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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:
PanelChair · 12/08/2023 13:47

Hmm. To me, that looks like a clear contravention of the provision in para 2.6 of the admissions code that “meetings held to discuss options and courses must not form part of the decision making process”. I would regard an induction day as a “meeting” for the purposes of that paragraph. I’ve never before heard of an induction day being used as a pass/fail assessment; inviting any student to an induction day implies they have been accepted and will be attending.

I suggest you press the college now - pointing out the contravention of the admissions code and the resulting disability discrimination - and, if they don’t budge, take it to appeal.

Original poster
JT619 · 12/08/2023 13:40

He sees the bigger picture. He'd be joining a new class, in the same boat as everyone else. And is interested in the course. Admissions dept aside, it's a really nice college so he'd still like to go.

He's also in a much better place mentally 4 months on since his interview day. I'm a bit confused why it's taken 4 months, during taht time no-one has asked for any further information and we've been trying to get a decision throughout.

OP posts:
Soontobe60 · 12/08/2023 13:37

He’s not going to want to go there now even if they change their minds. What else is available?

Original poster
JT619 · 12/08/2023 13:34

The grades needed for the course were 4 GCSEs grade 4 or above . He got 1 x 5, 4 x 6s and 3 x 7s. So he's way above what's needed academically.

The email we were sent was very unspecific, and just stated 'based on concerns regarding your performance at your induction day and interview.

It gets a bit interesting here.

The interview itself went well he says. They were really impressed with the steps he'd taken and the volunteering work, and were talking as though a place would be offered, explaining the support that would be in-place.

The 'induction day' was basically taking a child with social anxiety and throwing him into an established class. He had a chaperone with him so already felt singled out and conspicuous. The class in question was a 'massage class' of all tings, complete with practical demos! Unsurprisingly he struggled a bit with that and asked to leave after a while. I assume that's where the issue was, but you really couldn't have designed a less appropriate session for someone with social anxiety (where the advice is to gradually increase exposure to situations). Social anxiety is classed as a disability.

OP posts:
PanelChair · 12/08/2023 13:33

This sounds irregular. Has the school put its reasons for refusing your son’s application in writing?

Assuming you’re in England, the school admissions code sets out the statutory guidance on sixth form admissions (para 2.6). Presumably, the school has concerns about whether it can meet your son’s needs, but that’s not within the scope of the admissions code; places can be refused only on grounds of not meeting the entry requirement or oversubscription.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1001050/School_admissions_code_2021.pdf

HarrietJet · 12/08/2023 13:28

Did he get the required grades for admission? Even if he did, they can't take all applicants.

Ladyoftheknight · 12/08/2023 13:25

Definitely go down the discrimination route, he deserves a place and they're clearly saying no because of his anxiety.

PetersSpecialCheese · 12/08/2023 13:12

What grades were his GCSEs?

TeenDivided · 12/08/2023 13:07

EHCP?

DD missed y11 due to MH, when she started college it became clear she wasn't coping and we applied for and got an EHCP to help support her.

Rainbowstone · 12/08/2023 13:05

You sound like really lovely and supportive parents.

madnessitellyou · 12/08/2023 13:03

Have you asked why he's been rejected? Did he have a good reference/personal statement? What grades exactly did he need?

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