To think my DS is completely stuffed

[logincard]

my DS has 5 grade 7s and 4 6's at GCSE.

he missed out on acceptance to his grammar school for A level ( by one point) and we now have no place for him to study A levels.

He had a conditional offer from another school. He has the grades, but I found out yesterday that he never actually accepted this offer ….

I have contacted every state and private school in the borough and close by and no one has a space, we have appealed a grade at his grammar school. (But I hold out little hope for that)

What can we do? He has. No space for A levels . And no one has to help us, he’s just on his own ….

With regards to letting the OPs DS accept his own place, my DD’s sixth form college have communicated with her not me regarding enrolment, and expect her to send her GCSE results, confirm meeting times and enrolment, etc. I have been sent copies of most things by them, but any action has to come from her.

Hope you get sorted with a college, definitely a better option than a school IME

@logincard

thing is he was told on Friday that he had not accepted the place at school 1 BUT he did not tell me. He rather told me that they would be ringing him to arrange enrolment over the phone. He says that's what he thought ...

Everyone else who did not have places was running around on Friday sorting it out. We were not. So everywhere else has done their jiggling and by yesterday when I drove to school 1 to be told what DS didn't tell me., It's way too late...

and there are no colleges here that do Alevels

And he says he wants to do A levels.

I don't think your son is being honest with you ... or he's flat out not paying any attention whatsoever at school. Schools hold special assemblies/talks for Year 11s to go through the process of applying to A Levels. They are talked to about the process, the open evenings (mostly online this year), the emails, told not to refuse any places and to accept them all until their GCSE results are in. They're very on it, especially the better schools which it sounds like your son attended (grammar!).

Hopefully you'll get it sorted. Call the LA like someone says and get a new application in. But you won't want a repeat at university application time so you really need to sit him down and find out what was going through his head when he ignored all the advice/instruction he was surely getting at school.

Pick three!

@HeyDemonsItsYaGirl

Richmond College offers around 100 A Levels or A Level equivalents: www.rutc.ac.uk/our-courses/16-18.html

Weird thread.

Kingston College's website says they do A levels, too.

Oh, and the process for A level applications allowed for parents' emails to be included as well as the students so they'd be getting notifications about the status of their child's application.

Can you appeal to the grammar school as it sounds like if he had one more point they would have a place for him? I would argue that it's just one point?

That’s what I would do.
I think it’s very unfair to not get in on 1 point!

You're in SW London? FFS why are you saying the colleges don't do A levels then - I can name four SW London colleges that offer A levels off the top of my head.

@Morethanthis71

Ah just read all your posts OP, the school he is currently at is legally obliged (if in England) to give him a place in their Sixth Form. He might not have the specific grades for the specific courses he wants to do (although he has a good suite of grades) but they cannot refuse him a place.

Not true. Schools cannot refuse an application on the grounds of prejudicing efficient education unless the school is oversubscribed or, in the case of sixth forms, if the pupil has not achieved the necessary GCSE results.

Sounds like son can’t be bothered/not concerned to take in the relevant info- school might be offloading him bc don’t want unmotivated students at sixth form- might it be worth an honest chat with his head of year? See if he made some commitments they might be more willing to be flexible?

*I get the feeling that the OP wants her DS to go to a particular type of college/6th form to study certain subjects (and only those subjects) at A-level and there is no flexibility.

The fact that his current school has told him he does not have a place - missing only one mark is also odd. Is there a reason why they too aren’t showing a degree of flexibility?*

This is what I was wondering. Is there a reason his current school doesn't want him?

@titchy

You're in SW London? FFS why are you saying the colleges don't do A levels then - I can name four SW London colleges that offer A levels off the top of my head.

I don’t think the OP wants her son to go to an ordinary college...

www.rutc.ac.uk/key-information/enrolment.html?utm_source=google-search&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=enrolment-2021&gclid=CjwKCAjw3_KIBhA2EiwAaAAlioCBCZlMwx6D_8eBuBFMRFUCG80_o0gzzDzmEirg9m0p450Kn5uWORoCS0gQAvD_BwE

They begin open enrolment today. There’s an apply now button on their website.

It's a sad day when As and Bs aren't good enough!

Too true. There's something going wrong when kids who have 5, 6 and 7 grades are going to be left scratching around for options to continue studying.

If you are close to Esher have you looked at Cobham Free School?

@MadameMinimes

www.rutc.ac.uk/key-information/enrolment.html?utm_source=google-search&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=enrolment-2021&gclid=CjwKCAjw3_KIBhA2EiwAaAAlioCBCZlMwx6D_8eBuBFMRFUCG80_o0gzzDzmEirg9m0p450Kn5uWORoCS0gQAvD_BwE

They begin open enrolment today. There’s an apply now button on their website.

There you go OP!

@MyShoelaceIsUndone

Why doesn’t he call the school he got the conditional from and tell them if his mistake for not replying?

we have done that. I have written a grovelling email and so has he, they say they are full but will consider him at the start of term if anyone drops out ...

@Skiptheheartsandflowers

It's a sad day when As and Bs aren't good enough!

Too true. There's something going wrong when kids who have 5, 6 and 7 grades are going to be left scratching around for options to continue studying.

They’re not. They are only rejected by top selective grammar schools.

Yes I get the feeling it's Tiffin (I assume) or nothing. Given that she hasn't looked very carefully at colleges... (Westminster city, godalming, Richmond, esher are all decent options.)

@SENaroundtheworld

If you are close to Esher have you looked at Cobham Free School?

Oh yes good one - that's got quite good snob value - he wouldn't be mixing with the ruffians that go to college.

What about all the local colleges who demonstrably offer a levels?

Phone Local Education Authority. There will be someone there who will know the process. He will not be the only one.
Phone round the top 4/5 schools /colleges he prefers every day. Spam them. Keep on checking incase someone drops out. Make yourself known to them.

@MadameMinimes I do appreciate it but they do not offer A levels in Biology, Chemistry or History.

Missing the entry requirement by one point doesn’t sound like much but it really depends what you mean by a point. If it’s an average grade requirement then that’s huge. The difference between an average grade of 7.0 and 6.0 is ten grades if they did ten GCSEs. I don’t think you’ll get anywhere with the grammar. Your best bet is to apply to everywhere with spaces and put yourself on every waiting list. He won’t be screwed. There will be places at the colleges for A Levels and schools will still have places coming up. School sixth forms are mostly desperate for numbers and filling places can be really tough. It’s going to be a stressful couple of weeks but he won’t end up without an A Level place in the end if he’s only just missed out on the grammar school.

[quote logincard]@MadameMinimes I do appreciate it but they do not offer A levels in Biology, Chemistry or History.[/quote]
Richmond college do though according to the list posted.

A lot of people on this thread don’t seem to understand the process for grammar sixth forms.

No year 11 grammar student is automatically entitled to a place at the sixth form. All are made very aware that it depends on working hard and doing well at GCSE.

Grammar sixth forms also have significant numbers of external applicants. Many of whom will have worked extremely hard and gained 9s and 8s.

Why should they lose out on places to internal applicants who are not working hard or motivated?