that it bowls me over. PM me if you are interested.

Or alternatively there are plenty of Uni students who would like the extra dosh or even pre-Uni students like my DD who have done A level Maths and done a lot of academic/peer mentoring while at school, and wouldn't charge a lot.

And I suspect there are a lot of fun options online which others will flag up - where you are learning Maths while doing interesting exercises online, earning points and competing ... you could post on The Student Room and I think you'd get lots of replies? The only ones I know about are for younger kids but I'd be amazed if there isn't stuff for older ones

And on the Psychology front, I think you could both have fun preparing and he'll be ahead of the game, walking into his first class more confident if he watches experiments on You Tube and movies about key experiments (such as The Stamford Prison Experiment) and reading some reputable and not too challenging key books like Thinking, Fast and Slow - again there are Psychology strands on The Student Room and I think if you asked them directly about what would they recommend for a soon-to-be A level student to watch and read, you'd get some great replies. And hopefully many are things you'll enjoy watching with him and talking about.

It is hellish being that age and not being able to be move forward alongside your peers, let alone everything else that it sounds as if you are both coping with... Good luck to you and your DS.

ps Interesting group of A levels he's chosen - my DD is into Psychology too and will be studying it at Uni!

Could you manage to cover the cost of NISAI online? They are used to supporting pupils with medical needs, who may not be able to actually ‘attend’ lessons when they’re happening. With a laptop, he would the be able to access study both at home and in the hospital - if well enough obviously.

We are in a similar position. My son has been out of school for over two and half years, receiving EOTAS for GCSE’s. He’s still medically unfit, but without an EHCP (which they refused to assess him for - twice) he cannot access any more EOTAS support because he’s turned 16. We ended up going to tribunal, which they conceded. So now allegedly assessing, but of course deadlines are relaxed due to CV19 and face to face appointments difficult. So, he currently has no education in place at all come September.

We have had to accept that his education is going to take place over a longer period of time than is typical, but he will get there in the end. In the meantime, with the LA fighting us for the whole of last year, they have now effectively rendered him NEET until we can get the EHCP assessment done and a plan in place.

We looked into NISAI for him, but the subjects they offer, outside of the GCSE’s he’s already done, aren’t going to help with his chosen career path.

For now we have no choice but to focus on his health and keep trying to identify an alternative pathway for him.

The lack of statutory duty for LAs to provide an education, post-16, for pupils with serious medical issues, when they are required by law to remain in education, training or employment is disgusting.

What did he get in his maths GCSE? That would decide where he should focus his efforts.

He could revise the GCSE content, past papers, bridging work. For maths CGP do a head start to A level book and there's UKMT questions/papers. If he is well enough and hasn't taken additional Maths in Y11 he could look at the syllabus.

For more general learning what about learning a language and short courses.

All of the above allow DS to dip in and out in short bursts when he is able to.

The hospital school will provide work. After Y11 there isn't a statutory duty to provide education (unless he has an EHCP) so it's likely to only be for the duration of any admission to hospital, and even then they don't have to (a couple of exceptions apply such as an EHCP).