DC Failed GCSE - options for online learning to retake

[LuffyMe]

Looking for advice as I feel out of my depth.

My DS1 has always struggled with school and severe anxiety leading to physical sickness, it worsened during GCSE and he had dark thoughts. He left most exams early and failed everything.

He’s now on a Level 1 course with Maths & Eng Lang GCSE resits, but hates the college (long commute, intimidating, disruptive students) and his anxiety is back.

He does, however, love his catering/hospitality job at a conference centre and is thriving there. He knows he needs GCSEs to move forward, but local colleges won’t take him without at least four grade 3s.

Are there any online GCSE resit options (pref funded as I am not in paid work - carer to terminally ill parent)? He did really well with Zoom learning during lockdown.

Thanks for reading, any advice appreciated.

Do you mean tuition and teaching to pass GCSEs? There are online schools but these are not free unless your son has an EHCP and the local authority pay for his place.
You will need to pay for tuition privately, which can be online. You also need to be aware that you will need to pay privately for his exams and find a venue where he can sit them. He is much better off doing his resits through school or college as his place is funded, he will get teaching and you won’t have to pay for his exams.

Could he leave college and attend his job full time? Then he could do a relevant course as day release.

The college might be saying GCSEs now but a Level 1 allows you on to a Level 2 and that leads to a Level 3.

He needs to be in work, training, or education. We tend to forget that work is an option.

Can he take time out of education, concentrate on his job, confidence and save and pay himself?

Funding for GCSE resits (or Functional skills) is a black hole if aged 16-19 and not in college.

Would his current place take him as an apprentice with day release to a more local college for the GCSE work?

Does DS1 have an EHCP? That opens up options that wouldn’t otherwise be available.

My DS was unable to attend secondary school. Had a year at a specialist college and then a year in mainstream college doing his retakes, but they refused to let him sit the exams as he stopped going. We have had to pay for tuition and the exams which has cost a fortune. This is with him having an EHCP.

It is really difficult but I hope you have better luck.

There is a massive hole in funding for 16-19 year olds that only want to do GSCEs along side work.

College’s are only funded if they are also doing anothr course along side them.

Standalone funding only kicks in at 19.

Sorry, meant to add that when we paid for the GCSE exams, we paid a bit extra for an online course. You can also do functional skills completely online, including the exams I believe.

Yes you can do FS online including the exam.
(DD took an in person approach).
However if 16-19 you have to pay if not doing via college ...

With an EHCP, you could pursue amendments to the EHCP, including EOTAS/EOTIS/C if it is inappropriate for the provision to be made in a school or college. That can fund tuition and exams.

The poster you are replying has a DS with an EHCP. With EHCPs, provision can be provided otherwise than at school/college. Although it may take an appeal.

Thanks. Appeals take time and energy though.

DD has an EHCP. We just paid, otherwise all we got was 'computer says no', plus no review of EHCP despite us asking for one during the year she was out of college.

That's the problem with this system. There is what should happen versus what actually happens without arguments and long delays.

They do. Although for those out of full-time education, you can request an expedited hearing, so still a wait but much quicker than the normal waits.

In case it is relevant in future, if the LA breaches the AR requirements, they can be forced via a pre-action letter/JR proceedings.

Yes, he did have EOTAS while still at school but they could only do it for 12 weeks and that was in Year 9 or 10. The EHCP got him into the specialist college in Y11 but now we're a bit stuck. LA say they won't pay for further tuition or exams unless at college.

EOTAS/EOTIS/C via the EHCP isn’t limited to 12 weeks. Do you have the right of appeal now? If so, you can appeal. Then, it isn’t the LA making the decision and what they say they will fund isn’t relevant.

Thanks everyone.

The only college locally and within a 20 mile radius insists on a minimum of 4 GCSEs at grade 3. They won't accept Level 1 or 2 course it has to be GCSEs so that's a non-starter.

I suspect he does have ADHD/ADD but trips to the GP and school have proved unproductive but other professionals he's been in contact with have said that there are strong indications.

Where he's working now don't offer apprenticeships.

I've been looking at Cloudlearn, no idea if they're any good? And then will need to find somewhere where he can resit. He's looking at resitting 4 (Maths, English, Physics/Chem combined and Biology).

Phys/Chem combined and Biology ?

Do you mean Phys/Chem/Biology dual award?
Or something else not standard via iGCSE or in Wales?

While it is possible to sit/re-sit GCSE English Language and Double Science privately, many sit IGCSE because of the speaking component/practical requirements.

Hey @LuffyMe sorry your DS is struggling so much; just to say – not sure there is such a thing as physics/chem combined –it's all three sciences as two GCSEs or the separate ones AFAIK.

What grades did your DS achieve? If he got mostly 1 and 2, Functional Skills may be a better idea. FS1 is a lower-level qual and then leads to FS2 which is at an equivalent level to a grade 4 GCSE. My DS was never going to pass english GCSE but he has FS L2.

And as others say, chances are you will have to pay for online. Could you look at a few sessions with a tutor and just pay for the resits?

ETA sorry x-posted with others there. I can't see where you say what sort of grades he was predicted? Were they passing grades, and it's his MH issues that are a problem, or is he actually unlikely to gain grade 4s? What I mean is, if he is less academic like my DS1, it might not be worth trying resits of exams he will not gain a grade 4 in?

Have you considered the National Extension College? They offer distance learning GCSEs.

@TeenToTwenties yes, sorry, I meant the dual award.

@flawlessflipper sigh, I'd forgotten about the speaking element.

@clary Thank you, yes I meant the 2 GCSE's for sciences. He was predicted mostly 4-6s but got almost all Us and a 3 in Science as he left the exams as soon as he was allowed or didn't go in. He was in a really dark place.

@LilaMae99 Thank you, I'll take a look at National Extension College.

Thanks, we have a support worker who is helping us to get him back into education or training. Will look into appealing. We have been down various routes over the years.

OP, I really hope you get something sorted. It's hard...

@OneWildNightWithJBJ if it is a support worker connect to the LA or previous college, you should be aware they may not be giving you all the correct information. LAs and some colleges will often tell parents what they want them to know and their version of the law, especially about EOTAS/EOTIS/C.

@flawlessflipper thanks for the tip. I will definitely look into it myself.