Yr 11 exclusion, GCSE alternatives

[rufmonkey]

Would love some advice if possible. My son has ADHD and attends an independent school with help from our family because of his SEN. Up to a year ago he was doing really well and slated for high marks in his exams. Last year, in year 10, due several factors (including failure of medication and getting in with a bad crowd) he has fallen off a cliff. He has been given some lifelines in the past from his school but he is convinced the school hates him and he is self-sabotaging. He is now facing permanent exclusion for repeated poor behaviour. He is one week away from mocks and 5 months away from final exams. He is a very talented musician and has an offer at a good music college in September, he just has to pass his exams. I think if he goes back a year, his mental health will really suffer. We are already addressing his state of mind with therapy but I am trying to figure out the best way to support him and get him over the line with his GCSE's. I have read about alternative provisions like a PRU, homeschooling with help from tutors, or a managed move (not sure this is possible as no other independent school will take him with different exam boards). I appreciate any advice if anyone has experience with any of these providers or maybe something I have not thought of. Please no negative comments, we have been through the wars and judged ourselves and our son more harshly than anyone else could. Thank you

Would his current school offer some online provision, if you continue to pay? It's such a difficult time to move schools.

I will ask - just trying to gather some options in preparation for the meeting with the head and governors. Thank you for this suggestion, very kind.

Presumably if he is excluded you won't be liable for further fees.

Private tutoring
Interhigh (?) (online)
Home study
Private entry will cost, but presumably exam entry fees were budgeted for with independent school anyway

State school with maybe reduced GCSEs

Be very clear what grades he needs, and be willing to lose a couple of GCSEs to that end.

What does he was 'slated for high marks in his exams' mean? I understand 'slated' to mean 'highly criticised' for a behaviour.

Permanent exclusion is best avoided if possible. It could result in future offers being withdrawn eg by music college. Can you move him? The issue with that is that there are 'bad crowds' everywhere and he is likely to choose to be part of that behaviour. It's a choice he is making.

If there is any way he can stay at the school and change his behaviour- this is the best option.

He can go to a state school - although at this stage in Y11 a local authority is likely to only offer placement in a PRU- behaviour is usually VERY challenging in a PRU or in a special school for children with behaviour difficulties.

If you apply to an Academy, they might operate differently and take him.

The chances of syllabus matches for all of his subjects are slim.

Home Tuition rarely covers many specialisms at GCSE level . He is likely to get just a few hours a week of 1:1 tuition and work set in core subjects.

Can you use his school fees money to buy him private subject tutors? You would have specialists then and could pay for full-time almost. You might have to lose a subject but would certainly be able to cover most. The issue would be the timings- they would probably be available after school hours and you would have to find them.

Can you afford a tutor?
Will school let him sit the exams in the summer?
If yes and yes, I'd focus on English, maths, and whatever else he needs for next year. If you could focus on 5 subjects you could tutor those only? Forget the rest of them.

sorry I should have written predicted marks, not slated, poor terminology. He was a very good student until last year and is bright. At this point, we are just looking for him to pass the exams.

We tried moving him at the end of last year and beginning of this year but no independent school wanted him because it's so late in the GCSE course with different boards. We were told to move him back to year 10 and a few even said year 9 to start the course over. He is very resistant to move back and his ADHD doctor agrees it would not be the right thing for him. The state schools needed an EHCP which we have only just received so it's an option but again, different again boards and concerned he will fail if he has to try and catch up on 2 years work.

And thank you for the heads up on a PRU, I am worried that if he is around other challenging kids, his behaviour will not improve at all. I'd love him to stay at the school but I fear that they have had enough which is fair. We are going to appeal to them but just wanted to be prepared and know what other options are available. We can get help with tutoring and at this point willing to try anything.

If he is permanently excluded state schools won't want him because he won't count towards their exam results, and they won't want to waste resources on him.

If you have to go state (and I would not recommend it in this situation) realistically the LA will force a school to accept him because otherwise he's got no place, the school will dump him in random classes, will probably try to align subjects (so will put him in history if that's what he's doing) and then ignore.

I've seen it happen.

Spaces in PRU's round here are like hen's teeth and he'd be unlikely to get one and frankly unless he's already involved with drug gangs you don't want him there anyway.

If he is forced out try to get the school to agree he can sit the exams with them and then get tutors in person preferably for the GCSE's he needs.

I'd go for trying to persuade the school to let him take his exams there, and find private tutors. You'd need to discuss with the school who pays for the exams - they may want you to pay so that he is definitely a private candidate who doesn't count in their statistics. If the school would agree to let him sit his mocks (at home if necessary) and to mark them, then private tutors could pick up from there. Drop a subject or two if necessary - either for scheduling or financial reasons. Hopefully the school doesn't hold you liable for fees after exclusion.

(Private tutors are not only available after school - they just mainly work then because that's when the kids are available. Some of those who work full-time as private tutors will be delighted to find someone who can be taught during the day.)

Agree @lanthanum re private tutors. DD currently has an English tutor day time and has had a daytime science one in the past. They are around if you look.

If his current school is talking permanent exclusion ( have they followed their own processes to the letter?), I’d try to negotiate him still sitting the exams there. He can study at home but he needs an exam centre.

By this stage, he will have done 2/3 of the GCSE materials. Find tutors for exam technique, ask the school for materials, contact the exam boards for past papers. You need to be motivated, as does he, but it can be done.

The state schools needed an EHCP which we have only just received

If DS now has an EHCP you need to request an early review ASAP. On their website, IPSEA has a model letter you can use. Although as it is phase transfer year you should have a review coming up/have recently had one anyway.

DS didn’t require an EHCP for a state school (assuming you mean mainstream schools) to admit him.

If it isn’t suitable for the provision to be made in a school, there is EOTAS. This is preferable to EHE because the LA remain responsible for delivering the provision in the EHCP, including any therapies, PfA provision etc.

So sorry to hear that your family is going through that, I hope things turn up. I would say at home private tutoring is an option but it tends to be a bit costly, due to the time urgency of his exams I would suggest this online tutoring programme that is currently working really well for my kids, its called EAA Virtual Learning Academy, they offer really good tuition, with personalised learning plans for my kids, as well as the fact that the service is quite affordable, so if you could give it a try if it seems appealing, Let me know if you'd like me to pass on their contact info and good luck!

Just wanted to say thank you to you all for your helpful advice - it has really given me some direction and help and I am so grateful. Still waiting on the school's decision but I feel better armed with options and much calmer. Thank you again.

I am not sure what happened and what your DS has done, but barring anything really serious which would constitute an actual criminal offence, I find it extremely shocking that his independent school can expel him in Year 11. I would be consulting a solicitor and seeing if there is any disability discrimination you could rely on. Unless a state school would also have expelled him, I would not be putting up with this. Personally, I would also consider going to the press on an anonymous basis as regards your child’s name. How can a child who did well in Year 10 suddenly go down so much? Surely the whole point of private school is that you have paid extra to get adjustments and interventions?
Expulsions in Year 11 are always very very last resort and I would be wondering if my child had been bullied my the wrong crowd/not enough supervision etc.- whether they have actually done enough and I would be pushing them to provide the adjustments and lessons so he can get through his GGSEs. Why can’t they set up zoom lessons for him to dial in etc if they really can’t have him there physically.

How would the school fund extra teaching hours to do zoom lessons for one child? Teachers are worn out and their timetables are full, even if there was any money for it! Those of us who taught through the pandemic, when kids were in school but you could have several at home isolating at any given time and dialling in for lessons, know full well that it didn't work for the kids in the room OR for those at home. My best advice would be to look at the Interhigh. You might have to drop a couple of subjects if they are not compatible with what is on offer, but if he can get good grades in 6 or 7 subjects he can still have a fresh start in sixth form.

Is he taking GCSEs or IGCSEs through the school? As the syllabus can differ if you are thinking of de registering him and going down the home education route. Some GCSEs can not be taken if you are home educating due to the practicals like English Lang, Science, food tech, art, drama, music. Some are available as iGCSEs You will also need to start thinking about booking the exams now. Locally are Pru’s are full with waiting lists so you would be offered tuition until a space came up if one did

It is now possible to take GCSE music and GCSE English Language as a private candidate at some centres and Tutors and Exams are offering OCR GCSE food preparation and nutrition this year in conjunction with a couple of partners.

It sounds as if they haven't expelled him yet. Possibly they're hoping that having mentioned the possibility, he and his parents will be willing to cooperate with whatever alternative is proposed, even if it's something awkward such as part-time attendance, or being offsite at lunchtime.