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.

Fashion design is perhaps the most cutthroat ruthless and time demanding of all the art options

I did this as did my dn. I’m not sure this statement is entirely true.

Sorry to read this. Looks a bit like the school are looking at it from a results table rather than a pupil point of view.

That said being a good artist doesn't necessarily mean a good A level result. Candidate do have to meet the exam board's criteria.

I taught some brilliant pupils a related practical subject at GCSE. Some of these thought they'd get, and should get, an A* with their project work and a skimped write up. Despite nagging, writeup templates, tick lists sadly some new best. (Show me a 16 year old who doesn't know best!) Results often C/D borderline.

Taking an extra year over 6th form studies might not be a bad thing. My niece did this with University - She got the degree and kept her sanity neither of which were going to happen otherwise.

I think you need to have discussions with the school. Possibly with supporting medical notes.

Home exams/private entries can be hard with practical subjects. The boards want to know that it really is the pupil's work. It is easier to give this confirmation in a school environment. The board for my subject didn't allow/strongly advised against project practical work to be done at home.

The other viewpoint is..... forget about Art A level. Keep up the art as an interest/hobby/therapy/way of life etc Don't taint it with the stress of doing the exam.

All the best.

No this is wrong and against all QCA guidance.

The significant majority of work has to be completed at school. And the teacher had to have been able to see them doing it. This is how they authenticate it. Not by looking at it and thinking ‘it looks like theirs so it is theirs’

l’vd had to weed out so much of this in the past. It has to be done in the centre

Guidelines about assessment became much much stricter around 2016

In all honesty OP would she cope with a degree/further education right now?
Would looking into some sort of art therapy be an option while she sorts her MH out, rather than ploughing through qualifications

Try and get an EHCP. If she’s this unwell she shouldn’t be in school. Health is her priority at the moment. She can always do an access course.

This is my thought too. Art college requires attendance and commitment to the course. I've seen a lot of people drop out because of mental health problems. Better to get on top of that and she can apply later on if she wants to go.

How do you propose fighting "she hasn't done enough work in school in their presence to be able to authenticate it is her own work".

The OP admits her attendance has been terrible. She can't fight that she has been there enough.

When you say she doesn't have much course work, what do you actually mean? You've not really elaborated on that and it sounds as if it is really really sparse. The advice about just going straight for a Foundation course with her portfolio isn't really helpful if she genuinely has very very little. They will still want to see a decent body of work regardless of how good a few pieces are.

I did the Art Foundation course many many years ago and don't have A Level in Art. I did however do a 2 year vocational art qualification that is the equivalent of 2 A Levels (AVCE), they don't do this course anymore but you could try looking into other courses at your local college. I don't have a single A Level and went to university twice to do Textile related degrees. I did AS art for the first year in college and the teaching/course structure was very very different so dropped it. I found at A level it's still a quantity over quality and more about being 'educated' than being free to follow your own train of thought or creativity. I would suggest a college rather than School, as it sometimes is more suited to creative people than the structure/discipline of school education. She would need to attend all classes though, this is something you'd need to work on. They will kick her out if she doesn't attend enough. I have autism, undiagnosed at the time of college, and was almost in this position once due to poor attendance. My tutors gave me a second chance and I did manage to turn it around luckily.

I do think it's worth getting more support for her health/anxiety before pursuing this further. The Foundation year is very intense and fast paced while you have to try out the different specialities and you still have to create a large body of work to present, which it doesn't sound like she can do right now. At degree level there is a lot of independent learning and she would need to have the discipline to work on self directed projects within a time frame.

It is also ok for her to put all of this aside and come back to it in a few years when she's ready.

Ah shame my knowledge is out of date ☹️

can’t even say reasonable adjustments for like if a kid was long term sick?

Yes this. I understand why you are so focused on A level right now, but is uni or other qualifications really the right place for your daughter if she can't currently follow-up with school work?
I would look for alternative ways of getting in the art and design world, she might be more comfortable in a setting that isn't as rigid.

Yeah they could apply for special consideration. But unfortunately with a long term illness the exam boards tend to think that if a course is 2 years then they will have had time to catch up.

My dd got allowed 1% l think for long term anxiety. I’d have to check

Op my dd is the same age as your dd. She refused to go to school anymore in April last year. We were devasted as I’m sure you will be now. But we had to be guided by her. Her anxiety was out of control.

She would have normally been sitting her A levels this year. The misery of last summer was awful. But she was ill, really unwell. She needed to do nothing. Before Christmas we got an EHCP. After Christmas she really began to improve. She was diagnosed ADHD on top of her ASD last week. She must have been struggling so much. We didn’t even know she had ASD until November of year 12.

My scared, anxious, crying little girl has developed into a much happier young woman. But she needed time to recover. I’m actually glad it happened now.

From my experience it sounds like your Dd has ASD and is in burnout. She needs to recover her health before her education.

This is not what OP is asking but wanted to say anxiety can be associated with another condition - PPPV (google) - a form of vertigo which is very unpleasant and physically very disabling for many years and is not well known about(see also fb groups). Help with the anxiety is first priority.

Agree sort the anxiety, whilst the foundation or resitting in a year may be options neither will work if she can't manage to be in school/college/uni for a course like this, they're quite intense.

she has had heaps of assessments etc but hasn’t really got an official diagnosis. She is on medication for it.

Surely if she is on medication then there must be a diagnosis, in which case this could be presented to the school so that reasonable adjustments can be made.

I've always thought that the workload for Art was HUGE. My reasonably artistic son really regretted taking it at GCSE because the course work was massive.

I'm sorry your daughter is going through this.

Yes but massive is in context, it’s not a full time job , else no one would be able to do it and other subjects

Yes, in the context of the workload of the other GCSEs I think that art takes up a disproportionate amount of time compared to the others. I didn't say it took up all the time. I was trying to support the OP by saying that the workload for art is a lot. IMO. And I don't know how A level compares.

Art A level Mocks were 15 hours (over 3 days). Other A level exams (history etc) were 2x2 hours each, so 4 hours per subject. As for normal workload that split proportionately during a regular school week seems about right, if you see what i mean. (Mind you, at least A level Art finishes long before the other exams).

Dd took a level art, as an extremely talented artist. It pulled the joy for art out of her.

Ability to paint, draw, photograph, work with multiple materials has a limited amount to do with grade. An ability to jump through all sorts of hoops, write, and draw comparatively from many sources etc has a lot to do with it. That work is hard for someone who just wants to present their artwork.

Off topic slightly but is university a real option considering she can't make it to class or do the coursework and research portion if she sits and paints all day? Be realistic here.

If you want her to continue A Level Art and think she can quickly catch up, I would meet with the SENCO and discuss her needs so they can advocate for her with the Art department.
If she realistically can’t catch up, go for an Art foundation course next year.

I'd suggest exploring at art foundation FAD) at your local FE college. If she is under 19 the tuition is free. After 19 you have to pay. No maintenance loans available so living at home is best financially and also sounds like your DD not quite ready to move away. The qualification is the same as the FAD unis offer (my DS studying re ual level 4 qualification. Ual also offer level 3 and I think there is another examining board too). And many (most) students do the course locally for the reasons mentioned above. Our DS was not ready for living away from home and the local FE FAD has been great for him.

DS did complete his a levels but struggled with deadlines (disorganised, procrastinator and perfectionist!) He didn't achieve his potential and his art result was way below what you would say quality of work would suggest. But a level is not about the finished work but keeping sketchbook up to date, process etc. So he really needed the FAD year. FAD gives the full art college experience - much more creative a mind "free" than a levels. He does 3 full days in college and does another couple of full days work independently.

The deadlines for some of the uni courses will already have passed but FE colleges would have later dates. DS applied round about now I think and interview was in Spring sometime I think. He put together a hasty portfolio of his favourite pieces on PowerPoint and took to interview. (I honesty think he spent a couple of hours pulling it together which I would not recommend!)

I doubt if the FAD at local college will require a levels - a portfolio will be sufficient but of course you should call to check.

Take a step back.

It’s awful when this happens. Gotta get A levels, Gotta get to uni, gotta get a job.

Step out of this. It will come when it comes ( and it will) your dd is ill. Give her time, space and recovery.

She will step back on when she has recovered.

https://www.artcoursework.com/courses/art
would looking at some online options help? This is just one example.

To add to my previous message (wish there was edit function), I echo what others say about your DD's health being more important than staying on the education train. Art foundation can wait ... I only mention my DS's experience in relation to it's an option to keep going on her creative journey when she's ready.