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.

As the parent of a DC with dyslexia, poor working memory, slow processing speed and ADHD, I feel your pain OP. It's SO hard for DC with these sorts of SENs to access mainstream education, because they need a lot of support and with the huge delays to diagnosis that are happening now it's really, really hard for parents to get them a diagnosis in a timely manner and get that support in place in time to help them to reach their potential at school. It's good that your DD has an EHCP already and some TA support - I'm sure that helps - but without a formal diagnosis of ADHD she won't be able to access medication.

If you applied for her to be assessed in Y6 and she's now in Y9 have you spoken to your local CAMHS about why it's taking so long and how long the wait is now? In my local area the wait was 2 years so we went private and if you can afford to do so, I highly recommend it. We got our DS diagnosed and on medication within 3 months and it's been life-changing for him. He can now concentrate and focus like a DC without ADHD. He still has the other issues, but on their own they're more manageable. But I would really chase up that appointment and hopefully it will come through soon.

Politicians know. It's the control mechanism that always them to claim that their policies are improving education year on year by artificially increasing the "passes" regardless of actual attainment (higher or lower).

Politicians made it this way.

I came out with gcse science grade E and I'm now a biomedical scientist. Traditional schooling just didn't suit me. I had undiagnosed learning difficulties and issues at home. Returned to education as a much more well rounded adult. Took functional skills maths which was home learning. Then an access course at college which intense but I only had one course to focus on and pass compared to juggling the social demands and multiple different subjects at school. Uni wasn't easy and had my ups and downs but it's worlds away from primary/high school. One size fits all education is awful it really affected my self esteem as a kid but with the right support things could have been really different.

Exactly. See the forcing through of T levels as an example.
Currently BTECS can take a young person from level 1 all
the way through to HND. I see this happen. At every stage they can choose to leave with a useable qualification or continue to the next level.

With the intro of T levels (level 3) this progression isn’t possible currently.

@Iamnotthe1 they're assholes. I wonder how many kids would pass if there was the same grade boundary to work towards every year.

Why are you/your daughter so put off by the idea of a specialist school? Have you looked at the options? It might be that's not the right fit but there are some amazing options out there so I wouldn't discount it without fully researching it. There's a reason why parents fight so hard to get specialist placements. She could bloom in a specialist school with more attention, tailored specialist teaching and smaller class sizes?

Personally I if my Dd had an ehcp I be looking to move her to a provision that offers vocational qualifications alongside functional skills in Coe subjects.

*core subjects I.e. maths, English and science

@hoodieorhoody I can't speak for OP, but my DD sounds quite similar. It was really hard for us to find a special school that could help her with just dyslexia and dyscalculia and meet her social needs. There is very little in terms of specialist provision for kids who need a mainstream curriculum delivered by specialists but are developing socially in like with their neurotypical peers. There's also very few girls in these schools and very often the few that do go there, also have autism. It took us until y10 to find a suitable place for my DD and it's a specialist independent were fighting for funding for.any areas have nothing like this available and those who know how, or have the money, fight for their LA to fund boarding places at schools like Brendon.

I think that all children deserve to be in an environment where they can learn, make progress, and demonstrate their learning. If that is happening in mainstream school (perhaps with support), then that is probably still a good place for them. If it is not - then something needs to change.

OP, I hope your daughter can get the assessments she needs, and that you can both discuss with her school what will be on offer for her at yr 10 and 11, and consider whether that offering will constitute an effective education for her or not. If not, good luck finding an environment that will suit her better.

Does she have any specialist input for the dyslexia and dyscalculia? The right input at the right time can really help children progress in these contexts, so that they can access work at a higher level.

Many areas*

Thanks again! We've been staying away with relatives, so tricky to find time to check in and respond. I really appreciate everyone's insights. So much food for thought!
Hoodie, well spotted re my reluctance to consider specialist provision. You're right. DD likes her school and her friends and doesn't want to change schools. Her school is easy to get to, and the staff know her really well. The ALP in our area / local authority tend to be geared toward SEMH and settings that specialise in challenging behaviour. There are also schools for more severe learning disabilities. There is a specialist dyslexia / SpLD school, but it is awkward to get to, and I have heard reports of bullying, so I've not considered it further. I probably should. I'm also wary of raising AP with her school, as I worry they may chew my hand off to be shot of an underachieving pupil like her, despite relations being cordial. It feels as if it would be a pity to move while her social development is something that is actually going well; plus she's not great with transitions. It's tricky; she's desperate not to be defined by her SEN, but it may be unavoidable.

My DS moved to a college for year 10 & 11 as the pressure at school became too much (ADHD, ASD & Dyslexic).
He officially studies GCSE Maths & English then BTEC Science, Business, IT & Sports. He’s sitting his GCSEs this time, it’s touch and go right now if he will get 4’s in Maths and English, we’ve paid for a tutor to try and get him there.
He’s very stressed about what will happen come Sept, he’s convinced he won’t get anything without GCSEs (he would ideally like an apprenticeship) but he has been offered a level 2 course if nothing else.

I’ve taught level 2 BTEC to students who left school with fewer than 4 grade 4s - often a handful of 2s and 3s - and then went on to level 3 with us and then to university! It’s not all of them that do that but it happens pretty regularly and it’s so pleasing to see. BTEC can offer a route to education that really suits some students. They’re really hard work but achievable.

All your posts are golden, thank you all so much. It's really helping me get a sense of the many possibilities available. The conversation with school will be only just around the corner, along with annual review of EHCP (early next academic year), so I need to be crystal clear about what can be put in place for her.

PPs have mentioned subject tutors; I'd love this to work and have suggested it, but part of her referral is based on a suggestion she may have PDA traits (lots of anxiety around expectation and perceived demand, although not many outward expressions), which means learning happens in quite a roundabout way, requiring oodles of patience and skill on behalf of the educator.

As PPs have wondered, she does have skills and talents in other areas, some of which could likely steer her in the direction of a rewarding career, for which I am very grateful. I just need her to keep seeing them as valuable when their worth is not reflected in the education system.

As PPs have wondered, she does have skills and talents in other areas, some of which could likely steer her in the direction of a rewarding career, for which I am very grateful. I just need her to keep seeing them as valuable when their worth is not reflected in the education system.

This is so important. My DD is doing Animal Care at college. Schools don't value being kind and quiet and gentle on their own merit, but it is just what DD needs for some practical elements of her course.

My now 20 year old failed most of his GCSE's. he also has dyslexia and dyscalculia and is ASD, had a EHCP and a reader and a scribe in a private room for exams. He scraped a couple of passes, but not in key subjects. He went t college for 2 years and did vocational subject but didnt enjoy them at all.

Now, he works as a porter in the local hospital, the set routine of shifts helps him, he does 4 on 4 off. He earns good money for his age. He doesnt porter patients, he does medications, supplies, waste disposal etc. But its a good worthwhile job that he can do forever if he wishes.

GCSE's arent everything. They find their place.

Just to add, with my PDA child our aim has always been for them to come out of the education system without having been completely traumatised by it! Our thinking is that with a little more maturity and an actual interest to pursue (whatever that may be), they will be able to access adult learning at a later date and just take a slightly more wiggly route to whatever they want to do 🙂

I would ask the school. Many do different ‘pathways’ for different abilities - for example, some of ours are out at college a day a week studying a course there or some don’t do a separate language and have extra Maths or English or both. For students who genuinely won’t get a grade at English GCSE (very few actually if any in most years) and for those who will struggle to ‘pass’ (4) there are alternative qualifications we can support them in like Functional Skills.

You definitely need to discuss this with the school your daughter is at. Also bear in mind, young people need to be in Education (apprenticeship or similar counts) until 18, so have an awareness of what college courses or jobs she might be interested in and at their requirements.

Some of mine are off to do courses that require three 3 grades or similar.

I don't resurrect an old thread lightly, but just wanted to say that, re-reading these responses (as we're now in the thick of it and things are trickier, not better) I really appreciate the great and reassuring insights, including those which were added after my last response; they're all still relevant a year later and a balm for a battle-weary SEN parent.
Thank you again!

Op perhaps a silly question but have you or anyone else ever done memory games and stuff to improve it.

My dd had a poor memory (Ed psych) diagnosed and we were shown memory games but also we got her drama lessons and her teacher also played memory games with her and learning her lines also massively helped her.

Drama also helped her look and understands texts in a different way.

For maths she's always had a tutor.

Repititon...

I've found you do need people with proper sen knowledge and actual tips and stragety to help.

Lots of tutors to help esp in maths and English at this stage and things like English just break down the paper.
Get past papers now and learn them you self and what it's needed.
Then train her in chunks and use u tube teaching.

Many many children actually don't know how to learn so maybe do some ground work yourself on English texts and u tube and start to train her in them. U tube is fabulous

Oh dear didn't realise it's old thread...

Keep going with u tube and chunks

My eldest has ADHD and had an EHCP from year 10. She was seen by some teachers as capable of passing their subjects, but couldn't apply herself so didn't pass any except a BTech. She did gets 3s in several subjects including maths and English. She did a level 1 course at college (could have done level 2 from the start, but it was felt better if she took things easy to start with) then a level 2 in a different subject. Wasn't really interested in either but it gave her time to grow up a bit and along the way she passed her English. She started doing some voluntary work but then covid hit. She then had a few different jobs and now has done the same job for a couple of years. She needs to decide if she should get some training in an area of interest (had been quite anti education for a while)to get away from minimum wage jobs. However, she's happy enough, has developed her social skills (struggled with friendships throughout childhood) and now has long term good friends, was in a relationship for 3 years, has travelled all over the country visiting bf and friends made online etc. She's on her own path but we are hopeful she'll find her place in life.

40th, thank you for the advice. It is heartening to see that children like ours are picking their way through this rough terrain! Learning in small chunks is definitely where its at. It sounds as if you have done a fantastic job educating your child.

@SGBK4862, it's definitely a matter of playing a long game, as is evident from your post. I'm really trying to hold that vision for her (and myself). You say taking a bit of extra time allowed your daughter time to 'grow up' a bit in the meantime. I'm counting on this too ‐DD is smart in lots of ways, but is painted into a corner in terms of her perception of herself as a learner; I'm really hoping that, as the years tick by, the school-scars will fade a bit and she'll do some flourishing on her own terms.