What happens to kids who struggle with GCSEs?

[DorcasLanesOneWeakness]

What happens in mainstream secondary schools when pupils look set to struggle to access the syllabus for, and ultimately fail, their GCSEs?

DD12, Y8, has dyslexia and dyscalculia, and was referred for an assessment for inattentive ADHD while in Y6 -we're still on the waiting list. She has an EHCP which ensures she has some TA support.

Accessing learning at age related expectation is nigh on impossible as, although bright, with the best will in the world, she really struggles with working memory and processing. School is doing their best to provide differentiated tasks and accessible versions of texts etc, but DD, who is starting to worry about the commencement of study for GCSEs next year, feels she can already see the writing on the wall, and believes she is going to crash and burn on the starting blocks, and just not keep up with learning at the level required in most subjects. I feel I should caveat this post by stating clearly that I just want DD to be happy, and not mired with anxiety about her future; I'm very realistic about what she can reasonably achieve, and a full suite of GCSEs probably isn't on that list.

I've just realised I don't know how to reassure her. I teach primary and know lots of my former pupils, who were less able, and crucially, less fortunate re SEN provision, have obviously gone through secondary school. I can't imagine how they would have passed their GCSEs , and I don't know how schools support, or disapply or do whatever else they do with children who aren't likely to pass them. DD worries she is going to be asked to leave and attend specialist provision / ALP because she's struggling despite having some TA support, but surely that isn't the first course of action? Do some kids just go through Y9 and 10, doing what they can with or without support, and come out the other end, with or without GCSEs?

I'd be really interested to hear from secondary teachers or support staff, or parents of DC who have struggled with GCSEs.

There is a down side to throwing everything at English and Maths. If they manage to just scrape a grade 3 then they are destined to resit the GCSE at college. And it is a long way from a scrape 3 to a scrape 4. Whereas if they get a 2 they can be put in for Functional Skills instead. Sometimes I think we did DD as disservice getting her English tutoring.

Dyslexia tutor, will help. Our local FB group advertisers one.

I worry about our DD in the same way. We’re not in the U.K. so no exam at 16 but it would be a hot mess. It’s actually really reassuring to read this thread and see several examples of my instinct which is that, like many neurodiverse kids, she’ll bloom later. I would like there to be a more widespread acceptance of this, and maybe some sort of acceptance that for some brains (many of them exceptional) they take a bit longer to develop

Thank you for these really helpful replies.

Dodge, this is what I worry about. Your poor DD. DD too has also experienced periods of significant anxiety and imploded self-esteem in relation to the overwhelming realisation that it is all, actually, too hard. She's trying to hold on by the skin of her teeth at the moment, but is already unable to attend some lessons as she just finds it too crushing to have absolutely no idea what it going on ‐maths being the worst. DD is generally pretty pragmatic about her academic limitations, and quite stoic with it. But this is getting to her.

Oblomov, yes, she has an EHCP and has been through CAMHS for anxiety. Close relationship with school, who really are putting in lots of support but because DD has had some SEMH issues this year, interventions have been directed more toward these. Name, you're right about the time point, and I too think that if school and I can just 'walk her through' the next year and help her keep faith in the process, she might find herself in a better place come Y10, and be able to access some of the alternatives available. Maths and Science GCSEs will not happen, currently working at Y4 level in maths!

@DorcasLanesOneWeakness Do you have any SpLD schools near you? What about a AR unit? Maths is also my DDs weakest subject. If she is already having some mental health issues because of it, I would be looking into a specialist move now. My DDs maths was y3/4 level in Y8. English probably sumilar. She was happy go lucky about it, she was in classes with kids of a similar level and it wasn't until lockdowns finished and she made all her friends from outside learning support that our problems started fully. I strongly suspect they would've started earlier if lockdowns didn't happen.
Last year my DD had a specialist Dyscalculia teacher and she was getting 80% in the end of term assessments in maths. Her confidence sky rocketed. He left and now she's back to scoring 5/50 if she's lucky. Her current English teacher is a specialist and she's just got a grade 6 in her mock English lang exam. OP, once they teach them in a way they understand, they can do really well and their confidence improves so much.

@TeenDivided You're right and I think it's insane that not all schools do what my DDs current school does. They put all kids at risk of a 3 or below onto functional skills first. My DD finished her functional skills course in maths in Dec. If they don't finish by the Dec of Y10, they just do that instead of GCSEs.

There are entry level qualifications.

Sounds like you need an early review of the EHCP.

My sons are older now and have both left school. The first was diagnosed with ADHD at age 12 and the medication made the difference between being predicted very low grades, to actually getting reasonable grades. He did a foundation degree in an IT related subject and now has a very high paying job. My other son was not diagnosed until he was 19 because he has inattentive ADHD which got missed. He underperformed at GCSE and dropped out of various further education and low paying jobs. He got a recent private diagnosis and medication and he is now getting excellent feedback in a job he loves. I just wanted you to know that medication can be life changing, and you could consider a private ADHD assessment.

Your thread makes me very sad. I taught in mainstream secondary for 38 years, with SEN and Inclusion responsibilities.
I set up lots of BTEC, Functional Skills, Entry Level subject certificates and work related courses for students who were not going to achieve at GCSE. Although, all students were entered for Maths, English and Science GCSEs as well.
The funding for these courses was taken away, almost overnight by the current Government. I could cry, it will take years to build an inclusive education system again.

If people are getting 1s or 2s for GCSE, surely they are doing the wrong qualification. Are there not level 1 or2 qualifications they could do instead.

A GCSE grade 1 or 2 is a level 1 qualification. There are other types of level 1 qualifications such as level 1 functional skills, and there are entry level qualifications too.

Hi op can you get her a tutor in maths and English and concentrate on those and some others she enjoys?

Does she understands the basics in maths and English?

@Beebumble2

Dreadful!!

But we also must tweak the education system to make sure more children are supported in primary school.

Lots of young people do not do GCSEs at all. There is a range of lower level courses and they can access college courses at an appropriate level from there. (Teacher myself with two dc in special schools who have not done GCSEs and will never achieve that level of qualification.)

@Beebumble2 I share your sadness. If it help, my DDs current school has lots of functional skills and entry level qualifications available for the SEN kids. Unfortunately not BTECs.

I have to agree with the pp about the medication. My nephew was only diagnosed with the inattentive part of adhd after a private diagnosis at 19. Medication was life changing in that he feels his thoughts are so much more ordered now. It’s such a shame he wasn’t diagnosed much earlier.

It is worth going for a private diagnosis op, if you can.

Hi OP, there are some excellent bits of advice here and some great stories. I have worked in secondary schools for decades and I have worked with maybe hundreds of young people like your child.

I think you are spot on about her staying in school if possible as school provides so many things for students, but most importantly it teaches us how to interact with others, many of whom we don't actually like! Nothing against home Ed by the way at all.

I have just two things to add. Firstly audio books are brilliant for anyone who struggles with reading actual words on a page. Listening to a book has the same benefits as reading it. Maybe this would help. Many schools and teachers don't know or flatly disagree, by the way.

Secondly as I tell the students like your child GCSEs aren't the end of the road they are the start. There are so many other ways into work and life. If your daughter has any other interests like art or music or sport or gaming really emphasise them. You never know that interest might lead to a life long career! And it will boost her self esteem. Rugby is outstandingly helpful for building physical confidence, I wish it was compulsory for all girls at school.

My brother struggled academically although tried very hard. He ended up with a reduced time table doing gcse maths, English, PE and 1 other that I forget. The rest of the time he was at a nearby college doing mechanics. He loved it and progressed through the levels of that course. He's now a very happy mechanic doing really well. Other students did different college courses. I don't know if this type of programme is still on offer at high schools but worth exploring.

In 2009 the then Labour government set up a pilot programme under the name Foundation Tier Learning, aiming for every student regardless of ability to leave with qualifications. There were also Lifelong Learning credits attached. The school I taught in was one of the pilot schools and I was lead on the development and implementation of the programme.
Labour lost the election and overnight the programme was scrapped, ( along with all the extra hours of staff input)
The photo shows a snippet of the aims, the rest can be googled. Maybe one day it will be revived.
Maybe some MNers were also involved?

Photo!

@Beebumble2 What I find disgusting is they scrapped this, but didn't change the grading system in the UK, that decides how many pass before they even sit them. So the system decides who fails, and there's nothing in place for those who will fail it. And the amount that'll fail is predetermined every year, regardless of how hard they work or how smart they are.

In ds’s old school there was an option called Princes Trust/Numeracy/Literacy. Pupils still had to take a certain number of GCSE’s but then they did a Btec plus a work skills & numeracy/literacy course.

in 6th form instead of taking A levels/Btec they did another work skills type course leading to a qualification.

Agree with this. I think there should be a definitive pass mark so each successive year can be compared rather than a comparison of where a grade is only within that year’s cohort.

Functional skills maths and English is what kids often do if they cannot access GCSE's. Your dd's school would be able to tell you what options are available.

At home focus on outside interests and building life skills. Make sure she is good at something and that struggling at school doesn't become her whole personality. Look at jobs that she might be interested in and try and get relevant work experience landscaping, working with animals, mechanical or electrical engineering.

I once taught a young man getting his grade 1s at GCSE was a huge achievement for him, he had severe dyslexia and could barely read. He had spent his time at home tinkering with bikes and fixing them, work experience at a mechanics. Went to college and did car maintainence and now owns and runs his own garage.

Scribes and readers are useful in exams and make a big difference but using them is a skill and some students don't like having an adult sat next to them.

A C-Pen which scans the words and the student can hear them through an ear piece are useful and many students prefer the independence this gives. Make sure you buy the exam version though as others aren't allowed in exams. The Senco may have some available to trial or you can buy your own although they aren't cheap at almost £300.

@Rummikub It's disgusting and makes me so cross. All this talk about raising attainment by politicians and raising the amount of people that have GCSEs, makes me think politicians don't even know this very basic fact.