Urgent advice needed. Meeting tomorrow.

[Devsmum13]

Hello,

My son is not enjoying T Levels. Not enough people signed up for his original IT course, so sixth form put on a coding course in September. (He should have been told on results day but they forgot). He has moaned non stop to his sixth form tutor and at home. Sixth form have asked me to go in for a meeting with the council tomorrow afternoon. I know they will ask for him to leave immediately.

It is a specialist Technical Sixth form.
The council suggested it because it is small and has the academic.

He would have loved the original course. No where else can meet need, and he hasn't got the grades for a school sixth form. He will be placed at a college for autistic students that requires improvement possibly without the IT element.

Things would have been different if his original course has run.

I understand why we need to have this meeting. My son is very bright. He will not learn if he doesn't buckle down and work but If he doesn't like the course and it isn't something he wants to do, he isn't going to try.

He passed all his GCSEs but with much lower grades due to the crappy Senco not understanding the EHCP at his secondary school. He only got in to sixth form because of his EHCP. He won't be able to cope with a school sixth form, and hasn't got the grades anyway..

Any advice would be appreciated. I feel like a failure.

Many thanks.

If it were me I would have a conversation with DS about what the best outcome of this meeting would be. It’s disappointing about the original course, but it’s not running and now DS needs to decide what he would like going forward. Are there any other options?
if the only other choice is worse, will he see the benefit in persevering with the IT course?
Have a think about what the best realistic outcome would be, and work towards that.

I think this is good advice.

Additionally:
Is there a level 2 course he could drop down to for the year whilst re-thinking level 3 options? With his EHCP he can take a slow route through FE if needed.

I can't afford for him to do any 'slow route' unfortunately. I am a single parent with a low paid job. If he doesn't get the grades for University at 18 he will be expected to get a job then do a evening course in his own time.

Update
LA caseworker couldn't attend. He doesn't want to do the course, so they see no point in him staying. They haven't got any alternatives. He can stay on until the LA caseworker finds somewhere else. I think he has accepted it. If he wants to do Computer Science he wants to do Computer Science and the council need to find him somewhere suitable. Last time the majority said they couldn't meet need after looking at his EHCP 😒

So you say most said they couldn't meet his needs yet you also expect the LA to now find him something in 1 very specific and narrow criteria?
You and he may need to adjust your expectations.

So my son should not be able to a subject that he wants to do for A Level because he has autism? Is that what you are saying? It is the job of the LA to find something.

There are thousands of 16 year olds who cannot do the course they want to do for myriad reasons. It may well be the job of the LA to help him find something suitable, but that doesn’t mean they have to find him something he wants to do but isn’t capable of doing - or that doesn’t even exist in the first place. If he had his heart set on being a premier league footballer would you expect the LA to find him a place at at football academy?

Yes if he isn't academically capable of doing so. Most schools/colleges state Grade 7 as minimum requirement for the subjects in which you want to do A levels to ensure pupils can cope with the academic content of A levels.

You say he won't cope with a 6th form school, hasn't got the grades etc but the tech college doesn't run Computer Sciekce A level. So what exactly are you and him wanting? What outcome do you want based on the criteria you've given? You need to know what you want rather than putting all the onus on the LA. They can only work with the provision in your local area, they can't magic up an individual programme just for your DS.

Are his needs really so difficult that those who provide the course he wants to do can't meet them? I'm probably being very naive here! However if one place could offer him support but happens not to do the right course, why can't a different place offer that same support for his preferred course?

Er because they don't have the staff/resources etc. Not that surprising surely?

You lost me at crappy Senco.

Have a look at the BASE website and assisted apprenticeships and internships. There are some tech ones available via that route. There are a real mix of those who have a higher support need and those who need some support in certain areas. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supported-internships-for-young-people-with-learning-difficulties/supported-internships

"isn’t capable of doing". He got an 8 in Computer Science for GCSE. He wants to do tech support. The LA found him a place at a specialist STEM sixth form for tech support with the academic. He was put on programming because not enough people signed up for the original course. It isn't what he wants to do for a job. The majority of colleges couldn't meet need as they didn't have the academic 😆

Could he do it at one of the online provisions?

Sometimes it is as much about willingness as resources. An EHCP can come with funding after all.

That's why the course matters and the setting. I'm also not quite understanding whether the OP's DC is wanting to do a T-Level / Extended BTEC in Computing or similar, or A levels including computer science.

The OP says the DC won't cope in a school setting, so I'm guessing a college and a 3-A level equivalent course, but it isn't clear.

What kind of adjustments/support does the DC need?

So if no other settings offer tech support then what do you expect the LA to do?

You need to sit with him and agree Plan A, B + C. This will need flexibility and a mindset of compromise.

The LA can't make a course run.
So if the course is being run elsewhere and the DC meets the entry requirements, I'd be looking at whether with additional funding the provider can meet EHCP needs.

Do you / he have an idea in your head what the best solution is? Where would he be happiest?

The LA person doesn’t know your son (at least not as well as you and he does) so may come up with ideas that are not at all suitable so you having a plan along the lines of “this would work if he had that support” may save a lot of precious time.

They looked at his EHCP then said that they couldn't meet need mainly for the academic. We had the same problem with specialist schools. Only one in our area with the academic for the whole of Yorkshire. This is why is has been so difficult. Sadly his mainstream doesn't have a sixth form.

If he wants to work in tech support (and I would be querying this given he has autism - tech support is all about interacting with users and requires significant people skills) then he wants courses in IT or computer science.

there’s two routes for computer science, either the a level route - so doing CS a level plus usually maths (helps with computer science at uni) and another one of his choice (a common one is physics or DT for places that offer it).

if he got an 8 in CS gcse he’s capable of doing CS a level - does he know there is a programming project?

usually kids who want to do a levels can find somewhere to take them - esp if he has an 8.

did he pass maths and English? Is that the problem with a levels?

the other option is to go the BTEC/vocational route.

as he has an EHCP I’m guessing there are other issues complicating this.

So again for the 3rd time, what specific outcome do you want? What do you want the LA to actually do?
You keep stating barriers but then simultaneously expect the LA to magic something up that may not exist?

The Senco didn't understand the EHCP. What do you do in that situation?

Sorry I'm still confused.

Is he too academic for some of these places, or deemed not academic enough?

Is 'specialist' to do with 'special needs' or to do with 'specialised academic areas'?

What did you do when they didn't understand? It's very strange that a professional SENCO wouldn't "understand" an EHCP

As a SENCo for many years I would have moved heaven and earth to make sure everyone with an EHCP was given equal opportunities. What did the SENCo not understand?