Son's school told him not welcome at 6th Form before GCSE exams taken

[Damali]

My Year 11 son started boarding at a small school in Year 9. He is not a straight A student but he has progressed in his learning, his reports encouraging and at last parent meeting no indication from teachers that access to A level would be a problem.

There were grumblings about how long he spent on his gadgets and not always being too enthusiastic about all the extra stuff on offer. He felt he was unfairly singled out. I have made a point of every few weeks asking whether there are any problems with the replies positive.

His recent GCSE mocks were borderline but he was nowhere near the bottom. But that is the point of mocks, you know where your weaknesses are and you work hard over the next 5/6 months.

This week he was told that there would be no 6th form place for him come September citing the old problems and that he was not A level material. He is devastated, bewildered, sad and feels rejected as do I.

How can a school tell a child that at this crucial point of GCSE studies. Its like it was deliberately timed to ensure exam failure. Kids are already under enormous pressure and this new stress could totally derail him. The school obviously don't want him as 6th form is automatic with the required grades. Surely it would have been kinder to tell him after his last exam?

I feel I need guidance on how to support my son and help with what to do next. I was getting non-school help with the fees and feel we would not be in this situation if I were a rich or famous parent who could make a large donation to the school.

Also MN threads are of benefit to posters beyond the OP, and people need to be aware of this sixth form thing.

There is another thread by an upset parent whose dd has been refused a place at her private sixth form, and a thread by a primary parent who is seriously considering turning down a place in her local outstanding state school in favour of private because 'it will be reassuring to know that he can stay there until he is 18'.

People make big decisions based on a false sense of security, and the fact that private schools do not broadcast this message when you go for the year 7 open day.

It seems that mock exams are now more important in deciding a child's future than actual exams. I do not see why they could not be given a conditional offer of a place, but also be told that at the moment they are not on track. Surely a school should have some duty of care and realise they are asking a child, who they were unable to educate to the standard they thought they could, to leave all his friends for his last years at school. At least give them the opportunity to fight for that place with a conditional offer.

Also it is important not to tell him what he must do, but to listen to what he thinks and help him reach what he sees as best. Children learn much more by being listened to than by being told. Listen to what he wants his future to be, and assure him you will help him get there.

Wow there are some unsupportive posts on here.

OP, it's a difficult position but it seems like it's a done deal. It could be that a change of school will do him the world of good.

It sounds like your your son isn't working as hard as he could have done and is a bit immature but there is no reason he can't turn these things around in another sixth form. Although it might not seem like it going by Mumsnet standards being a bit lazy and immature at his age isn't actually unusual.

I get looking at other school and try and get him enthusiastic about one of them. I wouldn't come down to harshly on him. He is already dissapojnted and probably feels embarrassed too. Be positive and make sure he know he can turn this around. His best revenge would be to do brilliantly at a new school.

I do agree with MixedGrill. I have a dd who I know can really get good grades in actual exams, but is often marked down because she is quiet and comes across as inattentive. She needs to know putting the work in for mocks is just as important as putting work in for the actual exams. It also means I will keep a close eye on predicted grades. I once had a teacher explain to me academically she was not that far up the class, it was just that she was the sort of child who did well in tests.

@Damali - this happened to my friend's son, at his selective grammar school.

He went on and did well in his GCSEs and went to sixth form at a different school - and he did really well there. The atmosphere and ethos of the new school suited him well - they treated the students in a more adult manner than his old school did (even in the Sixth form).

He got good A levels, and is now doing a degree - and flourishing.

Yes, it was a shock for him and his mum, but they looked for the positives, and helped him to choose a new school and settle in.

It doesn't have to be a catastrophe - as others have said, you just need to take things step by step. Help him sort out his working patterns and habits now, so that he can do good quality revision for his GCSEs - his current school should help you with that. The shock of being told he can't stay on at his current school may help him buck his ideas up.

Then, at the same time, look for somewhere for him to do his Sixth form studies. It gives you the opportunity to find a school that suits him as he is now, rather than as he was when he started his current school - they grow up and change such a lot during the teenage years that a change of environment may be really beneficial for him.

The bottom line is this - yes, it is a shock for you and for him - but it isn't the end of the world. As long as he now does his best at his GCSEs and goes on to do his best at whichever Sixth form he ends up in, that is what matters, and it shouldn't stop him doing what he wants to do later on, in terms of university and/or career. It is a hitch, and hitches can be overcome.

It is better to know this now and planning accordingly than for the op's son to start A levels and struggle. I've taught at A level and students without A or B grades at GCSE will never make decent A level students without massive effort.
The jump from GCSE to A level is big and needs commitment and more independent learning.
If he's near the bottom of the cohort at GCSE then I would think about other alternatives. If he isn't really working hard then it's pull socks up time. The new specifications for both sets of exams have made them more demanding so you need to be realistic. You say he is at a boarding school so I'm assuming small classes and lots of attention?

The school is getting a bit of an unfair rap.

I have know private schools keep disengaged pupils on for the first year of sixth, even though it was clear there were problems, and then concede that it is not working. The parents have wasted a year of fees, and have to run run trying to find an alternative.

Your son has been told he needs to shape up. He presumably accepts he is not taking full advantage of the opportunities he has. The school is rightly giving early warning so you can find an alternative.

You need to talk to your son. He needs to be driving things now. Can he find motivation and a work ethic? If he does turn things round there could be some chance the school would reconsider, but don't count on it.

Then look at alternatives. What appeals. Why is he not working at present. Think a bit out of the box. Would he prefer something vocational or a short sharp A levels in a year at a tutorial college, or simply a fresh start somewhere new. Make him realise GCSE results are crucial in him having a proper choice.

The school is probably dong you a favour by not simply taking your money and letting him drift.

I don't disagree with this, but why tell him now that he isn't "a-level material"? What can that possibly achieve?

It will give OP and her DS an incontravertible message that they need to rethink his post-16 education. WHy now? Maybe he was given a last chance with his mocks to prove he could knuckle down. I don't now, I wasn't there.

But, as was pretty clearly written in the OP, those results were the last straw, not the first.

OPs DS needs to think about what he wants to do as he moves on, grows up! FE college, A levels or BTECS, whatver. Rather than drift on, assuming he will pull his GCSEs out of the bag at the last minute, stay on at school, they have been given the time to look at alternatives before everywhere else is booked up!

Deep breath, accept culpability and look for altenatives.

I agree with the pp who said the timing is actually the right time. You now have the option of attending the Sixth Form open days etc along with all the other prospective students at the same time and don't look out of place. You will also have offers through before Easter and he'll have a good idea of where he wants to go and where he is likely to go so he can get used to that beforehand.

Perhaps he will also realise now is the time to buckle down and put the gadgets away when asked to do so!

I understand it may be a shock op, but I agree with other posters that the school has done the right thing in telling you now, when there is time for you to find an a,ternative for your son, rather than after the exams.

Plenty of schools (both private and state) do have a significant turnover of pupils at the end of Y11 though OP.
I don't think anyone should assume that their child will automatically stay in the same school from age 11 to 18 (or even from age 4 to 18).
It sounds as if your ds doesn't really "fit" into this particular school and I think the best course of action is to look around at other alternatives as soon as possible. Some sixth form providers are still having Open Days/evenings and still have places available. Try to see this as an opportunity for a fresh start rather than a negative thing OP. Tell your ds that you still believe in him (no matter what the school says) and encourage him to move forward.

Sash, the OP hasn't said anything that indicates whether or not her ds is "A-level material". What nonsense!

That is what the school have said though and is a quote from the OP.

All the state comprehensive schools round here have selective entry into their 6th form minimum B at GCSE usually A for math etc. hence their impressive results, many children leave not necessarily through choice and go onto our local FE College which offers BTECs and A levels. It will give children who dont have B's and A's a chance to do A levels. DS1 was given this chance and did well especially in history as he was much happier there in the more informal environment.

I think you need to look forwards. Does he need to continue boarding?
If so you need to get out looking at schools and ones that offer btec as well as Alevel. E.g. Bedes near Eastbourne.Some sixth form colleges also have some residential.eg Peter Symonds.
Otherwise check out your local sixth form colleges entry requirements. Btec's and Alevels and also check out aprenticships. Get a couple of good options . Some will have closed there lists but not all

I don't see the issue.

It's the same for sixth form and college applications across the country and it will be the same for university applications.

It's no good waiting until August and going 'oh what a surprise look what he's got'.

State school pupils will have been researching their options for months and will likely have already arranged interviews with their prospective colleges and sixth forms.

My school finished at 16 and all me and my friends managed to sort ourselves out for the following September.

Should also have added that entry into all our local state school 6th formsis by application only, not just continuing on from yr 11, and many are told not to even bother to apply as they will be refused a place.
We're rural so options are very limited if you can't go to your "local school" many travels to our local 6th form college from well over 20+ miles away.

Ds turned up for introductory day at his state Sixth Form college to be told that though he met the specific criteria for the subjects he had picked, his average grades were not enough for two of them, so while he was allowed to stay he had to very quickly revisit his choices. He's having to suck it up, especially as he knows that this is partly to do with not having worked hard enough in secondary.

Much easier to find out in good time.

It's a big jump from Gsce to A level. The grammar and academy 6th form in our area have entry requirements. Being borderline would not cut it at either

Damali all sixth forms and colleges have entry requirements and it it pretty standard to apply for before exams are sat.

Have you looked at the entry requirements of your ds sixth form? Do his mock and predicted grades meets these requirements?

Additionally even if you meet the grades a school can reject you at interview because you are not considered to the right attributes.

Have you explored other options for your ds? This for me where you should be stepping in to support ds to explore other options.

As a teacher who has worked in state and private, I can confirm that entry to 6th form is competitive. There are minimum requirements and offers of places are based on trial and predicted grades, just like university entry. Private school in particular have different areas they focus on, but most expect a good contribution to sporting/music activities as well as academic excellence. They will have a set number of 6th form places on offer and look for high fliers to get the grades and win the sports trophies, etc. Your current school has the option to select the best of the best. It feels like a rejection but they it is a competition, for them, for you....life in general. Your son sounds like many teenage boys, and deserves a shot at A levels. However, he doesn't appear to fit well in his current school. Letting you know now gives you sufficient time to explore your options. Don't be surprised if your son has to interview for certain 6th form schools.

I feel I need guidance on how to support my son and help with what to do next. I was getting non-school help with the fees and feel we would not be in this situation if I were a rich or famous parent who could make a large donation to the school.

OP if you are still reading - I do not know about every school but would say (In my opinion - I am not in charge of all 6th form admissions ) that any school worth its salt would not keep a DC where they did not think the DC was thriving for whatever reason because they had been given a donation - of whatever size. So I would try to get over that view and put it to one side.

If it helps, a friend of mine had a DS ( at a different school to my own DS) - who moved for 6th form. He had had criticisms which sound not unlike your DS - they believe it is the best thing they could have done. He started 6th form without any "baggage" - if that makes sense to you. Whilst I understand the initial disappointment - do try and look at the wider picture. There will be , obviously, a time of uncertainty but plenty of DCs move for 6th form , in lots of different circumstances. Very often it works out for the best. As other posters have said - you have time to decide. Also - your Ds has time to take in the situation and do what he may to take the best next step. This may be a "I wouldn't start from here " situation , but you are where you are - make the best of it. It isn't the end of the world.

I wish you well and I hope you will cone back and post that you and DS have a positive plan post GCSE.

oh "come back" not cone back.

I can understand not admitting a child to sixth from if they don't have the grades.

I can't understand telling them 6 months before they leave when all applications and conditional places have been offered.

It surely should have been done at a timescale that allowed for making alternative arrangements in time for sixth form starting in September?

I doubt this is just about grades. Are you sure he has broken other expectations? Entry to continue in independent 6th forms is 6 Bs round here, with an A expected for those subjects for A level.

I can't understand telling them 6 months before they leave when all applications and conditional places have been offered.

This seems to be one of the big disconnects between schools and parents. It is simple and the timing can't really be changed, as far as schools are concerned:

1. Students have to have been taught most of the spec to be be to take any meaningful test of their understanding, usually mock exams.
2. Those mocks, therefore, must take place late in the teaching cycle.
3. Students are fully aware of the importance, they are told often enough, given numerous revision techniques, note taking styles etc etc
4. Experience, over very many decades, shows that few students do significantly better in the real exam - some do, but the majority do not.
5. VI Forms and FE colleges can't wait until the very last minute to fill their places as they, like universities, have funding deadlines, caps and clawbacks.

Parents, as OP also hinted, trust that their DC will be the one that bucks that trend. They could be, if they and their DC make sterling efforts to overcome previous indolence. But no school, with quotas and standards, will keep a space open for such a student, not if there are others who already meet all criteria.

So, if you think about it, all schools and VI forms have the same timetable.

All VI forms and FE colleges have their main Open Days after the mock exam period. If you think about it that makes perfect sense - they are there, ready and waiting for all students who get messages like OPs DS.

I hope that helps make sense of the timing! It isn't intended to be cruel, it is the reality of scheduling. If a student can't meet the criteria at testing deadlines then they will not progress! It is the same for every student, it is no surprise and no discrimination, not cruel.