Appealing a 6th form place due to Covid

[MadMadMadamMim]

I wonder if any teachers, particularly SLT can help me?

DS (16) is just sitting GCSE exams as AAOs. He is at a selective school and had targets of Grade 7s - 9s across the board. With being out of school March - Sept in Y10 he struggled, did little work, couldn't keep up. School provision was fairly poor - simply uploading worksheets and no live lessons.

He then had Covid in Oct and time off school. Then another lockdown Jan - March, where again he struggled to keep on top of everything, although he tried a bit harder this time.

The result is that his predicted grades are mostly 5s and 6s now. He needs 6 grade 6s to get into Sixth form. My issue is that he is going to be awarded grades based on teacher assessment and I suspect he won't meet the normal 6th form requirement.

Is it possible to appeal this in August if they don't give him the necessary grades for 6th form? Under normal circumstances it's clear that he would have achieved this and done ok but the last two academic years have been so disrupted. If he doesn't get in there is very little other option. We are really rural and they have the only 6th form within 30 miles of here.

Does anyone know how you appeal if the worst comes to the worst?

I am by no means an expert, but a quick google threw up this info about appealing a sixth form place.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/admission-appeals-for-school-places/advice-for-parents-and-guardians-on-school-admission-appeals#appeals-for-school-sixth-forms

If your child was refused admission because they did not meet the entry requirements specified by the school (for example 5 GCSEs grade 4 or above), the panel will only uphold the appeal if it considers that the admission authority’s decision was unreasonable based on the information available. For example, if there are specific reasons or special circumstances that meant your child was not able to get the required GCSEs at the relevant grades.

But I'm not sure that the coronavirus argument would hold water as every other y11 in the country has been in pretty much the same situation... hopefully he will get the grades he needs 🤞

I'd suggest having a plan B, so that even if an appeal can be made, it may be unsuccessful as described above.

And harsh as it may seem, there is no guarantee your DS would have achieved the grades had there been exams and no pandemic. Bad exam nerves, feeling a bit unwell on one or two days, all can be factors that mean a child does not achieve what you thought is possible.

You can appeal the grades this year - the school can only assess based on the work taught - so you can ask for the evidence of their decision - I would also argue that him having covid should be taken into account and that previous work considered. The grades aren't submitted for another few weeks - I would contact the school and ask them for advice and see whether he needs more work and can they provide it.
Each school is up to a point writing their own policy - so ask what it is - good luck

Thanks, folks.

I do appreciate it's (mostly) his own fault - but he really struggled, particularly over first lockdown with the motivation to try and teach himself two terms worth of work in every subject. Typical teenage boy - in lessons, in school, he'd have done what was expected and we had no concerns about him.

Two disrupted years of education where they were left very much to their own devices and he's really struggled. I know many others have too - it just seems harsh to expect them to achieve the same required grades that they would have done if life had been normal and no pandemic had happened!

One problem I can foresee is depending on what he wants to study for A Level, he may not be able to close the gap? Eg. If he wanted to study Maths and has hardly learnt any maths in the last 2 years, it’s unlikely he’d cope with the A Level but in other subjects he may be able to catch up. If he genuinely hasn’t done much of the GCSE work, you’d have to consider if entering a Selective Sixth form would be in his best interests. Though I am not sure what his other options would be. It is possible there could be more disruption in his A Level years too. Does he want to go to the Sixth Form?

Are you wanting to appeal the grades he is thinking he will been given by his current school.
Or appeal the entry requirements for 6th form?

He does want to go into the Sixth form. I am concerned about how hard Y12 will be - bearing in mind the jump from GCSE to A level - and after how much work/teaching they've missed overall. Although he's not wanting to do Maths. The subjects he's looking at doing will hopefully be possible without having big gaps in knowledge.

I'm not sure @DancesWithDaffodils. I think it unlikely that the grades he will be given actually reflect his ability and what he would have achieved under normal requirements.

I therefore think it harsh to apply 'normal entry requirements' to the Sixth form, bearing in mind the fact that many students will presumably not achieve the grades they should have done.

These have not been a normal two years.

I therefore think it harsh to apply 'normal entry requirements' to the Sixth form, bearing in mind the fact that many students will presumably not achieve the grades they should have done.

The thing is though that the school will lower the entry requirements if they don't get the number of students they normally would with the right grades. If they do get the umber then most will still have done well enough to get in. A grade 6 isn't that high, you would really need that grade to carry on a subject at A level. I would come up with back up plan, could he re-take some GCSEs if he doesn't get the grades.

I think that the entry grades should stand as they have to be capable of the A level. I do sympathise OP as I have a year 11 myself but they do need to get them I think.

But why should your DS be treated different to any others. My DD could have done better, has not been offered places at her aspirant 6th forms. Just how it is. Should everyone appeal? It doesn't make sense

Sorry to hear he's been struggling op but unis for example have in some cases actually given HIGHER offers this year as they are expecting more kids to achieve their grades.

I'd have a chat to the school as a pp suggested, about their policy and how they'll be awarding grades, and whether as presumably they know him as a student, they would consider allowing him in without the required grades as they know under normal circumstances he'd have achieved more highly?

If the sixth form won’t budge, you could look into him doing his A levels via online/distance learning.

The thing I think you need to think about us whether he has the motivation for A levels. A lot of my GCSE students who were predicted 7-9s have done even better than they might have done in school because they used lockdown to self study; YouTube videos, bitesize, past papers etc. This is absolutely what is needed for A level - you need as much time studying away from lessons as you do in lessons. We usually recommend 5 hours per subject per week on top of the 5 hours of lessons in school. If he’s the type not to bother if he’s not directed, a different route might be better for him.

Of course, if very few students got 7-9s, then the sixth forms would probably drop entry requirements a little anyway. But it really isn’t looking that way and so I’m not sure you will have much of a leg to stand on.

He won't cope with A Levels if he isn't getting the required grades. Everyone went through the same thing. Why should he be given special treatment?

I feel for you its a difficult time but there is a case to say if he wasn't motivated with self study is he going to find A levels tricky too when he is expected to be self motivated and have more independent study.
Is he allowed to repeat the year? It must seem a massive thing at that age but in the scheme of his whole life its not and might make sure he is better prepared for A levels. Its not just that he has not made the entry grades - he is likely not to have the knowledge he needs to do well at A level and get the uni entry he wants (if that is what he wants).
Learning curve for him but he might be more motivated and do better in the end if he decides the A level path is what he really wants.

A Level entry criteria is a grade 6 for a reason - because students with grades lower than that struggle with A Levels. So I would say the issue here isn not the 6th form entry criteria, but whether he would cope with A Levels which require a lot of self-directed study. I don’t know about your 6th form but ours gives 5 hours of teaching per subject per week - so 15 hours altogether- and they suggest that students do another 5 hours independent study per subject per week on top of that. Is he willing to motivate himself to do that? If not, he might be better off looking for other courses - CTEC and BTEC for example are based on coursework and have exams throughout the year so suit some students better (and level 3 is equivalent to A Level).

Just echoing what @Wandamakestoast said and so wondering if there might be a better path for your DS rather than going straight into 6th form and A levels which he may just not be ready for. If he is dedicated to a career path that requires A-levels then taking a year in 2021-22 to do GCSEs again properly this time might be a better path, or look at non A-level post16 qualifications.

If a large number of children in the school performed at a lower standard than usual this year, then the school probably would relax their entry requirements. However, sorry to say, that is probably unlikely , isn't it?

Schools do get funding for pupil, though, so they might negotiate on results day if he narrowly misses grades.

I am afraid that your DS has fallen victim to not having along term view of his future and sounds like he has left it all a bit late : this does happen year on year and is not unique to Covid. But any assessments he does now will most likely be a major factor in grades so he must put his all into them!

There is a tortuous appeals system - but it isn't based on how adequate you perceive the provision to have been in lockdown - and it does seem rtaher tied up also in his effort/work ethic.

OP I agree with others, if he struggles with self motivation to study then A levels may not be for him.

You say it's the only sixth form for 30 miles - so what do students do who don't gain six 6s? There must be many. Maybe look into those alternatives and see if there would be something that might suit him better.

He can retake his GCSEs and start year 12 a year later; funding is there until 19.

Another voice here to say that if he's not at that level, he's not ready for A Level. Some of our A Level students in y12 benefited from last year's assessments (which asked what they COULD have achieved had covid not happened) and are now out of their depth. This year, students grades are what they are working at NOW and what they have evidence to show.

Frankly, students knew in January that exams weren't going ahead and I have seen a massive difference in the attitude of my current y11s, compared to their attitudes last year when they were in lockdown in yr10. They know their work counts and they're on it, which will stand them in brilliant stead for A Levels and a lot of them will actually do better than predicted.

Six 6s is actually quite a high bar (I know MN claims otherwise but it's true!) so there must be another sixth form provision available, surely?

I don't agree that with 5s and 6s (especially if he is brighter than these grades suggest) means he can't or shouldn't do A Level 9we take students with 4s...) but he does have the power to improve those grades now. Sorry to sound harsh but it feels like you are focusing on school and system 'fault' rather than his own responsibilities here.

Is it a selective school throughout? If so then another layer of selection to get into sixth form will mean a very fast-paced competitive environment. My DC are currently at one of these. The sixth form is going the same A level curriculum as the other very good marginally less selective sixth form across town, and going at a much faster pace with constant testing. They will finish the curriculum much faster. But then what? It is requiring my DC to have a huge amount of self motivation because the faster pace is actually reliant on the pupils teaching themselves a lot of the content at home.
If your DS struggles with teaching himself stuff, then a highly selective sixth form is not necessarily the best option anyway (even though it sounds like he is very bright). A slower pace at a less selective sixth form where the teachers put more of the content into the pupils brains might be better for him.
In areas where schools don't have many sixth forms, is there not a sixth form college?

The thing is, OP, every year 11 kid in the country has had a tough couple of years. Some have knuckled down and worked hard in spite of the lockdowns and periods of self isolation. Others have sat back and done very little. I think it's reasonable to presume that these differences in work ethic will correlate, at least to some degree, with success at A-level, where independent study is very important.

If the number of kids getting top grades falls across the board, then sixth forms will have to lower their entry requirements anyway. If your son's grades have fallen further behind than those of his peers, then that's a hard lesson for him to learn but possibly a valuable one.

All he can do now is work his butt off for any remaining assessments and formulate a good Plan B for what to do if he doesn't get into the sixth form. I wouldn't pin too much hope on an appeal on the grounds of covid, because those circumstances are not at all unique to your ds, and schools/colleges will have already taken this into account.

I was thinking about this OP, and while I agree with Piggy that 5s and 6s don't necessarily mean you shouldn't do A level (and 6 x 6 is indeed a high bar), I think you are looking at it in the wrong way.

Yes, current year 11s have had a crappy time (as indeed have current yr 13s) but they had the option to work. Many of them have worked hard. Some have found lockdown suited them actually (eg a mate of ds2's in yr 13 whose grades have gone up).

On the whole it is much better for students to be in school. And it sounds as tho provision by the school wasn't great. But all of this was true for everyone at the school.

If kids are in school, you will always get some who are bright but don't do much work and don't achieve what they could or might. Any teacher will agree with that. Yes it has been harder curing the pandemic, but your ds could work or not and he chose not to. He needs to own this. It's a hard lesson indeed but not a bad time for it. There will be a solution because there must be an alternative to this sixth form.