Concessions for child with poor mental health?

[TwigTheWonderKid]

My son has been suffering from some quite extreme school-related anxiety which makes him vomit uncontrollably and has unfortunately affected his ability to attend some of his History classes and has massively impacted on his predicted grade for this subject. He is predicted an A and B for his other subjects but History could be as bad as an E.

Additionally, I am currently being treated for cancer and obviously this has added to his stress. His school of a aware of both situations. I am wondering if any of this is taken into account on his UCAS application. I understand that school should include it in his reference but as I understand it that information is passed on to those who could/ would help him if joins the university and I'm unsure if it would also be taken into account when considering his application and reasons why his History grade is so low,?

He has tried so hard to overcome the anxiety and it seems so unfair that he will be penalised for being ill. I also feel incredibly guilty that he is now also having to deal with a mum with a serious illness.

I would welcome any advice or suggestions for any support he may be entitled to.

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis OP

Do you think uni right after a levels is the right thing for him? There is no shame in taking a year out, studying at home, and then resitting.

What does he want to study, and what particularly triggers him about school but will change at uni?

UCAS are pretty good at answering questions, might be worth contacting them for general advice? Sorry you are all going through this, life throws a lot of curveballs. Can your son access CBT x

The unis will take into account the information in his reference both when making an offer, and if he misses his offer in the summer. However, depending on the uni, they may feel ABE shows that at this point in time, he won't cope with the course. Most unis do want to give students a chance, but equally they don't want to set them up to fail, either.

The vast majority of unis will accept resits- particularly with extenuating circumstances. If history does turn out to be an E, would that be an option? Alternatively, perhaps he could "fast-track" another A-level?

Thanks for your replies.

@PinkFrogss I have tried to talk to him about taking a year out but I think because all his friends an to go straight off, he can't see past that at the moment.

History is the particular trigger. He was diagnosed with dyslexia at the end if Year 11 and in hindsight he should bit have chosen this A level but I don't think we realised what a big step up from GCSE it was. He enjoys and finds his other two subjects much easier so I guess the difference would be that at Uni he would be studying a subject (Geography) that he enjoys.

@Runningintolife Yes, he is having CBT.

@Postapocalypticcowgirl I have thought that a year combining part time work and "fast-tracking" a different A level would be the way to go but I guess that falls into the category of back up plan. Right now he's not in that head space and I am trying to concentrate on helping bolster his confidence and make as strong an application as possible for this year.

You need to contact the admissions teams at each uni and let them know he has mitigating circumstances - in some it being in the reference will be enough but he might need to fill in a form in other places (off the top of my head I’ve known of a student doing this for Bristol)

However, and I say this really kindly, usually this kind of consideration would only take into account a couple of grade drops below offer - so a student getting ABB instead of AAA for example, I’ve never seen it applied to let the student in with a grade as low as an E.

Which unis is your son thinking of? Could he opt for ones that go on UCAS points and then the E might be made up for by the A?

So sorry to hear all your issues. My DS had very bad anxiety, switched schools midway between years 12 and 13, then covid hit ...
His first lot of A level grades were way below his abilities. He took a year out and resat. It was hard to see his friends go to uni, but the year went by quite quickly n he did well the second time around and now at a good uni himself. I would recommend your DS applying to the unis he fancies, mentioning his circumstances on his personal statement and asking his referee to do the same. Then, if his A level results are disappointing, take the year out and resit/reapply. But NB you might need to pay for resits.

Why does this anxiety only affect his history grade?

Does he NEED History? Is it relevant to the uni degree he wants to take? I got all E grades in my GCSEs due to being relentlessly bullied. Didn't want to do A levels at all. I went to college away from the bullies.

Took a BTEC diploma in the subject I needed as they had low entry requirements, got top grades once I was finally able to actually concentrate on my work.

Yeah it took 2 years longer but ultimately not having A levels or good GCSEs didn't affect my prospects.

He (and possibly you, given his circumstances) should work with the school to produce a school reference that briefly explains the circumstances around his difficulties with history. This should not take up lots of space at the expense of highlighting his positive qualities and achievements.

Importantly, it also should not be a list of excuses. Universities can be very sorry for someone's situation, but they cannot and will not offer a place to someone who they feel will be unable to cope with the course. To do so would not be fair to the student or to the university. It should focus on what he has done to mitigate, overcome or cope with the situation, his strategies and support, to show the universities that if he is offered and takes up a place he is equipped to deal with the rigours of the course.

The reality is that even when studying a subject that they enjoy as a whole, most students will come up against something that they don't enjoy, or that they find difficult, or that they aren't doing as well in as they hoped, and they have to get through it because that is what they have to do to get their degree. Universities will want to know that he will be able to do this.

It is also something that he should think about very carefully when considering whether he is currently in a good place to embark on a degree.