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😞

Your son needs gcse results as a stepping stone to A levels, beyond that his results and oprions rarely matter.
If he's struggling in exam scenarios then yes, he needs extra support, but you seem to be taking this with too much competitiveness and pride over something that ultimately won't matter.
If the school want him to have support it is because they want him to do the best he possibly can. They are in a far better place to assess his academic capabilities in exam than you are.
Try to not panic and go and have a conversation with them.

Also, you previously told another poster to "keep up!" as they may have not read one of your posts. However, in your first post you mention Ebac multiple times as a measure of progress. But when your son gets to his gcse year, the Ebac will not exist, which announcement was made by the government a few weeks ago. So... erm... keep up!

Science is two. English is two (literature and language).

What grades has your son been predicted throughout secondary school? My kids got a report every term, with a list of their subjects. Next to each subject was their target grade (which I believe was based on year 6 SATs and initial performance in year 7), and the grade they were currently working at. It enabled me to see how they were doing, and if their progress had changed from what had been expected.

Does your son’s school not do reports?

If your son was expected to get 4s, and he’s continuing to get 4s, then the teachers would have had no reason to highlight an issue, because he’d have been working towards his target.
However, if he was expected to get 7s, and was working at 4 level, then this should have been mentioned to you.
Have a look at his school reports and see what’s been happening to his expected grades over the past 2.5 years.

We had something similar with my daughter. In her case she has got SEN but has consistently been exceeding expectations throughout secondary so I assumed it was for her social communication needs. Her English teacher was really surprised when I said she had been put on the reduced pathway to focus on English and Maths so maths is her main issue (and she is doing ok at that). They used sat results to inform their decision and she only just passed maths. She is already flagged for an extra time assessment. I did think about fighting it but we have not been restricted to practical subjects, and she has decided herself that doing an additional GCSE will be extra stress even though it means dropping a subject she loves so we have decided to go with it. Like some of the previous posters, I would perhaps focus on choosing subjects your son loves in reduced numbers rather than purely practical.

Why is it only the sendco you are trying to chase on this? Is the head of year not responsible too for options? Or there is often a member of SLT who oversees curriculum so I would be chasing all of them.

Despite you thinking all is ok, there is clearly a lot your son isn't telling you. The fact you are now aware he isn't finishing tests within the time limit suggests he is struggling, and whether this is due to sen or ability is not clear. You say he is bright but in what area? Are you an expert on the curriculum and can say he does have good knowledge and retention and has the ability to apply this to unseen questions? You mention he is bright, but if he is bottom set for maths, then it isn't that subject he is showing this in. I would think what is your judgement based on. Someone can have worldly knowledge and have an interest in something but not be able to articulate this in an exam or even understand a question if it's not one they have encountered before. If he is telling you about a subject I expect he is initiating the dialogue and the way it is presented to you, in an exam he has to select relevant information to answer the question and not just regurgitate anything and everything.

I think the fact he is in bottom set for maths (and likely English too to be offered this pathway, even though they don't set) would mean he has a better chance of performing better in these subjects which are essential for most jobs and options post 16. It is surely better he has more time on the core subjects and can achieve a pass (grade 4 or higher) than to take more subjects and then receive more grades but lower.
In sixth form and college a lot of subjects usually require 5 GCSEs grade 4/5 and above. This might be in the subject they wish to study but not always.
I think you are seeing it as negative for him to be placed on a different pathway, but if he is struggling this will be in his best interest. It wouldn't necessary be easy to start him off doing multiple subjects like you want only to then see he is struggling and to then want to change pathways as they may be in different points in the topics and changing will make it harder for him.

Sorry @ArtificialStupidity did not mean to quote you!

To be fair you have said he's in bottom set maths, and that he's below average in everything in his reports. I think although I stand by what I previously said that you don't gave to accept their suggested pathway, your child either needs assessing for extra time/ diagnosis of something that's a barrier - OR - you are deluding yourself about the whole A levels and degree thing. What is causing him to not be able to attempt the questions in the allotted time?

Yes 6 GCSEs is lower than average but it’s all I’ve ever seen required for A Levels.

It would usually be (say he wants to do history): a minimum of 6 in History and a minimum of 6 other GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including Maths and English

So having 6 GCSEs with good grades would be better than having 8 or 10 where he’s not done well in half of them.

I completely get yours and his frustration with the limits on the subjects, and I’d be challenging that aspect (he doesn’t want to do Drama so why can’t he do History and French etc).

However, what I will say is that bottom set Maths means he is obviously struggling somewhere with that. It’s therefore a good thing the school want to intervene now and get him to do extra Maths given that it is such an important subject to pass. It is absolutely worth getting one less GCSE but passing Maths. It sounds like perhaps if they need this Maths support they automatically get the English support too, which isn’t ideal if he isn’t struggling with that, but certainly won’t do any harm.

I understand what you’re saying re anxiety rather than intelligence, but exam anxiety can be just as big of an issue as lack of intelligence. If he has extra time for Maths/English then that’s also extra time for mock exams which will help the confidence issue.

I totally get where you’re coming from, and why he’s disappointed to not do the same as his friends. But I do think there are benefits to what they’re suggesting in some ways, and the negative parts you can fight them on (eg being allowed to do two humanities)

My daughters school did compulsory religious studies as half a gcse, then dropped it as a qualification even though they still study it.

Her first option was a creative subject.

She dropped her language as she has dyslexia and chose another (creative) subject instead. She’s doing combined science which counts as 2 GCSE’s (rather than
triple science).

So she does eng, maths, 2 x science, 1 x humanities, 2 x creative. (And pointless rel studies) 7 GCSEs total. That’s standard for every kid in her school (although they may not have chosen 2 creative subjects). My other daughter (twins) is doing a language and chose both humanities but still only 7 GCSEs. Only the kids doing triple science will get 8 GCSEs.

Both my kids are doing really well and on track for good grades and both accepted at a good local 6th form college.

I hope that helps you to know that if your son does end up on this ‘alternative pathway’ it’s not as extreme as you may think.

I think it’s the lack of communication to date is outrageous though!

OP would you be able to go physically to the school today or tomorrow? The fact they aren't responding to emails and it will be half term is so stressful, what a terrible way for the school to handle this if they believe your DS is struggling already! If possible, I'd be going to the school and sitting there until I could speak to head of year and Senco together.

Edit to add: its their self-imposed deadline that has created this stress, so you are well within your rights to require them to resolve this ASAP

@Arizona29 the school should have provided an indication of the minimum grade they expected for your son from Y7 onwards. It’s usually on the reports you receive at Parents Evening. Did you ever receive this?

If he’s not finishing his assessments then school should be testing him to see if he qualifies for extra time in exams - usually 25%.

Talk to his tutor and HOY

but for what it is worth, I think it is not all bad news

my son did no languages and nu humanities at all, and got extra help in English

he did

• English Language
• literature
• maths
• triple science (phys, Chem, Bio)
• music
• computing
• food tech

The school managed to help him get a 6 and a 7 in his English subjects (a miracle)

he then did A levels and Uni

the lack of languages and humanities has never been a barrier to anything

he was not ostracised or bullied for his different subjects to most kids

we always think the school did well to modify standard GCSEs to his ability (and to get him to pass English with those grades in the bottom set)

just to give a different perspective

Is his school an academy or part of a multiple academy trust?

If he scored low in all of his assessments because he missed questions because he ran out of time he could have an SEN called Slow Processing. It isn't a measure of intelligence, it just means the brain works more slowly. I'm pretty sure I have it although when I was at school even things like ADHD & dyslexia weren't recognised.

I scored in the top 2% at uni but always bombed in exams (I tried to only pick coursework modules to avoid this!) because I just can't work under pressure.

I would get him to a private educational psychologist FAST and have him assessed. IF he has any kind of SEN, he could be awarded extra time in exams which would get around the problem of his not being able to finish assessments. 25% extra time is the usual amount, but it can go up to 45% (I THINK, I haven't looked this up, just doing it from memory). It can also encompass rest breaks if this is needed as an individual.

I think the extra maths and English are good, because it's essential he gets a grade 5 or above in those for A Levels & uni. But equally, he will have to get minimum 5s at GCSE for A Level and at times, schools will ask for grade 7 and above at GCSE for A Level entrance. Which currently, it looks as if your son isn't in line to achieve if he is among the lowest scoring in the year group.

"He knew the answers but didn't write them down."

I find myself sticking on this point. He ran out of time.... There is something there that needs focus.

His English teacher said he didn't have confidence.

Your opposition to this seems to be based on Stigma from the other children rather then how this could help him get what he needs for the next step to college.

Work with the school to understand, not against them.

As you've already been told, most colleges require or expect a student to have passed 8 GCSEs, out of sitting the standard 10.

My DD had a rough year 9 and 10, low mock results from grades 4-5, but was still expected to sit all 10 exams (she passed them all with good grades in all but 1). She was intelligent, just hadn't done any work.

This decision by your school must be based on something surely?

First off the deadline the school sets is so they can get numbers and timetables sorted and is the deadline for the majority they can move it of course they can and I suspect can easily in this instance if there has been a mistake or can be changed.

But I think you need to take a very deep breath and actually focus now on how best to get your son through GCSEs - they are suggesting 8 and whilst a low number it is the number that is used to collect grade average etc so he won’t be disadvantaged

then listen if what your son is saying about finishing and anxiety is true then you do need to discuss it with SENCo as how best to support him

the Humanities for example are a lot of exams and time pressure - DD wants to do geography at University and she found the timing hard. Languages take a lot of children out unless it is their skill set

a huge amount of exam success is exam techniques and time management and he doesn’t have that and that is a huge issue particularly as I said for the humanities and languages

He needs to pass Maths and English. That is the firm standard requirement to progress from GCSEs.
Instead of looking at this a failure, as he’s in bottom set set for maths, he clearly needs the intervention. I would take it as an opportunity for him to get the grades he needs.
By all means speak to school but I would sit down and have a good think about priorities.
You then have to sell it to DS.

While the school's communication about the pathway has been risible, and you should raise that with the head, you should also listen to them. Your DS has dropped into the bottom group for maths, which means he's likely at Foundation level now. He's not finishing his papers. His grades are below average for his year group across the board. He's not doing well at school, that's a fact.

He might be bright but all the signs are pointing to him not being academic enough to sit 11 subjects and the 25+ separate papers that will include. My DD was forced to take 11 subjects and ended up with three passes. She too is bright and did well in class, but went to pot in exam conditions and couldn't retain an adequate level of information, which sounds very similar to your DS.

Eight grades will absolutely be enough for him to progress and it might be more beneficial that he takes fewer and does better. So take a pause and really listen to the school before doing anything or saying anything drastic.

You say he’s in the lowest set for maths - clearly that’s not good and I suspect they’re trying to protect the results. If he’s already in the lowest set it can’t be a total shock they aren’t expecting him to do that well at GCSE? Even having said that I would complain to the governors and ask for a meeting with the head immediately. Can you afford any tutors? Could he sit an extra subject or two outside of school?? Good luck!

Our school always says there will be no change after the options date and there always is. You can write in the form that no decision will be made until you have a meeting with the school. Please stop worrying about that.
6 good GCSE grades s enough for A level.
I would add though that if he was getting average in years 7 and 8, below average in year 9 and also in bottom set, he isn’t as super intelligent as you perceive him to be. He clearly needs assessing for getting extra time in exams and the schools communication has been diabolical, but it sounds like he has an opportunity here to get 6 good GCSE grades with the extra support they are offering.

It's 8, English Language and English Literature they are just taught as separate lessons within the English block on the timetable. Separate papers.

Science will be the 3 subjects but he will get 2 grades for this, they either match like 6,6 of 5,5 or one lower with 6,5, and 5,4. I doubt he would be put in for triple science which covers more content and has individual grades.

You need 8 GCSEs to get into university. 8 is the maximum some state schools offer the norm is 9 and some go to 10. The sixth form that my high academic children went to caters for all abilities and their entry grades ate 5 x grade 4s but with some stipulations on certain subjects like 7 for maths.

You need to ring school and physically go in. Don't worry about school telling you the deadline is 27th February. It is just to give them time to go through all the children's requests and get an individual timetable for them. This will not be done in one day.

I don’t know if it’s helpful to know that EBACC is not an extra qualification for the student, it’s just one of the outcome measures for school (how many students pass maths, English, science, language, humanity). I went through the whole GCSE process assuming my son got an extra ‘thing’ for this pathway because school pushed them towards it. Now applying for 6th form to do A levels for my second son and the basic qualification for any we have looked at is 5x5 including maths and English language. They do often want higher grades 6/7 in the subjects to be taken at A level, but there are other courses that don’t require that - BTEC or taking an access course for a year to keep options open.
Passing maths and English is the most important thing to allow progression (not doing so means college rather than 6th form, retaking them and probably vocational qualifications not A level, plus universities often need maths/English as a basic entry requirement) so I’d see extra support in those subjects as a positive. If he did maths/english/science (likely to be 5 GCSEs if it’s combined science) plus one other subject and got 5+ in all of them that would not restrict his options to go forward, unless the subjects he wants to study in sixth form require the specific GCSE. If he wanted to do particular A levels then speak to school about taking 2 academic subjects (7 GCSEs in total) rather than 3 extras and not taking the creative/vocational ones.
Agree with the previous comments about assessment for processing speed/dyslexia etc. If he is really doing well in the questions he answers but not finishing then extra time could be a game changer but look at the actual scripts because if he was actually getting good marks on say 2/3 of the questions he would not be scoring below average.

If you want to move things then contact his tutor/head of year/head of key stage/deputy head/head teacher.
In that order.
Seriously misplaced that anyone would suggest going to governors first, it's so unnecessarily combative, will lead to massive delays in resolving it as they will only need to ask you what all the others before them have said about the matter when you haven't even approached them.
If governors are busy with school matters it will be ratifying whole school policy and big budget decisions, approving new staff and attending the most serious disciplinary panels.

I have a question for you;

Is your Ds essentially running out of time to complete exams and struggling to finish, while at the same time seeming to be a very verbally bright and intelligent child? - If so you need to urgently get him a dyslexia test.

My DS (albeit younger at the time) was much the same - NOBODY thought he was dyslexic, the Senco suggested a test as I was unhappy and "on their case" about the seeming disparity between his test results and my perception of his ability... He was dyslexic.