Leaving school with no GCSEs. Positive stories please

[PearlsTeapot]

Long story short, DS won't get any qualifications after being out of school. He's autistic and couldn't cope with school.

I worry endlessly as he is approaching 16 that he won't be able to get a job without qualifications. This was made more stressful by learning he couldn't even get one at mcdonalds which is where we were hoping he'd get a place at.

He is really smart, so funny and polite. He's good fun to be around and works hard when he commits to things. He volunteers with me at a foodbank once a week so has something to talk about in terms of experience.

Is he going to be ok? Positive stories appreciated.

Does he have an EHCP? If so, there is potential for education in some form until 22 (I think I've got that right). That could be functional skills courses in a college, or GCSEs at home with an EOTAS package, or online school.

Even without an EHCP there are options with online school, or adult evening classes which are much, much, much smaller than school and with paying students that want to be there. A friend of mine did her GCSE maths in her 40s and found it a world apart from being at school in the 90s.

If he couldn't cope with school, he needs time to reset before doing anything. And then think about what his goals are, and what the options are to get there.

Could he do a college course and do his maths and English GCSEs there. My autistic child is coping much better at college and gets a lot of support. He doesn’t have an ehcp and was only diagnosed a few months after starting college, so it might be worth you looking into that.
as far as McDonalds goes, I have another autistic child who is now studying law at university. He got a trial at McDonalds and he couldn’t cope at all. My daughter is working there while doing A levels and honestly, it’s not the easy job some think. She gets abuse on a daily basis.

Have you looked into college courses? Maybe something like catering would suit him and he could resort maths and English alongside.

If they won't take him without having sat exams, be could do them as a private candidate and start the year after.

Is he academically capable of doing a GCSE?
Have you considered functional skills instead?

I left school at 15 with no GCSEs.

Fast forward to now, I run a very successful business and am lucky to be very comfortable financially.

Honestly success is in no way related to or limited by qualifications!

There are other qualifications for maths and English. He needs those.

Has he got an EHCP? One of mine tanked spectacularly but his college course still took him after a bit of a tussle with the LA, and he’s pretty happy there now.

One of my younger ones is tracking to fail everything and I’m scaffolding non-academic stuff as much as possible. He needs to be in sales. He can sell coal to Newcastle. But at the moment he’s all upset about his projected grades.

DH left with zero qualifications for an apprenticeship to be a mechanic. Did his Maths and English at college on his day release. Got into motor racing, went back study in his 30s got his engineering degree. Now is senior management in the highest level of motor racing.

Ds always struggled at school, he left without passing any GCSEs, he went to college and didn’t complete the course, started at the bottom working in a shop, passed his driving test and that was the making of him, he’s worked his way up through several companies taking all the training he could get in a completely non academic roll, he now works for himself and most importantly loves his job.

There are certainly companies out there that will employ people without qualifications, Ds is a people person has great communication skills and lots of confidence, this has helped him greatly.

Does your son have any specific interests? Maybe the vocational route could work for him and he could find a job that he really enjoys. If he likes cars, he could start off trying to find work valeting and work his way up, maybe start his own valeting business for example.

Good luck to your Ds I know worrying the whole situation can be.

He wouldn’t want to work at McDonald’s. My 18 year old niece worked there one summer. The abuse they got was terrible. Grown men calling her a slag and throwing drinks at her because their food wasnt ready instantly.

This is horrible. We thought McDonalds would be a good fit because it's local and he can just get his head down and get on with it. But that was just an example, I know it's not an easy job but to learn he wouldn't be able to work there was a shock.

Thanks everyone. He does have an echp but we actually now live in Scotland. He won't consider any formal learning for maths and English, even at college.

Think there will be many different variants with a chain. My DS has been at McD in a part time role for around 3.5 years and he's had a brilliant experience.

Would he try home learning to get basic maths and English qualifications? What does he think he can do without qualifications?
Learning to drive when he’s 17 would be good. He might be able to pick up delivery jobs.

He's definitely going to learn to drive. And no he won't do home learning. He is autistic and once he's decided something can't be talked out of it and he is set on not having any qualifications.

Could he advertise himself locally to do gardening or something? Are you near farms where he could work? Or fishing fleets? Best bet is for him to somehow be self-employed.

I dint know tge Scottish system, but in England you can get supported internships for pupils with ehcps.

This is incredibly topical for me!
Several years ago I did 1-1 exam invigilation for a child who wasn't capable of sitting in an exam hall. I don't know what grades he got, but they won't have been high.
3 years later, and he's just popped up on the local college's website as an example of what college can offer. He is absolutely flying. Yes, he still has need of the SEN department (and indeed mentions what they have, tailored for his needs), and also talks about how college has different ways of working, and you can pick coursework heavy subjects which suit him much better.
He does, now, have English and maths qualifications.

Id look to post GCSEs, and find a route that inspires him. He will need English and maths tho - but maybe look at functional skills rather than GCSE?

Would be consider one of the college courses for independent living? My DS is autistic and didn't get the grades for A level. He's ended up at college and they have been brilliant. He's since passed English GCSE and the bit that amazed me was they got him to complete the questions on the paper out of numerical order. So it might be you find he'll consider things at college that before were just impossible.

It might be time to be firm then. He is not an adult and doesn't understand how important some form of basic learning in English and Maths is.
My DS also has SEN and is in school but they teach him very little. However we have insisted on daily maths and English practice and he has a maths tutor who thinks he can go for Entry Level (pre Foundation stage, he's in year 9).

He gets no screen time till learning is done - he's a child, he doesn't get to decide these things.

It’s going to be incredibly hard with no English and maths. Trades jobs will take on kids from the local colleges. He may have more luck getting experience alongside a one man band for gardening or decorating etc …

what does he think he is going to do ?

Maybe he just needs some time off formal learning. Give him a year to recover from school and follow his own interests, take all the pressure off.
Let him do things he enjoys whether that is reading, art, gardening, cooking.
There's plenty of time for qualifications later. Once he has an idea of what he wants to do, then he will have the motivation to learn what he needs to get there.

He doesn't know, that's what is so hard. He'll try his hand at anything he gets a chance to though I think.

@drspouse I'm glad that works for your child. Mine has mental health issues as well as autistic/adhd and his psychiatrist advised us against withholding screen time which he uses to regulate. He's a 6 foot 15 year old young lad, I don't think me insisting on formal learning is going to get us anywhere. Everyone is different.

My DS, ADHD & ASD left school with no qualifications. No where would let him do just maths & English without doing another course. He was so worn down by pre-16 education that he refused to go back.

He worked a couple of labouring jobs to get enough money together to pass his driving test and buy a car. Then once he had his licence 12 months he applied to be a bus driver and has been doing that ever since.

The bus company were amazing with him during his training and have been very good with him since. It suits him really well, having new people, different shift patterned and something happening all the time helps keep his ADHD brain busy, but the timetabling, scheduling and set routes helps his ASD brain stay in control.

I don't believe that screen time is regulating, especially not in ADHD. Addicting, yes. Regulating, no.

DH failed all his GCSEs. He got a labouring job on a farm which he loved and from that he got into agriculture. Fast forward 30 years and he now owns his ( our) own farm. Most of the wealthiest people we know have few qualifications. What they do have is drive and a strong work ethic.