AIBU to worry my DS will fail in his next 2 years at school

[HrangeGill]

DS is about to start year 10, the start of his GCSE subjects.
His grades in end of year 9 tests were bloody dire. Depressing to the extreme in every subject, even the subjects he is genuinely interested in. He scored way below the year 9 average score across all subjects.
As a result of his terribld test marks, he has been put in bottom set for Maths and Science for the next 2 years (these are the only 2 subjects the school streams) and has been put on a lower level GCSE pathway in science and maths, where the highest exam result achievable will be a 5. School have called this GCSE foundation courses.
Additionally, school have removed a GCSE subject from him (they told him to choose which one to remove) and they are replacing the time he would have spent in lessons learning that GCSE subject with additional support in Maths and English for the next 2 years. He will be in a group of about 15 kids, being taught extra Maths & English sessions several times a week (with subject teachers, not TAs) in addition to his ordinary main timetabled Maths and English lessons.
He is diagnosed with Dyslexia and ADHD (inattentive type) and his diagnosis highlighted poor working memory and slow processing speed.
DS is interested in his education but he openly admits to me and his teachers that he feels brain overloaded regularly in his lessons and that by lunchtime he is ready to stop learning for the day and struggles to stay focused on his last 2 lessons of the dsy after lunch because by then his brain feels tired from all the learning. He regularly says he wishes all the academic subjects were taught all morning up till lunch, and wishes the lessons after lunch were PE, DT, art, PSHE, etc. He says he'd find this so much easier.
To give you an idea of him as a boy, he iis extremely eloquent and articulate with excellent use and understanding of vocabulary. He is a sensible boy and he has a keen thirst for knowledge and learning. He teaches himself about subjects he's interested in that aren't taught on the curriculum (meteorology, politics, global current affairs) and regularly tells me things about these topics that I didn't know. He keenly reads books about factual topics, and he enjoys modern teen fiction too - he's just finished reading Orangeboy and loved it, and talked to me all about the plot, the characters, and his analysis and interpretation of the story. He's very observant, noticing all sorts of things that others miss including details that even afults don't pick up on. He is empathetic and seems to naturally understand psychology and human behaviour. He is engaged in the world around him and he loves the natural environment. He is fit, active, loves the great outdoors, has low levels of screen time, has good friends, loves life in general. He is extremely positive and optimistic as a character. He's kind, calm, chilled out and enthusiastic about life.
I feel he has an abundance of good qualities yet I feel like I'm staring down the barrel of 2 years of bleakness in terms of his GCSEs. He can't perform well under exam conditions and he couldn't complete any of his year 9 test papers due to slow speed in addition to poor retrieval.
I'm so worried my happy bright boy who loves his life is going to get a hammering to his self confidence over the next 2 years at school. He's recently started talking about what a failure he will feel if he fails his GCSEs, and based on his end of year 9 tests results, right now it's looking like he's going to.
Is there any hope at all of passing his exams if he did badly at end of year 9 tests?
At this point I'm obviously not hoping for any top GCSE marks. But I do need him to get some 4s or even 5s to allow him any college options.
He talks of wanting a career, not sure what exactly at this point, but he says he wants an interesting career in something. But he won't achieve any career whatsoever with no GCSE passes - they are the gateway to everything.
Is there anybody who could give their advice or viewpoint on whether he can turn this around in 2 years dedpite his ND challenges? I really need some support with this.

A lot of what to do will depend on why his exam marks are so bad. You need to know exactly what is going wrong before you can fix it. Does he do ok in homework and fall apart in exams, or is he generally working behind expected levels? You need to know whether he simply doesn't have the subject knowledge to do well, or if he has the knowledge but something is happening that stops him from showing that in the exam.

There is a big difference between being able to know and remember a lot about a subject, and being able to apply knowledge to answer specific questions in a way that earns marks. ND children often struggle with this. If so, I would see if you can get copies of his Maths and English papers and see where he is going wrong, ideally with a teacher or private tutor if you have money available.

Is he getting extra time in exams or other accommodations/arrangements? Can he articulate what goes wrong which means he doesn't finish? (Is is that he writes slowly, does he take too long on early questions and lose track of time?)

Is he medicated for his ADHD?

Had he had a full educational psychology assessment?

He should get extra time and breaks in exams to help or someone to prompt him if he gets distracted. Depending on how severe his dyslexia is, school could consider a reader/scribe or reader pen. It is based on what is usual in lessons though.

Dropping a gcse to do extra maths and English is common with teens with sn. My dc did it.

it’ll help his marks a lot.

is he medicated? That made most difference to my dc.

most FE colleges offer courses at three levels,level 1, level 2 abd level 3. Level 3 is a levels or BTECs and you generally need fairly good grades for those with a pass in maths and English.

level 2 abd level 1 courses take students who need to resit maths and/ir English. Level 1 is generally for those who struggled to grade and so have got a mix of Us, ones and twos.

You have described my daughter. The only thing that helped her was medication. It made a big difference in her ability to focus and concentrate. She was still pretty bad at exams due to processing speed but got 8 GCSES passes 5-7, with the few at 7s that she did for A level. A levels were better. She was better medicated and doing subjects she liked. She still missed her university offer and was VERY lucky her mid range RG uni still let her in (more flexibility in under subscribed humanities subjects.)

She’s now flying. She likes her course. She’s picked only modules that are assessed via essay or coursework and is averaging a high 2:1 at the end of second year. She did an internship this summer in a field that interests her and did really well. She was one only 3 interns out of 14 they asked to apply for their graduate scheme when she’s back in October.

it’s not been a traditional academic route or a traditional academic subject but she’ll do well in life. She has charisma and is well liked. She manages her ADD well now, knows when to medicate and when she doesn’t need to, picks courses carefully and will do well in a job that isn’t 100% desk working.

it’s so much better that I thought it was going to be going into GCSEs. There are options. Support them as much as you can. ADD children do need you more so I fought for every concession and bit of help DD got.

Did he get extra time in the tests? If not look into getting him allowed extra time in GCSE's. With his diagnosis he should be getting at least 25% time extra and probably is eligible for a scribe if that would help.

If you haven’t done so already you need to speak to the SENDCo for him to be assessed for exam access arrangements, and the school should have considered this already without you even needing to ask.

In our school sometimes a SEN student will be told that they must drop a GCSE subject and focus on more core subjects like maths and English, which will hopefully enable them to achieve better scores overall.

It can be tempting to want the entire school day reorganised to suit your son but it isn't going to happen.
And in any case, he is going to have to learn to concentrate in the afternoon to succeed at college and then career
So see now as the time for him to start learning how to do that and practicing so he can succeed in life, rather than just focusing on GCSEs.
Discuss medication options with your GP and mention his afternoon issues.
What is he eating for breakfast and lunch? This could make a difference. Does he do any lunchtime sport or activities? Could a steady walk around the school site after eating help regulate him etc?
If he finds morning easiest to concentrate then he needs to get into the habit from the first week of doing his homework on Saturday and Sunday morning and doing any additional work that might help. Use that time productively.
Discuss with school now good techniques for revision and studying with ADHD and get him to try them out asap to experiment and find what works for him.

He can get the grades to progress but he needs to start now learning the skills to do so and have your support in finding the right options that help him concentrate and revise.

Ahh i really feel for you both!

as other said
did he have extra time? If not why

has he tried meds?

how were his sats scores. Were they only around 100?

My DD is audhd and same yeargroup.
Also extremely slow processing. She hasnt had any exams and has been put on combined science with annoyed her a lot because it wasnt even based on how she could do.
She in set 2 rather than the higher set she might have been without the sen holding her back.
But despite a lot of conversation she hasnt had extra time in tests but hopefully will this year. We are looking at grades 4-7 rather than the 6-8 we probably would be looking at. But i think worse is due to the slow processing i just dont think she will cope as any increase in work is going to be a problem.

did you know this could happen withbthe different path? Would you have got him to revise more/got a tutor?
i feel like other students are starting to step up but mine cant as just school is taking a lot.
But also meds may be going to increase processing speed here hopefully

My DS sounds a bit like yours, dyslexic (not adhd though) and although bright enough, did not like the academic side of school and I dragged him through his gcse years. What helped him was:

• definitely sort out access arrangements, my DS had extra time, laptop to use where needed (has to be normal way of working) and rest breaks. He didn't use all of these for every exam but where he did it was vital.

• we picked 5 to focus on... tbh he was bloody lazy too and could have got them all but it was better to get 5 sorted and in the bag than try for all of them and come out with fewer than these. Maths and English obviously crucial and English Language was prioritised over lit.

-.If you can afford to, get him tutors for maths and English, the exam technique for Eng lang especially is crucial. DS had one for each 1-1 face to face every week. This was I think what got him through if I'm honest.

I hope this helps. We are through the other side and DS is doing so well now. Wouldn't want to go through it all again though as it was a tough couple of years!!

THere[s a lovely thread on here about people who have done really well with BTecs in 6th form - maybe have a look at that - so many of them struggled with GCSEs but have flown since.

Really - where can I find it please, it sounds interesting? Thank you.

@HrangeGill - here https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/further_education/5484007-bouncing-back-from-poor-gcses-in-praise-of-btechs?page=2&reply=154301958

Thank you so much!

I’d agree with what others are saying, has he had a full report done with recommendations for school as this could be a huge help.
medication could be an option as could things like movement breaks, sitting in a separate room for exams , does he use a scribe for exams? Or speech to text software? Would that help? Have you/the school , looked into all the reasonable adjustments that could be available? In my experience (although my children are younger) you do need to be pushy as the schools aren’t usually that proactive in putting things into place.
Couod you afford a private ed psych report or some external tutoring?
What does your son do over lunchtime and what food is he eating? As junk food and sitting around is only going to make it more difficult to concentrate.

Teacher and parent of similar child here OP. The school are not 'calling it foundation level' it IS foundation level. Easier, content lighter papers that yes do have a ceiling and a higher % pass mark but are more accessible for the lower end. Losing an option subject to make way for learning support is also completely standard, though I do understand its frustrating that they cant do more of what they're interested in.

Other adjustments that could be made, possibly in year 11 and school dependent would be to focus only on English Language and forget the Lit and / or taking functional skills L2 instead of GCSE maths and English.

There are excellent FE colleges who are really geared up for this now and offer many 16+ courses that are not A levels and serve a much wider range of areas alongside resits if needed. Its much more important that your son has a pathway thats right for him than doing what everyone else is. This plus appropriate access arrangements give him the best chance.

Sorry about the stress you and your son are under. He sounds like a wonderful lad from your description.

I’m assuming he’s had a full Ed Psych assessment if you’ve had scores for his working memory and processing speed but if he hasn’t, it’s an absolute must as a first step.

The report will cite how he learns based on his cognitive profile and, to be honest, it sounds like he has a very good understanding of what suits him best. Compressed curriculum learning is a real and valid educational model.

I work in education in the healthcare sector and see many professionals who delayed and/or flunked milestone exams for a number of reasons. Some of the best and most senior people I work with, retook or delayed taking exams until they were ready to do so although obviously this ended up being under their own/parental steam and funding.

I’ve definitely relaxed about my own DC and how they go about getting their qualifications. It doesn’t have to be on someone else’s schedule if the model doesn’t work for them as long as they get there in the end and are doing something productive en route.

He has college options even with 3s (or 1s and 2s).
It just means he starts at a level 2 course, or even a level 1.

I think it sounds like school have been excellent so far, dropping a GCSE for maths & English intervention, foundation tier for science, it is a good start.

I suggest you start looking at college courses now and note their entry requirements. Then you can be strategic over where the effort goes. For example if History/Geography are compulsory then attending lessons but not attempting to revise them wouldn't be the worst thing as they are so content heavy.

Get the correct science revision guide - correct board and foundation tier (school may provide cheaper), worth having them from the start and they are perfectly good for revision, he won't need his own notes.

English Language is very specific in the answer structure so make sure that is clear to him per question.

agree that this seems like a pretty sensible option based on his results BUT given the send id be pushing further depending on what’s been tried.

reasonable adjustments include laptops which can also help with timing, and rest breaks. JCQ guidance is to try these first before extra time and whatever adjustment needs to be normal way of working , so the school needs to get cracking - in rest breaks students can get up move around etc which does really help some adhd students more than the extra time - one of ours was horrified at the idea of having to sit there for an extra 15 minutes but can do better with a break half way through.

try build short burst study habits with body doubling; get revision workbooks (not guides, they’re too passive) and sit for ten minutes a day to complete and self mark a section. You do something similar alongside.

consider whether homework is useful for him or if reasonable adjustment could be to do something else; if it’s revision that helps and gets feedback then great but if it’s less practical for him then speak to sendco.

maximise NEAs where they exist. Start revision in year 10, get learning solid and revisit regularly don’t leave it till year 11.

he absolutely can achieve but two years of gcse flashes past so you may have to push the school for adjustments

It's great that the school are being proactive, they're aware he's going to struggle and are already putting things in place to help. My daughter was in foundation for maths and science and ended up getting 5s in both, if she'd have been in the higher group I think she'd have been overwhelmed with all the extra things they have to learn and probably wouldn't have even got a 4.

Even if he fails everything he'll still be able to go to college and there he'll be given even more support to get him through English and maths.

Try researching different revision techniques and get him to try them out and see what works for him, the school may also be able to help with this. It's good that he seems bright and engaged, that will help him a lot.

You need to contact the SENCO and ask them to canvas staff re year 9 exams. He, not you, needs to find the SENCO and say he didn’t finish them. They need staff evidence and his voice to activate the process for extra time. He needs rest breaks in the exams and potentially a reading pen. His academic pathway sounds good in that he is being supported and one less gcse will pay dividends. If you can, get an English tutor to focus on English Language and science tutor for sciences - there is a lot of technique to learn to pass science. He has to work and put in effort at home too so outsourcing to tutors will help. To be honest, medication is probably one of the few things that will work. That and removal of devices, gaming, mobile, etc. Btecs are great so potentially go round some of the college open days to see if something fires his interest. It is quite common for pupils with your son’s profile to do badly in year 9 exams because they just don’t’get it’. They don’t understand that you have to put in hard graft consistently and regularly and that it is really boring doing so. His executive function skills will be rubbish so he won’t be able to organise himself innately or know what to do first, second, next. His time management will likely be poor and he may be time blind. You need to scaffold all of this for him at home. There are such things as ADHD coaches and that may be worthwhile to give him some strategies to help him. It can be something as simple as a wobble stool, having a huge whiteboard in his room and standing up to revise using the whiteboard. You learn far more standing. Don’t let him flop.

Get an excellent tutor who can start him off on Cliff notes and maximising exam technique to get the best results possible.

It’s not about knowing or being good at the subject - simply passing the exam. While knowing the subject is good too, focussing on exam technique can really help kids raise their grades and in addition to all the other suggestions I think a focus on exam technique from the beginning will be helpful. After the GCSE years are done, the grades will be what matters, so choose the easiest modules and topics wherever there is a choice.