My DD has been kicked off art A-level but is super talented … what can we do?!

[Multitaskingmadly]

My 18 YO DD suffer from really severe anxiety, and has done all her life. We have been in and out of CAMHS since she was 10 and she has had heaps of assessments etc but hasn’t really got an official diagnosis. She is on medication for it. She can’t manage full time school, and tbf her attendance is terrible. She is the most INCREDIBLE artists as she sits and paints all day long and if its not painting that she is doing, she is making stuff and teaching herself how to sew or crochet etc. She got a 9 for her GCSE.
She had an art A-level mock exam 2 weeks ago during which she had a panic attack and had to leave. She has also has fallen quite far behind with her course work (she is a complete perfectionist so the work she has done is immaculate- but there’s just not much of it) Her school has just called me to say that they are unable to submit her for art A-level as they says she hasn’t done enough of her work in school for the teachers to authenticate it, plus she is too far behind on the coursework. She is doing the AQA board.
We are all so disappointed and frustrated, as she is just so talented. I am wondering if anyone has had any similar experience to this? As we still have a few months left until it all has to be submitted, might it be possible, for us to try and find an art tutor and register for A-level art and home school her for the rest of the year?
Or should we just try and retake it next year in one year? She is only studying one other subject for A-level, and she wants to go to do an art foundation course and then take a degree in some sort of design subject, possibly fashion and textiles.
I would love to hear from anyone who is an art teacher and understands how it all works, OR anyone who has had a similar situation.

Which other subject is she studying for A Level?

Has she been offered a place on an Art Foundation course starting this coming autumn?

What have they stipulated in terms of subjects and grades as far as being accepted on the course is concerned?

Hopefully, a poster who is in teaching will spot this during the day and clarify the situation for you.

In the meantime, I would have a look at what AQA says about Art on its Private Candidate page.

https://www.aqa.org.uk/student-and-parent-support/private-candidates/subjects-and-qualifications

Try the home ed board, lots of knowledgeable folk on there who might be able to help you.

Has she a place on the Foundation course? She may not need the art A level .

If she is as good as you say I would expect the foundation course will take her anyway?

You don’t have months to submit the coursework. With most schools and colleges they’ll want it in very soon as they have to mark it all, verify it and then the exam board visit and verify the marking later on. I’m not sure what the procedure is for private candidates as I’m not sure who would mark the work. Would they allow her to repeat a year? Some colleges will take on to the foundation course with a good portfolio. I imagine the workload for foundation/ degree is tougher than the a level though

I failed Art GCSE, never took any A-levels, but they still allowed me on an access to higher education course with a hastily put together portfolio (not that I went through with it, long story).

If she’s that good, she’ll be fine. Art jobs always want to see portfolio’s over grades. In this digital age lots of artists have no qualifications and build their own businesses online. It’s never too early to get an online portfolio up.

Sorry I can’t help with the A-level side of things as I only did a year of them before going to college to a 2 year course in Art and Design. I did however want to post to say if she doesn’t achieve her A-level it will be disheartening but not the end of her dreams. In the second year at college we were taught alone side the foundation students so it might only add an extra year on. Yes a foundation helps you get into the top universities but I know some people that were interested in fashion and managed to get into Central St Martins having only done the 2 year course.

If it’s exams she finds particularly stressful I would check the courses she’s enrolling in are course work only.

did the college/uni she’s applied to do a foundation offer her an unconditional or conditional place as you may find they have accepted her regardless of final grade.

Does she have a good, well presented portfolio? Have a look at courses at local colleges.
A family member did that (had no good gcses/ A levels). They took him to do a diploma on the strength of his portfolio. He has a flourishing career now.

I'm in Scotland so highers, but I didn't do higher art as it clashed with a another subject. After dropping out after a year on my degree course (hated it) I got a portfolio together for a foundation art course and then from there, a degree in contemporary art. For my portfolio I needed a selection of sketchbooks and then examples of my work with different mediums so some pencil drawings, charcoal, paintings, some photography etc. Look into the requirements for the foundation course she wants to do. Maybe she can just spend time on her portfolio at home.

Could she complete just the second year of a btec or t level in art or fashion or craft instead of the foundation next year? Go straight on to uni from the t level?

Or aged 19 she may be able to do an art Access course which would give her a level 3 qualification plus a portfolio for uni?

Alternatively she could do her art a level next year and along side it independently build a fashion portfolio so she skips the foundation and goes straight to uni.

Or do the art foundation and sit the A level alongside? The art foundation will likely speed her up and be more experimental

personally I’d book to see the local college careers advisor and then the admissions team to gather advice

As far as I know, home educated children in the UK cannot do the typical GCSE & A-level in Art, due to this reason. That doesn't stop our children doing their own portfolios and presenting them to colleges, and being interviewed.

There is no requirement for home educated children to do any qualifications, and there are definitely home educated children who get places in colleges and universities despite not having any formal qualifications.

So, if I were you, I'd contact the college or uni where she is hoping to attend, and to discuss this with them. Some are more understanding than others.

There are also art awards that she could do, if you have a search online.

I don't think this is the end of the world to be honest, being a talented artist is enough in itself. A certificate for a GCSE or A-level is pretty meaningless for artists, in my humble opinion.

"Her school has just called me to say that they are unable to submit her for art A-level as they says she hasn’t done enough of her work in school for the teachers to authenticate it, plus she is too far behind on the coursework. "

What about fighting this first, or pleading. Emailing art teacher, head of art, tutor, HoY, Senco. Asap. Sent first thing tomorrow? Saying please please, is there no way back. This had come as a shock. You all know of her anxiety issues, and attendance issues so far. No warning. Seems harsh. Can we not do. ..... anything. If we did this, did that, can we not. They can't just spring it on you. (Well they can, but you could fight/plead first. Got to at least be worth a try?

Actually the interviews for foundation are a few weeks away iirc?
She should ask her art teacher to help her present her portfolio and get her sketchbooks together for interview, that's the least they could do. And she should spend this time adding to her body of work to show them.
I wouldn't let the lack of a level deter her.

If she can't produce the required work to do an A level with a relatively high amount of teaching and support teacher/ pupil ratios for art in sixth form are very small compared to other subjects), is it realistic to think she will manage to do a foundation course or degree where more is required and it'll mostly be self led ?
I am just wondering if you need to take the pressure off and manage the other issues causing this perfection / not doing the work before planning an unachievable immediate future.
Lots of students on the art foundation are a bit older so a few gap years might help a lot and build the resilience and work ethic needed.

I know nothing about art, but Google the HE (home ed) exams wiki for info about what you can do out of school.

Sorry I don't have an answer for your daughter's arts problem but it has occurred to me she might have PoTS - its a very under diagnosed reason for anxiety especially in teen girls.
It starts around puberty and basically their autonomic nervous system is not functioning properly. When they stand up and move around their arteries do not restrict enough to ensure constant blood flow to their heart and brain and their body thinks an emergency situation has occurred and they release noradrenaline to suddenly increase their heart rate. This sudden increase in heart rate makes the person feel anxious but also can lead to chest pain and headache. The constant noradrenaline surges means their senses are on high alert s they get sensory overload. There can be other problems too like fatigue and problems with temperature and/or bladder control.
It's very easy to tell if this might be effecting your daughter - if you have one of those finger pulse oxi monitors (about £20 from amazon) if you test her resting heart rate when she wakes up in the morning (still lying down) and then ask her to stand unaided for 3mins and test her heart rate again. If her heart rate goes up more than 30/40 beats per minute in this three minute time frame then speak to your GP and ask for her to be assessed for PoTS.
Life style changes are usually recommended (more water, more salt, building up calves to improve blood flow around the body etc) but the beta blocker propanol helps a lot to keep the heart beat regular (in addition to the anti-depressants).
If she has PoTS she may be eligible for extra exam conditions such as a break (so if she had a panic attack she would be allowed to leave and come back in) or maybe even extra time if the school would be happy for her to stop during exams to manage her breathing.

Sorry OP. The Art A Level is very weighted towards portfolio work e.g research prep not the actual delivery side. If your daughter is behind with coursework it's unlikely she can catch-up so late in the year. It'd all have to be done and in before Easter. If she's struggling to go in to College it's unlikely she'll suddenly improve and the work needs to be overseen not done at home. My advice is to allow her to recover and ask to be allowed to redo the year next year.

Sorry can I just add - if she has PoTS you could get her propanol very quickly and you could ask the school for extra support.

Has she any chance of catching up? Realistically?

I agree with @maybejustonemoretime — I have a good friend who is currently in the final year of a fine art degree, and despite being a confident, organised, self-motivated 40something mother of two, she’s struggling with the pressure. There are virtually no classes or structure at this stage, just studio time, and deadlines for a dissertation and final portfolio. I think your DD needs to sort her anxiety first.

Not an art teacher but I used to teach a similarly creative A level with a high proportion of coursework.

Art isn't available to private candidates because the centre is required to authenticate the work. If they haven't seen her do it - for what are perfectly valid reasons - they cannot sign it off because they'd be risking the work of every other candidate if it was later found that she hadn't done it herself.

Ideally, she and the school can work together to come up with a way that she can get in to school over the next month to get as much done as possible, but it may already be too late.

Home Ed children regularly opt to do igcses and A levels through exam centres, sometimes at a younger age than the traditional state school route. A level art is difficult however because it’s a practical subject rather then exam based. Saying that there are opportunities for cookery and art igcse’s these days so hopefully Art A level might be possible next.

could you both approach her existing school with a catch up plan?

I can’t see that there’s a way to do A level art as a home ed candidate. Just to correct what’s said upthread - you can do GCSE Art while home ed. Some exam centres partner with an art tutor who does some live sessions and some online. Tutors and Exams offer this - but they don’t seem to offer it at A level.