To switch schools or not?

[toswitchornottoswitch]

I am in a dilemma. My son is currently in year 9 at an outstanding state school. However his grades are going down!!

When he started there , he was graded as exceeding in every subject - but over the last 2 years his grades have gone down and today we got a new report which has him graded as 6 in every subject and half of these are very low 6's.
I raised his grade deteriation with his head of year about a year ago and she got reports from all his teachers which said he was really distracted, and disorganised . They suspect he has ADHD but a diagnosis can take a couple of years to confirm. They said they would put steps in place to support and motivate him in the meantime.

Todays report shows nothing had changed. His school is uber strict and i think not nuturing enough However DS is happy enough there and doesnt want to leave. There is another local school which has good results but also has a reputation of being more supportive. Do i force DS to move ( obviously subject to getting a place but we would be very close to top of waitlist based on acceptance criteria) . DS says he will do better in year 10 as will only be focusing on his chosen subjects . He doesnt want to move. But really how different are subjects between yr9 and 10??? Why would next year be any different from last 3.

Am concerned that if we dont switch now it will be too late after the start of year 10.

So to force the move or not??

• You are unreasonable- he doednt want to switch, dont force it
• Not unreasonable, try to get schools switched now

Grade 6 in year 9 is normal. Over the next couple of years he’ll be focused on less subjects, taught content for his GCSEs and most importantly exam techniques.

My son is in one of top 5 state schools in the UK (stayed for 6th form) and was on grade 6s in year 9 and aced his GCSEs with all 8/9s.

As long as your son is coping with the work load and enjoying school, leave him be.

Is he happy? Does he have friends?

You only get one childhood, and changing if he doesn't want to could ruin that, and possible your relationship with him.

If he's happy and doesn't want to move I would feel very wary of moving him for the reasons you have given. It doesn't sound like there is a strong reason to believe he'll suddenly start doing better at the other school, and if he struggles to settle in and make new friends that could make things worse.

Instead, I would look at ways of supporting him in his current school. Could you consider a tutor for English and maths? Can you help him with tips for organisation and study skills?

YABU. If he is happy where he is you need to look at working with him and supporting him with his work rather than moving him. The work is likely to have got harder and maybe when he started secondary it was at a level he could cope with. Do you look at the homework he gets to read any feedback?

If you move him this risks him still performing at a level you think is below him and also being unhappy which could lead to other issues.

So let me get this right in my head. Your son goes to a really good school. He's not doing well at the moment. So your plan is to move school? And that's not going to disrupt him in any way shape or form?
He obviously likes the school. He's acknowledged that the grades aren't good but realises that he will have less subjects and will concentrate more.
It's a strict school.
You don't think it nurturing (whatever that means)
You have done nothing to sort the issue but have left it to the school for a year...then decide to move school whether he likes it or not.

I'm just glad I am not a teacher.

6 is the equivalent to a B. Why is that not good enough in year 9? My child's secondary school never gave out anything above an 6 in year 9 as they hadn't started GCSE content yet. My child was getting 4 and 5 in year 9 then went on to get all 7/8 and 9s at GCSE. Since when was a B not good enough in year 9? If your not carefully it's you yourself who will destroy his confidence. Let him stay at his school.

Yabvu he doesn't want to move grades aren't everything and not everyone is an A* student and that is ok he will figure out his own path in life. You need to focus more on his health and happiness and less on his grades

Yabu. Being happy at school is worth more than grades!

I wouldn’t move him. My DD got all 9’s at GCSE but in year 9 she was definitely not getting those grades and had less than 80% attendance due to health issues. He is happy there, moving him in year 9 is likely to do more harm than good, especially when he’s in an outstanding school.

A 6 is a perfectly good grade. If he is happy and settled socially then there is no way I’d move him for year 10. Find ways to support him academically, make sure you keep abreast of his progress and keep badgering school if you have concerns. Could you afford tuition in 12 months if things are still a concern.

Grade 6 is his now predicted grades as opposed to his actual ones, its just such a change from the Exceeding / Outstanding grades he was getting in Year 7. Feels such a waste.

The school he is currently at is a super strict one- more stick than carrot if you see what I mean. It obviously isnt working as a teaching style for him

The other school is more nurturing and more "carrot' led. Just thought that might work better and if he was going to move, its now or never.

He has some friends at school., but he would also know lots of kids at the other school as lots of his primary school went there.

Looks like everyone thinks its a bad idea though

Teachers can't grade properly in y9. He likely won't be doing GCSE work for most of his subjects, so the grades are estimates at best. Add to that the fact that y9 is a bit of a tricky year for lots of people, since it's so in-between ks3 and GCSE, and there's a chance he's just not taking things seriously just now. I've known plenty of people to really buck up when they get half way through y10 and they realise they have a serious goal in mind.
Also, a grade 6 is roughly equivalent to a B, so don't put it down! It sounds like he could push himself towards those 7s and above if he's motivated, but that might have more to do with him than his school at this point!

OP a 6 is equivalent to a B. Don't be that parent

Y9 is an awful year. Doing a load of subjects they're either not interested in or find tough. Yr10 and 11 are subjects they (hopefully) want to study having picked their options. GCSEs are mostly a stepping stone, as long as he gets what he needs for whatever he wants to come after is really all that matters. In 20 years time, no one is asking about GCSEs (except Maths and English). Just because he was friendly with kids in primary also doesnt mean he's just going to slot into existing friendship groups. If ADHD is suspected, see how you can support him with revision and organisation. At the end of the day any School can only do so much on that front.

Moving him is a big risk. I’d leave him where he is but get him subject tutors, if you can.
Also, be nurturing at home - give him your time and attention in a non judgemental way - to try and make up for any perceived lack of nurturing at school.
Research ways your son can be helped to become more organised and focused and try and put these measures in place as much as possible.
Most importantly, don’t get things out of proportion- if he gets Bs at GCSE he can still go on to be highly successful in his adult life.