refused a level second year admission

[dodja]

my daughter has just completed year 12 at a community school. she has a constant result history which fluctuates on and above average.. she moved to this new school at the beginning of year 12 and was accepted because of the entrance exam criteria. at the end of the year the school held mock exams. her English which was an As , was passed. sociology which was a new subject she failed despite requesting extra help early on in the year after poor half term exams. Her art exam which she is extremely focused on has a descrepency and has remained unmarked. there has been 1 notifications of her punctuality and there is a record of 2 lessons where she left the class. When she went to the new school they had full access to her educational history. the s
school even suggested her to take sociology despite our concerns of it being a new subject.. not at one point have there been any warnings issued which would highlight that when she returned to school for year 13. she would be refused. there hasn't been one formal letter explaining or officially rejecting her from the school let alone a valid reason. she is now at a loss for a placement anywhere and they will not have a meeting to explain or to give relevant information for us to go forward. they have suggested contacting a learning disability centre even though there isn't any history for this to be an option... where do I stand legally … what do I do.. at this point the setback due to what seems to projected exams resultsis going to be extremely damaging to my daughter at this point in her education and will be damaging to a long process of getting her academically ready. I feel the school has a moral duty to help get her back into education or at least provide the information needed to find an appropriate place of education...

This is worrying.

English AS - when you say she passed - with what grade?
What was 'discrepancy' with the Art? Are they implying she cheated?
Sociology she failed (as in U equivalent?)

Often even the most open of schools/colleges expect the equivalent of 3Es (or at most 3Ds) to continue to the second year.

Really, honestly, do you feel A levels are the right option for her?
Would she be better 'restarting' y12 somewhere else, either to do 3 A levels (not sociology) or a BTEC?

I would be tempted to
a) Talk with your daughter on what has been going on and what she really wants, and what plan B and plan Cs might be acceptable
b) Insist on the meeting with the school this week to try to get clarification. Send an email with your questions so they can be properly prepared.
c) urgently ring round other schools/colleges and see what other options there are and try to visit them.

You have only 1 week or so to get this sorted before no one will take her too far into course starts.

Hopefully others will be along soon with better knowledge.

What was the entrance test criteria? Normally state school ps have minimum gcse attainment to progress, rather than any test, but if they persuaded her to take sociology was that because she did not meet the grades for her first choice? Was it conditional on year 12 results and had they perhaps spoken to your dd previously and her not told you. Tbh English, Sociology and Art seem a curious mix.

As far as I am aware, refusing to allow a pupil to return for the second year of a two year course (which is what A levels are, whether punctuated by AS or internal exams. And in the aftermath of the St Olave's case in 2017, it was established that exclusion on academic grounds is not legal.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-london-44793707

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/641418/20170831_Exclusion_Stat_guidance_Web_version.pdf

13. It is unlawful to exclude for a non-disciplinary reason. For example, it would be unlawful to exclude a pupil simply because they have additional needs or a disability that the school feels it is unable to meet, or for a reason such as: academic attainment/ability; the action of a pupil’s parents; or the failure of a pupil to meet specific conditions beforethey are reinstated, such as to attend a reintegration meeting. However, a pupil who repeatedly disobeys their teachers’ academic instructions could, be subject to exclusion.

Do you think that there may have been disciplinary issues that the school has discussed with your DD but not with you?

I wouldn't say that the St Olave's case established that definitively. That was the view of an independent inquiry, not the courts. The person who conducted the inquiry is not a lawyer. As far as I can see the parents did not proceed with the court case they were originally threatening.

Throwing a pupil out part way through Y12 or Y13 is clearly illegal. Refusing entry to Y13 is less clear and many schools do it. Having said that, my advice to the OP would be to point out to the school that, according to official guidance, this is an illegal exclusion.

Your daughter is eligible for 3 years of 16-19 education. So starting at a new place is definitely a option for her. The school should have discussed this before the summer so you had time to find somewhere, however what is done is done and you need to focus on next steps now.

Some questions for you to think about?
Why did they suggest a learning disability centre? Does your daughter have learning difficulties?
Where does she want to go after 18/19?
Are A-levels the right option for her? there are many other qualifications that carry the same weight that might suit better.
Is there a local 6th form centre nearby?

I think there are 2 different issue so or you to consider her Op;

Firstly, given her achievement level, are A Levels the right option for her and especially continuing into the u6th from this low starting point?

I think this is the key question. You might feel you've not been informed enough and she is entitled to stay, but at the end of the day, having what you're entitled to isn't always the best thing - is it the right thing for her to move into something else, regardless of the rights and wrongs?

Secondly, has the school acted wrongly? Schools are pretty careful not to just remove someone without going through the channels which are needed - so warnings to pupils, setting clear requirements to progress to the next stage, contact with parents etc. Has your DD told you fully what happened last year and passed on any communications and have you fully read the school policies and anything sent home to you?

Regardless, you need to go in for a meeting. You need to establish her performance and if continuing to the U6thbis a good idea. If she's likely to get Us or Es, she could probably do something more productive with her time. You need to be willing to consider this if that is the reality. You also need to establish what's going on with communication from school - perhaps it will turn out they totally failed to suggest to her or to you that there was a risk of not continuing.....but I'd be surprised if there was no communication.

If you go to the school with a positive 'I've come to find out and clarify what's been happening' rather than a 'I'm furious and have come to sue you' approach, you're far more useful to have a productive conversation. I can see you are shocked by this, but try to be open minded to hear about what has happened and what their recommendations are for your DD for the next stage. It might be possible for her to stay, or it might not. It might be a good idea for her to stay or it might not......stay open to the idea that just continuing because it seems easiest isn't actually always the best option and achieving little at the end of 2 years is worse than achieving little at the end of 1 year.

I'm sure that if you approach them constructively you'll be able to get to the bottom of this. And good luck to your DD too in being able to approach this in a mature and open way, looking for what is best into the next stages.

You mention the school is not prepared to discuss this issue with you. Is that really the case? In what ways have you communicated with them about her not continuing so far? Are there other issues which have arisen with your DD at school or with yourself at school which haven't been mentioned in your post and are making communication difficult?

I don't believe that the school isn't prepared to discuss this. There is something seriously afoot here. Either your daughter hasn't been honest with you, or there is something very wrong with the school.

Anyone underperforming at DD's 6th form had several meetings with the pastoral care/assistant head of 6th form before it was suggested that they weren't suited to A levels.

Something like this doesn't just happen out of the blue. Clearly communication hasn't been very good here.

What were her actual grades at the end of year 12?