Rape trauma GCSE

[364daysinaweek]

Hi,
My DD was raped by a boy in her school a 2 months ago and has not been able to return to school since. She was hospitalised recently with PTSD as her mental health declined. She is in her GCSE year and due to sit exams soon but obv not well enough. (The hospital have said they will recommend her not to sit exams). The school have said they will put her straight into A levels. I have been told by educator
that Eng Language & Maths are the subjects that she may need for some colleges/universities. She wants to study psychology. All I care about is her mental health, nothing else. My question is, will it matter in the long run if she misses all her GCSE's or will she have to resit some in the future? Would appreciate more knowledge before we deal with school & exam board and so I can be 100% clear with DD. Thanks.

Oh my goodness your poor daughter - poor all of you dealing with this.
I'm no expert by any means but when I did my GCSEs (a long time ago)!l my gran died on the morning of one of them, I just got given my predicted grade for that exam. I'm not sure if that's a thing anymore or if it was just because it was one paper (not all the exams) but there must be some sort of extenuating circumstances policy in place. Perhaps contact the exam boards?

Hi Op, I’ve had a very similar experience to your daughter as an assault victim and being hospitalised with PTSD right before my GCSE’s in year 11, only a few years back too, can I pm you? I just don’t want to use to many details here as it would be extremely outing x

I was in a similar situation age 15 however I’m in Scotland so it may be different. I had sat my prelims (mocks) a few months before so my grades were based on that. There is nothing on my actual qualifications certificates that states I never sat the actual exams. I later went into further and higher education with those grades and no problems whatsoever.

Speak to the school or local authority to advise. These are exceptional circumstances and she should not be made to sit the exams. for your DD.

I'm so sorry this happened to your daughter.

I do think it would be worth getting a GCSE in maths and English at some point (obviously when her mental health allows). There are certain jobs (teaching is one example) for which it is a hard requirement - even if you've gone on to get far more impressive qualifications the GCSE is required. It would probably be easier to do this when she's studying A-levels rather than return to it after a degree. However if she decides not to you should approach possible universities and ask for their advice.

I did admission (but about 10 years ago now) for an Oxbridge college and it wouldn't have been a problem for us. We had plenty of international students who had done all kinds of various qualifications and so we were used to students who didn't have GCSEs if an explanation was made along with the application it would be fine. However like I say that's one university and probably out of date so you should definitely contact admissions and ask or advice.

Best of luck for the future.

I do also wonder whether like a PP she can actually get GCSE certificates based on her mocks since she has been deemed medically unfit to sit the exams. Definitely worth looking into.

She will definitely need to take English and Maths GCSEs. There are opportunities to resit these qualifications in November as well as the following Summer. However for it to count as a retake she will need to be marked as Absent on the register rather than withdrawn from the exam. This gives the chance for one or more subjects to be taken in November if she is well enough by then.
Unfortunately it isn't possible for mocks/predicted etc grades to be used by the exam boards (this a mumsnet myth). There is a system if a subject has 2 exams and the student is absent for one exam due to illness (they estimate a mark for the second exam based on the one already taken) but there is no such system if all exams are missed in the subject. See www.aqa.org.uk/exams-administration/special-requirements/special-consideration for more information.

Definitely worth getting english and maths at some point, when she is well enough, otherwise it will always need explaining for future courses or employment, which I'm sure she would rather avoid. She can do this alongside A levels or other level 3 qualifications if needs be. However it might be worth considering whether she might prefer or be able to sit just those 2 , at hospital or another centre with special arrangements in place.

I would be inclined to see if she could resit the year. A levels will override GCSE but just for her own personal satisfaction.

Your poor daughter.

Whilst GCSEs (and a'levels) and the timing of these might seem critically important now, a year or 2 out/behind by the time she is in her early 20s won't matter at all. If she has the intelligence and aptitude to pass these exams then she will achieve that when she is ready.

Take all the pressure off her and give her time to recover, then support her at a later date. There are online GCSEs and a levels, as well as college or school so she can just reach her goal a different way.

Thank you everyone for your advice, its great to get different inputs and advice other than just the schools (who have been very supportive).
She's not in a place where she could sit an exam right now and the pressure could set her back, just as she is inching forward. My main concern is trying to not let her feel she has failed, but rather lay out a plan for achievement, that she feels in control of. Her life has been torpedoed, so a framework she can feel her way through, seems the most helpful to her.
My gut tells me to either wait to resit in November, or do them alongside her A levels and just keep up the extra tutoring so she's confident.

I think keeping up tutoring and sitting them alongside her A-levels (or earlier if she feels ready) is absolutely fine. If she goes on to get A-levels and a degree then if she needs GCSEs at all it's usually just a tick box (English and Maths at grade C). So I'm sure she'll be fine to achieve that once she's ready emotionally for an exam.