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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

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Original poster

How much support is normal with Alevels if kids have SEN, absence and an ongoing medical condition

14 replies

Untang13d · 17/12/2021 06:18

My dd is at a grammar and they’re saying they won’t be able to help her catch up when needed going forward. Not even to go over concepts briefly if she’s out of school. Didn’t want a lot just a brief catch up session going over missed concepts after a hospital stay.

They say it’s impossible. Is this normal everywhere, even in schools with a range of ability? Just trying to get a sense of reality as I’m used to teaching in the primary sector.

OP posts:

Hercisback · 17/12/2021 06:28

Pretty normal to be honest. We'd possibly provide resources (textbook/YouTube vids) but that would be about it. We may offer support like "once you've done a question/essay/set of questions we'll mark it".

However it wouldn't be possible to give time for this.

AlexaShutUp · 17/12/2021 06:41

If the absence is disability related, then the school has a legal duty to make "reasonable" adjustments. However, what you deem to be "reasonable" and what they deem to be "reasonable" may not be the same thing.

If you are expecting 1:1 teaching to go over the concepts that she has missed, that seems like quite a big ask from teachers who are already over stretched, especially for an A level student who should be able to study fairly independently. However, some sort of adjustment or support should be provided.

TeenMinusTests · 17/12/2021 10:53

No idea.

Does the pupil have an EHCP? if not, then with SEN and ongoing medical condition, then should they?

guardiansofthegalaxychocs · 17/12/2021 10:55

Is there a hospital school where they have their appointments? If so maybe they could help liaise with the school?

guardiansofthegalaxychocs · 17/12/2021 10:56

I’d expect schemes of work with bits highlighted of what they missed and where to get the information plus if they have an ECHP it written into their ECHP about tutoring after hospital admissions either via school or potentially as a personal budget if allowed (sometimes they won’t cover statutory things like education)

SE13Mummy · 17/12/2021 11:01

DC1 has had nearly three weeks off school so far in Y12 because of having covid then another illness a month later. Their GCSE grades were mostly 9s and they stayed on at school so the staff know DC1 is a diligent student when on form but is currently struggling to catch up on those missed weeks because of exhaustion and brain fog. Without exception, the teachers have offered to go through things they've missed - that's not been asked for but was offered direct to DC1.

BananaDrama25 · 17/12/2021 14:04

We would provide 1:1 boost sessions but we are independent

OutwiththeOutCrowd · 17/12/2021 14:16

It may not be uncommon to not be offered extra support.

Purely anecdotally, my DS, also with a chronic condition and a hospital stay during the A level years, on top of being dyslexic, was not offered help to catch up. (Fee-paying selective school.)

Cherryana · 17/12/2021 14:18

The exam at the end of the day is a pass/fail thing with a course taught in a set timeframe. So absence (even clearly legitimate absence) will disadvantage the student.

Really you need to look into a private tutor to fill in large gaps or consider deferring.

In terms of what support should you get- it will be dependent on EHCP or individual good will of the particular staff. So no if you were in my class - I would go out of my way to help.

Cherryana · 17/12/2021 14:19

There shouldn’t be a ‘no’ in that last sentence- I would help!

SE13Mummy · 17/12/2021 15:33

DC1 is at the sixth form of a state comprehensive.

Pinkflask · 17/12/2021 15:42

Realistically for absent students they would get all the lesson PowerPoints/handouts as a matter of course, and a chance to sit any assessments missed (in their own time) and have them marked. Then I’d probably find a few minutes in lesson to sit down and go over what they’d written. But it would be hard to give any other time than that so it would be on the student to ask for anything specific.

Evvyjb · 17/12/2021 15:46

I would offer to go through 1 to 1, but it should absolutely not be expected.

amillionmenonmars · 17/12/2021 15:54

I would always try to help as much as I could - but realistically, when would it happen?

OP, you teach in the primary sector - when do you have time to sit down 1 to 1 with students who have been off ill?

For students who were off ill I would always point out to them on their SOW which parts of the spec they had missed, give them copies of any handouts and powerpoints and if there was a relevent part in the text book I would expect them to read through that.

My students knew I would always mark and give feedback on any past papers/ essays they had done, but there are only so many hours in the school day. I rarely even got 10 mins to myself to eat lunch so simply did not have time for any 1 to 1 catch up sessions.

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