School Have basically given up on entire year 11

[ReformedWaywardTeen]

Our school have been questionable at best for a while. I've allowed a few concerns to slide, haven't we all, putting it down to unforeseen Covid related kiboshing.

Our school is different in that it starts GCSE studies in year 9 rather than 10, so they traditionally choose options in March of year 8. It was promoted as being helpful as work is more staggered and worst case they could swap a subject if they hated it in year 9.

So, DD was due to choose their options in March 2020, with an options evening for of all dates the first day of lockdown.

When it didn't happen we assumed they would cancel options picking completely. Except they didn't, we did it with just a booklet giving some idea of the curriculum. They were slow to organise online learning so no virtual event took place (not a surprise, these were very strange times).

DD ended up picking 4 subjects, 1 of which they were on the fence with.

Obviously, as we all know, life didn't go back to normal as predicted, and a few of us parents did voice perhaps by December 2020 that maybe they should start from scratch for year 10. The school was hit hard by Covid isolations from Octopus onwards, whole year groups were off due to a lack of teachers. Then we had the January to March lockdown, and within a week of being back they were on school break.

This has had a hugely negative effect on DD, they've gone from a confident kid to being a shell.

Year 10 was a nightmare, not just for DD, for the entire year group. They did tests before the end of term and it was, to quote one teacher, a nightmare. How it's taken school this long to realise how badly behind they all are and the knock on MH effect of lockdown is beyond me. They also hadn't taken up the government offer of tutoring.

Meanwhile, DS didn't pick his GCSE subjects in 2021 (year 8), down to covid, he waited until year 9 and had the benefit of talking to tutors to ensure they are right for him. He has entered year 10 last week full of confidence and is thankfully very happy.

The one constant we had was the school has always had a place for any pupil who wanted it at the school's onsite sixth form.

Until last night.

We had a curriculum evening, not unusual, but this time, they are about to become part of an academy.

Suddenly, the school has been trumpeting their top 25% results for GCSE this year and top 20% A'levels.

They have now said the kids won't get a place automatically, and of you think they won't do well, then start looking elsewhere. Charming.

They have to apply, have an interview, get grades and have an exemplary record of great grades. DD does not have that since Covid.

On the way out a lot of parents were angry. It felt like because they were going on about the top 20% score and they realised the tests done at the end of last academic year were terrible, they are replacing kids they let down by not responding to covid in year 9 effecting GCSE study to be able to show off.

My AIBU is whether I'm right to raise this with the headteacher? I feel like they've let them down so much and the lack of foresight with their year group is ridiculous.

Is this what happens when a school is an academy?

DD was utterly broken last night, saying they may as well give up now, as even the school thinks they suck and will fail. They know what they want to do post A Level and need GCSEs to do it. It's been so hard to try and reassure a kid who is totally adrift thanks to two years of carnage.

What would you do in this situation?

I would make an appointment to see the Head. How totally disheartening for your DD, I expect they thought it would be inspiring and motivating but clearly misguided.

1. Tell your DC that giving up now is ridiculous. They have the whole of y11 which is a long time to 'catch up' and do their best.
2. Look at other schools for 6th form. I think going 'by default' to your own school for 6th form is a bad idea anyway as they may not offer the qualifications or subjects best suited to you anyway (though living in an area with no 6th forms in schools, only colleges, I may well be biased)
3. Make sure you have the CGP guides to check what has / has not been covered in case you need to fill gaps yourselves
4. I don't understand how your DD's year can be more impacted that the year above.
5. Nothing to do with academies. All to do with school management.

I would definitely see the head. The school sound like they’ve been useless. If you can afford it, I would look for tutors in the most important subjects for your dd if only has a confidence boost for her. She has a whole year.

I wouldn't want my son or daughter to go to a sixth form in that school, I would be looking for an alternative college or sixth-form. My son has moved to a new sixth form after a fairly turbulent Y10 and Y11 and Y12 in his new school is going great so far.

What would be the point of seeing the HT?
It's only worth seeing them if you know what outcome you want.

If the whole cohort is in the same position, they will have to get them to the required standard or lower the required standard, otherwise they won't fill their sixth form (unless it's extremely oversubscribed).

But I would still raise it with the Head. I wouldn't complain about teaching or being let down but I would express concerns about this 'covid cohort' and whether they're on track to get places at sixth form.

If ultimately your dd does not get a place, just find somewhere else that does want her.

This sounds terrible, my son is also in year 11 and we also had a parents evening last night talking about GCSE,s by contrast the teachers could not have been more positive and helpful regarding revision etc, the school does not have a sixth form though ,so the ultimate aim is to get them through their GCSE,s

What grades do they have to have?

i agree that no pupil is automatically entitled to stay at their school beyond 16.

The children they “compete” with would have also had disrupted education and many suffered with MH issues

The rough standard would be minimum of 6s in A level subjects, generally 7s for maths, and sometimes 7 for sciences. (Some schools ask for far higher, asking for e.g. average grade 6.8 from top 8 GCSEs )

I would definitely look for another place of education for your kids. Also see your local MP to let him / her know what’s going on

Go to the Head. Then the Governing body if unsuccessful. Then probably Ofsted. Look for alternative schools meanwhile.

Changing process or requirements midway even without the pandemic is unreasonable.

It does no one any good to let kids stay to do A levels if they aren't up to doing them. Letting everyone stay probably isn't in the interest of a number of pupils who should be going elsewhere to do BTECs or apprenticeships.

So it rather depends on what grade requirements they have put in I think.

I don't think this counts as 'midway' wrt 6th form. (Unless you are saying that children knowing they had a guaranteed place wouldn't have been trying their best for GCSEs?).
They have been told in plenty of time to look round other 6th forms & colleges, and apply to them.

I would say to your dd that the idea of giving up now is ridiculous- she’s got the whole of year 11 to go! The pint of starting GCSEs early so there’s extra time in year 11 to go over the curriculum- so if they’ve not been able to cover everything, they now have time !

it’s normal to not automatically get a place at 6th form if you didn’t get the grades, apart from anything else, it’s usually a good sign if they can manage the A levels.

our schools recommends students apply for at least 3 6th forms- including one as a “stretch” and one as a “it all went wrong” - it’s normal for on GCSE day for students to have a firm offer from a 6th form to do A levels and a college to do vocational courses, then decide when they get the grades what they want to do.

If you think your DD will struggle with getting 4/5s in core subjects, speak to the head of year if there’s many subjects or head of department if there’s only one she’s unlikely to get to talk about how you can work with the school to support her. If they don’t seem to have a plan, and you can afford a tutor, I would look at hiring someone.

Oh and our county, the applications for 6th form in state sector hasn’t opened yet. Normally around half term, then closes in January - open events are mostly in November. Definitely go see several and do not just apply for the school she is at. If they have had a policy of letting students stay on regardless of GCSE results, then they have been usual and the change is bringing them into line with the rest of state schools.

Firstly all of current year 11 in whole country picked options from a booklet and a few videos (my dd did this from her hospital bed on a high dependency ward). Secondly most 6th forms pick kids they know will do well as they can as not forced to take any kid but why wouldn't your dd stand a chance so long as picked subjects which are her strongest as if a good student no reason they wouldn't. But if they don't there are other options my ds did 6th form dd has decided college better option for her.
If you really want to talk to someone head of year probably a better bet than head.

It's a daft system that let's everyone stay on for 6th form. Never heard of that. All schools here you have to get he grades to stay on.
Tbh unless someone gets high B equivalent they should be doing A levels in that subject

Sorry, you lost me at Octopus 🐙

This sounds as though it has been a really stressful time for your DD. I hope she manages to work her way through the difficulties she has experienced.
However, the year group will all have had the same issues and different, but not worse, difficulties than the three year groups above. Schools are finding their way through problems they've never had before, but the one thing is that she is in a year group which will have all had a marginalised experience.

I don't think there's a problem complaining to the head, but could you perhaps speak to other parents, or put together outcomes that you want to see? Otherwise I'm not sure what will change.

In terms of 6th form, a fair amount have application criteria to meet and I don't think this is unfair. The 6th form in which I am a leader has a 5 x grade 5 minimum plus specific requirements for individual subjects (all 6/7 above)

It's not for any nefarious reason, it's to ensure that the student is equipped to deal with the pressures and content of level 3 learning. A huge part of my job this term is adjusting students to post 16, and it's almost always challenging even for the high achievers.
Colleges often have more breadth of offer so the school advising you to consider other options is not unkind, it is preparation.

I wish you all luck and hope you get the outcomes you want.

I agree with this. If you had some idea what was needed them may be worth a meeting to get just complain - well I expect t will just be flannel.

I'd find out what 6th form options you have - honestly not sure why you'd want her to stop on in a badly run school. If she feel let down should be easy to sell benefits of somewhere else. It's too early to apply yet for my Y11 need another month before applications for next year open and then can apply right up to about now to start.

Then I'd look at past papers, CGP guides/workbooks and make sure she sits down with you and does them. Any really bad subjects she needs or you can't support - look into tutors for now.

Try and have a plan b - if she doesn't get grades for a-levels - can she take a mix of GCSE and a-level or another course.

So basically have a help now plan and a better future with out this school plan.

I've been disappointed with the school and covid with both my eldest children - it's trying to keep them motivated and with a plan to move forward - I do have real concerns but need to focus on things that will help them.

So to answer a few queries:

DD has been happy at the school, even during the first Covid lockdown. Hence why they wanted to stay for sixth form. It then became a "well at least you have a place at sixth form" scenario, something positive to cling to.

I'm aware DD let things slide during the second lockdown, I don't think it was intentional, it was a crazy time and by far they aren't alone in being totally side swiped by it all.

We sadly can't afford tutoring, I wish we could, but our business was screwed by Covid too and we've had to start again, I'm still not back in work and our savings disappeared during Covid to stop us losing our home.

What do I wish to achieve speaking to Head? Honestly, just to ask why they are not tackling the situation head on, but kind of adopting a nothing to see here attitude. I would have more respect for them if they owned up that continuing options and GCSE study during the worst period of Covid was an error. I think the fact the next year group below was left to pick in year 9 rather than year 8 speaks volumes.

I'm not sure why someone suggested I don't care about the year group above? I don't have a child in that year group but I do think they were let down too, as they had to do GCSE/ALevels as normal but that's a countrywide issue with the DofE.

DD will need at least grade 5 in English and Maths. Their test results from July gave them a 2 and 1. Maths has always been a struggle but they had improved up until now. English was previously a strong subject so that was a shocker. DD actually found the mock exam conditions they sat them in so difficult they had to leave the hall several times during the exams, with a panic attack. They weren't alone. It seems to have universally effected many of them.

We have booked a tour of a local college but we only have one other non-fee paying school with a sixth form and they don't cover what DD wants to do.

If it's not due to academy status then that was the only excuse I could think of. Knowing that school have gone from a warm environment to this is disappointing for me but upsetting for DD.

I just think school should reconsider I guess. They have literally not said a word on changing the rules. Last year's kids did not have this.

They sadly won't have trouble filling spaces purely because of the lack of alternatives locally.

Also, I've not told DD they should give up, quite the opposite.

I've bought them study guides and have offered help.

But they're so down right now. Never seen them like it. They have no motivation, constantly in tears. If there wasn't a 2 year wait list for CAHMs I would be asking for a referral.

I've said they know what career they want, so to give up would be terrible.

The school do offer BTEC as well as A'levels. DD would need to complete year 13 though to go and do work based training.

To the person who pointed out an autocorrect in my original message, very funny.

If your dd has been studying her gcse subjects for two years already and now has an additional year, then even with the disruption of covid 2 years ago, there should be no problem in achieving the grades she is capable of. 3 years is a long time to cover a 2 year course. Really no need to panic.

As for 6th form, I've never heard of one that automatically offers a place, regardless of grades, to current students. Grade requirements for A levels exist for a reason.

That said, life doesn't begin and end with A levels, there's a whole variety of options post gcse and your dd should think a bit about what she wants to do and where she might go to do it. Visit some other 6th forms, look at college. The world really is her oyster and, if you've got doubts about her current school,Y12 is the perfect time to change.

Usually you have to get a 7 in sciences and maths to study those subjects at A-level in 6th form and most others a 6. So it was probably never as simple as accepting everyone. My dd sixth form offers an option for everyone which is reassuring but that is not A-level without the grades. Instead they have Btecs and other qualifications. I think though you still have time to turn things round before the exams and should be more positive