Application to 6th form rejected due to social anxiety

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.

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.

Is massage an integral part of the course that he wouldn’t be able to complete due to his anxiety about doing that? It is not something I would really want to do either.

Would they accept him onto a different course that doesn’t require massage as part of the course? He sounds well qualified for many other college courses.

Your son should be proud of himself for the progress he has made.
There is a book on Anxiety and Panic, called "Dare" which is very helpful.

I teach a science subject with practical requirements at A-level, and also teach a Level 3 BTEC.

For either subject, if they stepped out for a short period, and were able to return, it would be fine for the practical elements of the course. If they couldn't, then likely I'd arrange a catch up session (also to pick up any students who were absent), if it was something compulsory. Without wanting to give too many details, I've taught students with around 60-70% attendance for disability related reasons on the BTEC course, and all of them have got a minimum of a pass.

I'd say this is normal, post-covid in English education. If we were turning away every student who wasn't achieving e.g. 90% attendance, I think our sixth form would be 1/3 smaller than it currently is.

I didn’t think FE colleges and sixth form colleges were bound by the admissions code? Although they still have to have an admissions policy which is fair and comply with the Equality Act.

@JT619 In case you are new both PanelChair and prh47bridge are experts with real life experience of admissions and appeals.

@HarrietJet my niece who is thriving at uni had a card that she could show when she was feeling overwhelmed in both secondary school and sixth form. She still went on to achieve stella grades and is about to start her 3rd year at uni. These are considered reasonable adjustments to accommodate a child with anxiety. She was under CAMHS at the time.

But it's something you do actually have to be present for, it'd be different if it were a purely academic subject where you can easily pick up the notes at a later date.

That.

OP, I am gutted on your and your son's behalf. However, keep believing he will find the right place and I wish him every success.

Honestly, allowing a sixth form student with anxiety to leave the room when they feel uncomfortable is well within the scope of what most schools offer students! Unlike a younger student, he doesn't need to be supervised, necessarily, so it's relatively easy to manage!

Okay, this isn't allowed for a mainstream state college- they aren't allowed to use interviews as part of the selection process, only to advise about course choices etc.

I would follow @PanelChair 's advice.

BTW, it's all very well people saying that you should find a different college, but I know that's not always easy- rurally people may only have one or two options. And there's not that much time left before September- so many alternative courses will be full.

It can be much harder to start a new qualification once you're 18.

They sound awful, but I'd not want my son there in those circumstances and would look for somewhere inclusive. 💐

How much in the way of reasonable adjustments can they make for your son, op, when he clearly struggles with such basic physical elements of it?

So- he’s now 18? Or did I read that incorrectly?
Many colleges have different policies regarding older students joining.
To be honest, it doesn’t sound like that college would be a good fit. Sometimes FE colleges are more inclusive.

Also, reading your OP, are you able to clarify how old he is? Is he 17 or 18?

I may be wrong, but I believe there's a bit more leway around FE colleges rejecting students who would be 18 when they start the course- unless there's an ECHP in place?

Is the course oversubscribed or have they refused him a place despite having room for him on the course? I think that would be the first thing you need to find out as whether they were reasonable to not give him a place on that. Ultimately if there are more applicants than places some of the applicants are going to have to be refused and be disappointed and if your son struggled on the trial day compared to other applicants then it’s understandable why they were offered places over him. Obviously he shouldn’t be discriminated against due to his disability, but equally he shouldn’t be automatically given a place over other more suited candidates either.

I’m also curious as to whether the massage class actually relevant to the course he’s applied to? If so and he struggled with it even with the support of a chaperon in place I can see why the course may be concerned about how he will manage with this element of it, they want to ensure they are filling the course with students who not drop out and so if they have more applicants than places they are reasonable to choose students who don’t find aspects of the course difficult. If he struggles with massage and found it overwhelming I’d question why he is choosing a course with this as part of it? If massage was a totally unrelated class and not something he needs to do as part of his course though I would definitely be challenging how they can determine his suitability to his course through a completely unrelated activity which he won’t need to do as part of the actual cours.

This has some useful advice
https://childlawadvice.org.uk/information-pages/disability-discrimination-in-education/

Is this a mainstream state school/college? Or is it a private school or special school?

The whole thing sounds very unusual, but it's hard to advise without knowing what type of school it is.

If it's a state school, they can't reject on the basis of interview etc- but I guess they could say they are unable to meet his needs?

Agree with @PanelChair. The process they have followed here feels like a breach of the Admissions Code.

I was just going to ask... Is this actually on the curriculum?

What course is he applying for that his induction day was a massage class? That sounds completely bizarre.