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Original poster

Application to 6th form rejected due to social anxiety

61 replies

JT619 · 12/08/2023 12:40

Hi,

Can anyone give us some advice please?

My son really struggled during lockdown as many did. He went from a bright student to struggling to attend lessons. However we pushed through, and with lots and lots of hard work he did at home himself, he managed to achieve 8 GCSE passes.

He then strugged to make it into 6th form. He tried, but the same problems reared their head. And so we decided to take a year out to sort out the social anxiety problems.

In the past year he's done really well. Re-connected with society, had therapy, and has taken on various volunteering jobs, one of which was actually working in a local school in classrooms to put his dislike of classrooms behind him.

We've applied for a different Sixth Form this year. The one he really wanted him to go had an interview day in March. We worked with the support team, who say they recommended he should be allowed to join but with a 6-week care package in-place. They passed that on to the admissions team, who duly rejected his application!

We're gutted and a bit angry. He's trying to put his struggles behind him. But also confused - how can it be that the student support team gave him the thumbs up, he has the required grades and yet he's been rejected?

We're going to appeal, but are wondering where we stand with this? It seems to me to be almost discrimnatory - social anxiety is classed as a disability, he has the grades and he's been turned down due to his disability.

Any thoughts or help would be really useful. The college usefully took 4 months to decide this (and didn't ask for any extra informstion in the meantime) and only let us know yesterday so other college options are looking limited at this late-ish stage. Thanks in advance.

JT619

OP posts:
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Postapocalypticcowgirl · 12/08/2023 18:29

If you search for the school or college here then I believe you can find out its funding status: https://www.find-school-performance-data.service.gov.uk/

However, I think if they're offering degrees that means FE.

PanelChair · 12/08/2023 18:28

Looking through the website should also unearth the college’s admissions criteria, inclusion policies and so on, which might help OP decide on next steps.

PanelChair · 12/08/2023 17:36

Try trawling through the college website, especially for any documents recording its formation or (if it’s an old institution with a new name) when it took on its new role/status. Also look for anything showing who funds it.

OvertakenByLego · 12/08/2023 17:20

If it is a college as you say rather than a school then unless it is a UTC (which are actually schools rather than colleges), which from your posts I doubt it is, it doesn’t matter what type of college it is, the admissions code doesn’t apply. However, if you want to know you can search for the college here.

Original poster
JT619 · 12/08/2023 17:14

Thanks PanelChair, that's extremely useful. I'm struggling it difficult to find the legal status - anyone any ideas how?

OP posts:
PanelChair · 12/08/2023 16:53

I linked earlier to the school admissions code for England. Paragraph 3 there says it applies to “(a) admissions authorities of maintained schools as defined in section 88 (1) (a) and (b) of the [School Standards and Framework Act 1988]”, which then have a statutory duty to act in accordance with the Code.

So, it’s important to establish the legal status of the college - my initial assumption that it’s a school, governed by the code, now seems wrong. I’m not aware of any comparable code for FE colleges (if that is what this college is). Bottom line, though, is it is bound by (amongst other things) the Equality Act. There’s a useful guide from Scope.

Discrimination in FE | Disability charity Scope UK

Under the Equality Act 2010, disabled students have access to reasonable adjustments, so they do not face disability discrimination in further education.

https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/discrimination-college-university-education/?gad=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIntn0jbzXgAMV24hQBh2jlAWBEAAYASAAEgJOB_D_BwE#main-navigation

Original poster
JT619 · 12/08/2023 16:21

I think this is one of the key questions for me. I just need a way to work out what the college is!

OP posts:
titchy · 12/08/2023 16:19

BCCoach · 12/08/2023 15:24

@titchy is there any practical difference between an FE college and a sixth form college though? Our sixth form college doesn’t follow the SAC either.

In terms of the legal requirements to adhere to the admissions code - I don't know, you'd need one of the admissions experts for that.

In terms of funding and regulation though, FE colleges are funded directly by the ESFA, a DfE quango, whereas sixth form colleges are funded by either their local authority, or via their academy trust, the same way schools are.

Original poster
JT619 · 12/08/2023 15:43

No, none regarding the second day in writing.

OP posts:
Postapocalypticcowgirl · 12/08/2023 15:28

JT619 · 12/08/2023 15:15

I've looked and there's no mention of induction days in their admissions policy. We were offered a second day, but were away. We asked if that would count against us and they said no.

In that case, I'd contact them and explain you've been told that your DS have been rejected, in part due to his induction day- however, this is not mentioned as a possibility on their admissions policy.

Highlight to the admissions team that they have broken their own policy and are probably being discriminatory- and see what happens.

Do you have any of the discussion about the second day in writing?

madnessitellyou · 12/08/2023 15:27

I'm so sorry, op. This sounds awful Sad.

BCCoach · 12/08/2023 15:24

@titchy is there any practical difference between an FE college and a sixth form college though? Our sixth form college doesn’t follow the SAC either.

Seaweed42 · 12/08/2023 15:22

It sounds like a case of horrible timing where the class going on happened to be the absolute worse one possible for anyone new, let alone someone with anxiety.

Have you thought about visiting your local MP's clinic to discuss your predicament.

Original poster
JT619 · 12/08/2023 15:15

I've looked and there's no mention of induction days in their admissions policy. We were offered a second day, but were away. We asked if that would count against us and they said no.

OP posts:
Polik · 12/08/2023 15:15

I've just read the admissions policy for my local FE 16-19 college (it's the local college who will basically take anyone, offering lower level courses to those who don't have the grades, rather than declining them a place).

Their policy states that the college will undertake a risk assessment or a fitness to study assessment. It seems this assessment is grounds to decline a place.

PanelChair · 12/08/2023 15:14

Yes, point taken.

titchy · 12/08/2023 15:12

It's quite common for FE colleges to offer foundation degrees from a local uni, with that local uni then guaranteeing a place for students to do the top up to full degree.

It sounds like an FE college though, as distinct from a sixth form college. They should still have clear admissions arrangements and be bound by the EA to not discriminate.

ItsNotRocketSalad · 12/08/2023 15:09

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 12/08/2023 15:03

Loads of big FE colleges offer degrees or foundation degrees (often accredited by a local uni) now- it's better funded than 16-19 education, for starters!

It's not necessarily "natural progression" but it can be a good option for some people.

Show quote history

Yes, but a sixth form that feeds into a particular university? I don't know about HarrietJet but that's the bit I find unusual.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 12/08/2023 15:03

HarrietJet · 12/08/2023 14:59

There's a natural progression to an attached university? Confused

Show quote history

Loads of big FE colleges offer degrees or foundation degrees (often accredited by a local uni) now- it's better funded than 16-19 education, for starters!

It's not necessarily "natural progression" but it can be a good option for some people.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 12/08/2023 15:02

JT619 · 12/08/2023 14:58

Sorry, I'm not really an expert.

To clear it up, the college isn't attached to a school. It offer A-levels, BTECs, etc to 16-19 year olds (all paid for by the state), and also has a University that students can progress to.

I assumed you meant state vs private (as in Eton!).

Google "college name" admissions policy- hopefully something will come up.

See if they have broken this in any way, and if it mentions induction days or not.

They shouldn't be breaking their own policies regardless of whether the admissions code applies.

HarrietJet · 12/08/2023 14:59

JT619 · 12/08/2023 14:58

Sorry, I'm not really an expert.

To clear it up, the college isn't attached to a school. It offer A-levels, BTECs, etc to 16-19 year olds (all paid for by the state), and also has a University that students can progress to.

I assumed you meant state vs private (as in Eton!).

There's a natural progression to an attached university? Confused

Original poster
JT619 · 12/08/2023 14:58

Sorry, I'm not really an expert.

To clear it up, the college isn't attached to a school. It offer A-levels, BTECs, etc to 16-19 year olds (all paid for by the state), and also has a University that students can progress to.

I assumed you meant state vs private (as in Eton!).

OP posts:
Bearpawk · 12/08/2023 14:57

@PanelChair I went to a '6th form college' which was not attached to a school. Lots of them exist.

BCCoach · 12/08/2023 14:51

PanelChair · 12/08/2023 14:36

I admit I’m confused here.

The thread title mentions “6th form” and so I assumed we were discussing a sixth form attached to a maintained school, which would be covered by the admissions code. OP later calls it a “state college”. If it’s an FE college outside the scope of the admissions code, the ground rules are different, but it still needs to have transparent admissions criteria; refusing a place directly or indirectly on the grounds of having a disability cannot be a part of that.

A lot of areas don’t have sixth forms attached to schools and when people talk about ‘sixth form’ they mean a college.

OvertakenByLego · 12/08/2023 14:43

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 12/08/2023 14:41

Depending on how it's set up legally, the college may be funded as an academy, which I believe means it's bound by the admissions code- just to make things even more complicated!

The college should have a published admissions policy somewhere.

I doubt it'll mention induction days because they aren't usually standard (realistically they'd be impossible to manage for the 1000s of students that FE colleges normally recruit).

If they don't mention this, then you can pull them up on not following their own admissions policies, and suggest you think they are discriminating because your son would need extra support.

I wouldn't mention the set up of the induction day, unless the admissions policy actually mentions them explicitly.

Not if they are a 16-19 academy. But their admission policy does need to be fair, objective and transparent, and comply with the Equality Act.