GCSE reduced subjects advice needed

[Arizona29]

I started a different thread about this yesterday but am starting a new one here because I've got a new question and I know many readers never read OP updates on a thread!
DS year 9 had been put onto a GCSE pathway for additional support.
He has no SEN diagnosed.
He has never had any intervention classes at school.
School have never made me aware at any point since year 7 that they feel DS needs additional support.
I have not received any communication whatsoever about him being put on to an additional support GCSE pathway. It has been like a bolt out of the blue and I only found out on Monday.
Parents evening last week made no mention of it.
So I spoke to a member of staff about it today.
It is not a mistake, as suggested by posters on my other thread.
The member of staff has told me the following:
That DS has been put on a pathway for year 10 & 11 where he will study
Maths
English
Science
1 humanity OR 1 language (his choice but only 1 of these)
2 practical based subjects of his choice such as DT, art, music, cookery, dance, photography, etc.
3 extra Maths intervention sessions a fortnight
3 extra English intervention sessions a fortnight
He cannot choose 2 humanities.
He cannot choose 1 humanity & 1 language.
He cannot choose 2 humanities & 1 language.
it is 1 humanity only.
He is only 1 of 16 students who has been put on this pathway out of the whole of year 9.
The 'standard' Ebacc pathway is
English, maths, science, 1 humanity, 1 language, then 2 further options which can include a second humanity, even a third one, but DS had not been given this pathway as an option.
I was confused when I posted on my other thread yesterday, and I remain confused.
I still don't understand how DS has been put on this additional support pathway with no communication whatsoever about any learning delay or concerns whatsoever from school in the 2.5 years he's been there.
I asked this question directly today, and it wasn't answered. It was glossed over.
DS is really upset.
A. He doesn't want to do only 1 humanity and no language. He feels he's had all his choices removed from him.
B. He says nobody at school has talked to him about this.
C. He feels excluded from the standard pathway that all his friends are doing.
D. He is asking me do his school think he's stupid and incapable
E. He fears stigma about this amongst his peers, and feels he is going to get comments and 'jokes' about not being able to do what everyone else is doing.
He has never had a conversation with, or any input from, the SenCo.
I have never had a conversation with the SenCo about DS.
The SenCo has never contacted me about DS to discuss him.
Again, he has no SEN.
So.
My questions to people here who have knowledge and experience:

1. What the hell is going on here?
2. Can they enforce this? Does DS have any choice or any say in the matter??
3. What right do school have to remove his choice to do 2 humanities, or 1 humanity + 1 language? Without any prior conversation with him or with me?
4. AIBU to feel they are 'dumbing down' his options?
5. Why does DS have to choose 2 options from a list of practical subjects? This isn't the pathway he wants to follow - cookery, or DT, or dance, or drama, etc. But he's now got to pick 2 of these subjects.

The list of the 2 extra choices on the standard Ebacc pathway contains additional academic choices.
Whereas the list of 2 extra choices on the additional support pathway DS has been placed on contains no academic choice whatsoever.
If he only does Maths, English, Science + 1 humanity, plus 2 practical non academic subjects, is this going to exclude him from doing A levels and a degree??
DS most definitely wants a career that will require A levels and degree. Will this additional needs pathway block him from going on to do A levels & degree because he won't have enough GCSE subjects?
DS is an intelligent boy. I can't believe the school are restricting his GCSE choices like this and putting him on this pathway, having never once put him into any additional intervention measures since starting in year 7.
His year 9 assessment scores were all below the year group average. Not way below. But they were below. His results do not reflect his intelligence or capability. He said he knew all the answers but didn't get to complete the assessments as ran out of time. So the unanswered questions that he hadn't got to pulled his total score down, even though all the questions he did answer were correct.
Basically I feel like I've got an intelligent boy who hasn't performed well in the year 9 assessments and as a result has been placed on an intervention GCSE pathway that enforces a reduced number of GCSEs and being forced to take 2 practical subjects instead, yet with no consent from or discussion with DS or myself about this.
I have tried really hard to speak to the SenCo since Monday when I found this out, but I am not receiving any replies to the emails I have sent her requesting for her to contact me to discuss this. I've been told this has all been based on her recommendation, yet she's never even had a conversation with me or with DS.
I am really worried aboug the impact this will have on DS's options, choices, future success and I'm worried about this affecting his self esteem.
Only 16 kids out of an entire huge year 9 cohort have been assessed as unable to do the Ebacc route and my intelligent DS is one of them? He's in the bottom 10% of kids who isn't allowed to do the standard Ebacc pathway that the other 90% of kids are following and yet he has no SEN and has never been given additional interventions at school and who is really bright?
From what I know of his blunt and highly insensitive and never-endingly mocking peers, he is not wrong when he says he is going to get put downs and negative comments from peers about this.
He has such hopes for his future career and these restricted and limited GCSEs are going to block that, because his career hopes require A levels & degree.
Help😞

I have heard from various teachers / Sencos / dyslexia association sessions over the years that standard teaching training actually only spends something like 2 hours on learning about dyslexia / SPLD… so, to be honest, schools / teachers often do not know best, unfortunately…

..or it might even have been something as ridiculous as only 30 mins learning about dyslexia during teacher training - it is that outrageous!

The consequence of this is that you essentially have to become an expert about it yourself, as you have to advocate effectively for your child.

A further thought - I believe the average number of GCSEs achieved each year is something like 7.7/7.8 - so if your son does 8 (the 5 I said, plus 3 others which includes an essay based one) and achieves Grade 4 or higher, that is above average! Finally (sorry) don’t dismiss DT and Art - the former is very technical and well respected, as is Art for the sheer volume of work required. They are not ‘easy’ choices - we have experience of both. If they’re not his ‘thing’ then fair enough, but they’re not soft options.

As a teacher and SEND mum -- yes! This!!

I trained in 2012. Dyslexia wasn't even mentioned...

Neither me nor my DS’s teachers picked up on his dyslexia. He was going to a maths tutor who said she wanted to run some tests then recommended he get formally tested.
So it presents in different ways to you think.

His ADHD (inattentive type) was spotted by his English teacher in the first year of GCSEs. These kids can fly under the radar. Especially if you are looking for a hyperactive naughty child. That was never DS.

Though despite dyslexia and ADHD he still didn’t qualify for extra time! He gets rest breaks and that’s it.

My French teacher was also the SENCO at my independent secondary school. She wrote the same things on my school report as everyone else. Potential but lacks motivation and attention to detail, makes careless mistakes, disorganised and forgets to hand work in on the right date, frequently late for lessons. In person she got very irate that it took me forever to try to organise myself to leave her classroom and told me I was a "naughty, disobedient girl". She also told me to stop making excuses and being so lazy when I tried to explain that I'd done my homework but forgotten to bring it in. She made me go without a textbook for most of a half term and I had to copy down my homework tasks from a school textbook during breaktimes (which made her angry because I was in her classroom) after I lost it. Even though my Mum asked to buy a new one, and also asked if she could not just buy a full extra set of textbooks so I didn't have to carry them to and from school which was to help my organisation but also because I had a growth delay and my consultant had said it was damaging for me to be carrying the amount of weight that I was. It was her decision and she said no because things had to be "equal". She wasn't even the worst teacher and I was basically told I was an awful child by teachers and students alike throughout school.

I got my ADHD diagnosis at 24 and my self-esteem was absolutely rock bottom.

I feel really angry thinking about it.

Sorry if this has already been mentioned as i’ve only read OP posts but could you get him tested for, I don’t know the correct name, but essentially his processing speed. I know of 2 at my dc’s sixth form where this was tested and they got extra time as they basically were getting questions right but completely running out of time. Good luck OP. Just to agree with other posters, that selection of GCSEs won’t harm A level choices but they will obviously need to pick their humanities/language option wisely - history to show essay abilities, geography may complement sciences, etc

@Delatron I belive exam acess arrangments are normally either rest brakes or extra time not both but I maybe wrong. Dd was offered either or.
@Arizona29 I do hope you get this sorted , it is a struggle. We had to really fight for Dd as she was bright enough to cope untill year 9 when the wheels fell off so to speak. We pointed out to school they had missed her brothers issues picked up in the 1st two weeks of another 6th form. The senco did appologise to us when the results came back. With the right help she got straight 7,8,9 in her GCSE's btw including 3 sciences, history& geograhy instead of French, she could speak but not write it! Bright kids cope untill they cant, schools are really not designed to pick up issues especially if the kids are on target.

@TheBestThingthatAlmostHappened I think self-esteem issues and a disengagement from learning are major problems, if someone has an undiagnosed, or unsupported SEN.. especially with adhd (diagnosed or undiagnosed) - the proportion of interactions that are negative, critical, angry or frustrated massively outweighs those that are positive.

I have to keep a close eye on how I speak to / what I speak about with one of my dc (who has other diagnosed SEN, but likely has adhd as well) - as it can all just be very negative if you are not careful (and can really damage self-esteem.. (why is your room so filthy / messy, I just tidied and cleaned this morning? Why have you left all your dishes on the table? Get on with your work… stop looking at your phone… Sit down, we’re eating. Sit still. Try and focus. Have you finished that yet, you’ve been doing it for ages? Please don’t tease your sister. I can’t believe you have lost another coat this week.. why aren’t you ready? I told you we were leaving 20 minutes ago and you are not even dressed..).

Yes I’m sure you’re right. I actually think it’s really hard to qualify for extra time. I feel bad for DS as he often runs out of time and the rest breaks don’t help him so he doesn’t take them. But I have to trust the school
on this and their testing means he didn’t qualify or wouldn’t benefit.

@Delatron Have you looked in detail at what tests the school did? Speaking to friends about it, tests that were done at school didn’t seem to be as in-depth as the private assessments i have seen. I think there might be a threshold in terms of extra time for processing speed (I think it might be 13th centile or lower??) - but you would need to check. It is worth looking at JCQ exam arrangements policies, and seeing what they say, as ultimately it is those that will determine whether extra time is given in external exams.

interestingly, my eldest dc has a dyslexia diagnosis, and had to undergo a quick assessment in school for the purposes of them filling in the JCQ (or is it JQC??) form to apply for extra time, but dc2 (dyslexia and autism) was just granted extra time due to the neurodisability (autism), without an assessment of his processing speed (i think it is a different category on the form).

Thanks @SundayMondayMyDay I didn’t look at the tests. They mentioned processing speed and said that it had improved. It was annoying but I maybe wrongly assumed that if he qualified for extra time it would be in everyone’s interest that he got it including the schools!

GCSEs have now gone. He has one very good teacher for A-level who is convinced he needs extra time and is gathering evidence for this. I need to revisit. Thanks for the info. I feel sad we have fight for this!

Depends on the secondary school. Ours, a true comprehensive but top of local league tables for years, trains staff well, repeatedly.

@Arizona29 any updates?

I’m sorry OP, your son’s school sounds absolutely shit.

I just wouldn’t accept it. Broken record “no, I want him to have the same GCSE choices as everyone else”. Over and over again.

Also, all these deadlines the school is giving you are made up by them. Fuck em.

Apologies if you have covered this before but is moving school a possibility?

In DCs school they have had a few teachers that are dyslexic. They understand the issues. In all fairness other teachers seem to be good too, but don't know how much training they have had. We have found teachers in high school much more supportive than some of the primary school teachers and far more understanding than the senco.

No assessment was made to see if exam access arrangements needed to be put in place until I pushed.

Due to family history we were looking out for dyslexia. We were also able to fund diagnosis and a weekly session with tutor that specialises in supporting those with dyslexia ( which has made a massive difference).
I hate to think how many children slip though the net and are undiagnosed, despite having some form of additional need.

Sorry I forgot to say document everything you and they say in writing and keep all emails

I, too, think your school appears to be not as good as it should be, especially as your son obviously has a few specific issues and they have not been communicating with you or, seemingly, doing anything to help. I agree with those asking if there is any possibility of moving schools. I also think that seeing a private education psychologist, if you can afford it, would be a good idea. You needed to ask for testing for a whole raft of possibilities. One others thought. I have known a cousin of people who have changed schools and repeated year nine. This has given them the confidence to review work they might have missed before GCSE courses are started and for the teachers to get to know them.

Sorry I disappeared for a bit.
I'm so glad I posted here because I've received some absolutely brilliant advice. Thank you to everyone who replied helpfully and without judgement.
I've read all 344 replies.
After reading through all the posts, going off and researching things that have been suggested and going for two very long walks with DS to really talk to him about what's going on for him, and hours of researching different assessors, I've booked an EP for DS.
Just spent hours completing the forms required.

I mean this in the kindest way, but do you think ds will manage A levels of he is low high school sets and isn’t doing ‘ brilliantly’ now? DD started her Alevels this time and her over all grades were 6s with 7s in the subject she chose at A level at the leap from GSCE to A level was huge! She has now decided not to continue and is starting on a level 3 workbased apprenticeship instead.

That's a good reply to read.

Have you had any more from school?

Good luck OP! Have you had communication from the school or any opportunity to do the original pathway?

FWIW, as a teacher, the end of Feb deadline may seem like a hard deadline but in reality things will be moving up to the end of the summer holidays! At the very least they will have kids move away, others arrive etc.

For the majority of children things won’t change after that date, but there are always exceptions and your son’s case is unique.

Teacher here. It doesn't have to be sorted in the next 2 weeks, there's always a degree of flexibility when required. Also, this is terrible communication from the school.

Letter to Head of Year, explain shocked and upset. Ask for a meeting. Don't fill in the options form until you've had a meeting.

I would say 6 GCSEs that someone can pass is better than 8 GCSEs that they're going to fail.

I became a teacher after my eldest was through the education system. They never did bother to support. She left with practically nothing. She didn't do A Levels or go to university. But she does now earn considerably more than me in a very well respected field - enough to buy her own place in a posh town and drive a massive car. She's bright and confident and with a fantastic career. You're right to fight for your son to be happy. Don't lose sight of that goal.

Well done. You have had a really difficult time in the last few days but have taken all the advice on board, talked things through with the person who matters most In all of this - your son and taken positive action by getting an appointment with an educational psychologist. I think all of us here will take our hats off to you. Please let us know how you both get on in the future, if you feel able to.