'Rights' to change / end HNC course if not as expected ?

[54isanopendoor]

So, Ds, 17, started an HNC on Monday.
We are in Scotland so term has begun & the course fees are funded for him.

The laptops which are part of the equipment it's a Computing course arent there.

He has ASD & was supposed to get support - the worker has not materialised & 'is due to retire at Xmas & we don't know if he'll be replaced'.
This person was also to support Ds with his Dyslexia re the essays he has to write. Again, no plans for that, first essay due in, & Tutor says: 'och, you'll be fine'.
Now, he has an application in for Disabled Students Allowance which should cover some of this but it will take a month or 2 to set up. College was supposed to be handling this, eventually we've done it all ourselves now & got it signed off.

He was told that the course was 'nearly full' & pushed to make a decision but there's only 7 of them, & the person he's sat next to ('no, you can't move') is 50 & Polish. Ds has a hearing difficultly & finds accents problematic so is less likely to be able to benefit from 'partner-working' through some topics with this person than he might otherwise. 4 of the others are also mid 30's (he thinks). Now that's not an issue (& nor is being Polish - it's Ds diagnosed hearing problem thats the issue) but he's 17 and will have no 'peers' which was part of his College plan.

Lastly, he was given a problem to work out. Realised that the tech supplied could not perform in such a way to enable the problem to be addressed. Raised it with the Tutor, who ignored him. Polish chap backed up Ds (decent of him). Tutor ignored concerns of both & told them to 'crack on'. Not an auspicous beginning. It's a new course being run for the 1st time this year by a maverick Tutor.

I realise some of these things may resolve but Ds is very worried.
There is one other HNC he could swap to. This has a very different kind of Tutor, & at least one lad who he knows / gets on with. Also well established. To my mind, its a no brainer & he asks to change next week .... BUT...
If it's full, or they say no, then can they count this as a years funding wasted if he withdraws from this course after 3 days??? (& what else would he do this year)

Email the course leader as soon as possible and request a transfer or say he will withdraw
Copy in the qualty unit. Most colleges have a "swap don't drop" policy. Fees probably wont kick in for 21 days.

I remember your DS dilemma between school snd college @54isanopendoor I'm sorry it's not working out.

Is it SAAS funding? There's usually several weeks leeway at beginning of term before fees are paid and if you drop out during this time it doesn't count towards funded years. Ring/email SAAS and check cut off date for college.
It's also quite common to switch course in early weeks but if he wants to do this he needs to enquire asap.

The FE colleges have lots of adult learners and that was always a risk.

They are businesses and course leaders want to recruit onto their courses so they often "sell" this to young people as a good route to university instead of returning to school to complete their exams in S6. They don't advertise the fact the 17 year olds will be in class with people old enough to be their parents!

The issues need highlighted to college early on in writing, particularly the lack of support around the disability.

thanks @Buzzer3555
thanks @BarkylLoner

Yes, my Ds had a tough time choosing his route ahead so we were hoping it would go reasonably smoothly for him.
I appreciate your points (esp about the age of other students) & also that we are probably quite 'sensitised' by the process so it doesnt take much to rattle us atm

BUT the lack of support around his disabilities is concerning

Yes, it's SAAS - it is good news that he may not have 'wasted' a years funding.
I certainly hope they'll let him swap rather than withdraw as otherwise he doesn't have a plan for the year & that's not good for him. Being on A course matters.

Now I have to see if I can persuade him to 'change course' as he has the mindset that once he's taken the book out of the library then it's 'set in stone'.

@BarkylLoner @Buzzer3555

I have emailed College re lack of support. No reply so far.
It seems there was a freshers week this week for all other students (his dept started 2 weeks ago). No one told him. He still doenst have his student card so can't use the library at all. He has a laptop now but no case so is worried to use it (ASD). We can buy a case but I can't buy a library pass for him. Really poor.

I sat in on one of his lectures (Tues am is online). It was supposed to be 3 hours. It was only 1 hour with the Tutor just 'riffing' (he actually said: '1st yr of new course guys, I'm making this up as I go'. Now that might be okay (ish) if that's his 'style' but that doesnt suit DS' anxiety & I think that actually the Tutor IS 'making it up' to a certain extent. Also, DS was explaining to me how the tutor is actually wrong on a couple of big points (ds then showed me how & why & he is correct).

So....

Ds has a straight choice afaics. He returns (if poss) to his original choice of 2 yr HNC/D which means changing if he can (he is scared to ask, I cant 'do it for him' at college now). That would take him into 3rd yr for a general Computing degree.
He'd rather start 1st yr with everyone else but this is a secure route.

OR he sticks with this pretty academically hopeless HNC (he's bored & lonely!) He'd have to choose a Uni this autumn (he doesnt feel ready for) & NEEDS an A.
If that doesnt work out for some reason he doens't have a direction for next year. He really NEEDS one & he finds change / decision making very difficult.

I guess other options are: he starts the 2 yr course & if he suddenly feels ready to apply for Uni this autum he has the option to leave after yr 1 with an HNC anyway so it is flexiable in that sense (though I heard that sometimes they don't run Y2 if student numbers too low. & there are only 10 on the course this year)

OR he can do current HNC htis year, do a 2nd one next yr, then start degree. Funding should be okay (though college & saas say diff things) & it would mean 2 years here (so equiv of S6 & gap year?) then 4 years of a degree. This might suit him (he has ASD & is in no rush to dash out into the world but it's a long time to keep him motivated (& a long time to keep him financed from my end)

Ooof. Any thoughts welcome

My son has just started college too (also 17 and in Scotland) he's not enjoying it either. We've managed a couple of weeks but everyone in his class is so much older and there are no/few males. I too am worried about wasting a year of funding.