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Original poster

A Levels in 15 months?

30 replies

footballfan1963 · 26/03/2024 17:15

Bit of background dd is 17 and should be in Year 12. She didn't quite get the grades for her school sixth form and didn't settle in an alternative school back in September. She's ASD and suffers with anxiety and has been trying to return to this new school since September. Today she finally managed it.

However, not surprisingly they have said it's too late to catch up to do A levels next summer and they recommend she re-starts in September. It's a great opportunity as she will be able to try various subjects in the summer term.

However - it's a hard no from dd. This only happened today so she may need time to process it and perhaps come round to the idea. But what she wants is to do A Levels next summer like her friends. I have reassured her that she's not alone, people sometimes have a Plan B (myself included, I repeated Year 10 due to moving around) but she just won't hear it.

I have started to look into private tutorial colleges, tutoring etc. Bearing in mind that the summer term is largely taken up with exams and then there is a long summer holiday (this is a private school so they finish early July), is it possible that dd could use this time to be working?

She's not sure on subjects - probably Psychology and she also wanted Sociology but this particular school don't offer it.

OP posts:
Original poster
footballfan1963 · 26/03/2024 20:27

Thank you, as adults we can all see the benefits of starting properly in September (and much less stressful) but the problem is convincing her.

We’ve already had ‘I’ve got no future, I may as well kill myself’ this evening.

I just had this idea that with 8 weeks of the summer term plus another 8 weeks of summer holiday, this time could be used studying with tutors?

OP posts:
DarkChocHolic · 26/03/2024 20:20

@bendmeoverbackwards
I have a DD who always says a hard no to everything and is ND.
I tend to do what you are doing now with tutors etc. Always trying to plan and make things work..give her options etc..
But I want to say to you "stop "
When you know its not achievable, then don't try and find solutions to please her.
Let her learn "no".
It doesn't have to cone from you.
Just play along and let the school say what they would say. Just say to her " I know this is what you want but it's not up to me to grant this".

Restart in sep is a great idea.
I am begging my y12 DD to do the same.
She MAY agree when she blows her y12 exams or even doesn't sit them and has nothing to apply to uni with.
It's bloody hard but we cannot solve everything...
Xx

MrsHamlet · 26/03/2024 20:17

As an A level teacher for a long time, I honestly think that she would struggle.

My year 12 students will have completed the course by February of y13, and will then be revising - but the other half won't be complete until Easter of y13.

It's asking a lot of someone to try to do it in less time.

Stopmotion24 · 26/03/2024 19:49

Some exams start in May, Y12 will have by now covered the main bulk of the first year content, some doing mocks after Easter, often whole syllabus will be already finished in 12 months time or less to allow for revision and exam practice. Unless your child is a high flyer independent learner and self motivated I think they would be setting up to fail if they just pick up now. But then again if remaining in cohort is more important than grades they can just go along and resit if necessary the following year, depending on ambitions and plans beyond as pp said. Some might go to uni, others may take a gap year to travel/ work and save/ resit so at some point she will have to decide her own path.

QGMum · 26/03/2024 19:44

I’ve been through A levels with 2dc and I think the advice you have been given is correct. It IS too late to catch up in order to achieve full potential. There will have been too much of the syllabus missed. If she is really determined she can try but the results may not do her justice. She could then resit to try to improve grades, I suppose. It depends what she wants to do after leaving school and how important A level grades are to her future plans.

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