how to keep UC when child turns 16

[Ramiona]

Hi,
My daughter will be turning 16 in August
Her mock GCSE is quite lower than we expected therefore I am not sure if she will manage to get a place in her school's sixth form. I am not sure what will happen with the UC child element if she doesn't get into any a-level course.
Is it possible o move her to homeschool after GCSE exams and try to redo the exams privately the next year? I was thinking about keeping her home for one year and homeschooling the subjects which were too low. But then how do I keep the UC, I am working full time but as a single parent, I won't be able to support all of us from my pay if they cut the child element on UC.
And I don't want her to settle down doing jobs she won't be happy with in the future.

Well no, but op if you deregister your child before she turns 16 then you can continue to home educate and keep UC until 19.

@NewNovember I think that would only be a good idea if the op has a clear, motivated plan for her daughters educational needs. If she’s strong in subjects like physics then she sounds to have a decent level of ability.

Im sorry that your daughter is experiencing bullying, it’s a very hard thing to go through as a child and as the parent. Because of the amount of school she’s missed this year, could you get in touch with the local authority to find out if it’s possible to have a change of school and perhaps take a year back/repeat year 11? To give her the best opportunity of doing her GCSE’s.

Why worry about something that hasn't happened yet? Surely the financial impact for yourself should not play a role for your child's educational choices.

In your shoes, get her the necessary help now.
With the low attendance, she probably has a lot of gaps. Can you afford a tutor? Or are you able to tutor her yourself? Then start tutoring!
Ask the school for advice, speak to her teachers to find out where the gaps are. Sometimes the school have 6th form students who are able to tutor at a fraction of the costs of a "professional" tutor- worth exploring.

Is she self motivated? There are 101 books & online courses she can use herself to fill in the gaps and practice exam papers.

If she lives, breathes and eats GCSE exam questions for the next few months, she'll be absolutely fine!

By all means have a plan B for home school/ college/ apprenticeship, but she'll be so much better off passing the first time round than going to homeschooling and still have potentially low grades due to luck of motivation/ experience.

DC have to stay in formal education until 18, so your UC will be paid until then.

obviously I know your main aim is for your DD to get educational qualifications which give her access to good employment options, but you are approach this from a very odd direction.

"home schooling" is not the way to achieve this given your circumstances. you are working full time, and you cannot meet her educational needs.

focusing on how to structure things so that you keep the UC child element is only postponing a problem that you will need to tackle 2 years later anyway, so might as well tackle it now if she doesn't stay in education. She's not going to be a child for much longer anyway.

she has to do some kind of education or training programme between 16 and 18. If that is unpaid then it counts as education and you still get the Child element. if it's paid training she will have some kind of wage, even if it's only a small apprenticeship rate, and she will have to contribute some of that to the household budget to make ends meet. Being not in education or training of any kind isn't an option.

meanwhile you need a plan for yourself because sooner or later you'll be waving her off to start her adult life. How are you going to make ends meet then, and what do you need to do to get yourself ready for that?

Is there anywhere that offers a level 2 in computing /IT / digital?

Or a level 2 in science or engineering if she prefers the physics. An FE college should offer resit GCSEs and education will be free if she is 18 or under at start of academic year.

There’ll be apprenticeships in those areas too - especially engineering

My daughter is 17, she was in an apprenticeship but had to leave, I stopped getting UC for her but shes recently signed up for college, she's not been accepted yet but I've declared it on my IC already, is it too soon? Will UC call or contact the college to verify it and will I get into trouble for declaring it too early?

Can you put a start date?

Not a start date for the course but had to put a date it changed, she applied on the 11th but got the email for interview through today

So the date it changed should coincide with the start date (September?)

I have had benefits agency staff contact me regarding students before. Not as routine but occasionally.

The course is an approved online course with a few days at a campus so she can start as soon as enrollment has finished, she's not had the interview yet just the date for it

Counted as full time hours?
can you remove the update till it’s confirmed?

You seem more focused on the UC than anything related to your daughter, maybe focus on her and what she wants and needs. You won’t be able to home school working full time either, struth !

Yes it's a full time course and no I dont think i can, not swinson otherwise they'll think I'm just doing it on purpose, I'll wait til she's had the interview then change it if needed

Ok fair enough.

Good luck to her at interview.