WWYD - Defer A Levels to 2024, based on poor mock results

[Hardchoice]

Hi
Need advice. I have changed my username for this post.

DD did average in her mocks getting a BDDC in her 4 mock a level subjects.
I am now pondering that she does not sit the A Levels in 2023, as I expect the results to be no better. She attends a state school.

1. Therefore, if we defer would the universities for 2024 entry still consider a deferred 2024 exam sitting as the first exam sitting
2. Should I pull my DD out of school now before exam fees are paid by the school
3. Or continue studying as normal for now, but decide closer to exam time that DD should not do the exams, if she does not improve, and I pay any exam fees incurred back to the school.
4. Are there any legal penalties if we defer the sitting of exams to 2024

What were the predicted grades? She can resit bit some unis don't like it. Is the subject/course particularly competitive?

Would the plan be to return to school in Sept to re start year 13? Would they accept her back?

The predicted grades were AAAA. However, I would be quite happy for her not to sit this year, and to sit them for the first time in 2024

I would look for her to attend another school that do the same board for the subjects she does

What have school said about her results? What has she said? Did she not study enough, did they mark harshly, did she fall down on question technique? You seem quite certain on going to a different school.

Doing 4 A Levels is largely considered to be a lot - would dropping the D subject to focus on the others be a possible(/better) route?

In terms of pulling her out now, she is legally supposed to be in education/training until 18, if she isn’t already, although there’s no real
mechanism to check or do anything about it. What would be the plan with pulling her out now?

If she drops out now, and then repeats a year, is there a chance that she could miss any sections of the subject? Other schools May do the sections in a different order.

Why is there such a huge discrepancy between her predicted grades a bd her mock grades?

With mock grades like she's received, it would seem sensible to drop one of the lowest subjects.

Why is she doing 4? Is one further maths? It’s fairly unusual to do 4 these days, maybe she’d be better off doing 3? Get a tutor and spend the next two months swotting like hell? Does she put the effort in!?

I remember for mock gcses dd got a “2” for English. I panicked and booked a weekly tutor. Tutor was also an exam marker (and English teacher at a different school) and she looked at DD’s paper and immediately said it was a “5” not a 2. Her answer structure wasn’t great because she didn’t know what she was meant to be doing. Once that was sorted she was fine. She got an 8 in her real exam.

What does your DD think?
Why does she think she got the grades she did?
Does she think that repeating a year will make a difference?

Why is she doing 4 ?
What happened , was she ill or just not bothered?
What does she think?
What will be different in a year?
Did she apply to uni?

The school is unlikely to deregister her

Funding is yearly and based on completing the previous year.

In order to complete she will need to be in classes at the school until at least June and/or have A level results.

This will be submitted for funding in October - if she's removed from roll/has no results then funding will be clawed back

I don't see any benefit to your DD from withdrawing her - she may as well attend and do her best and perhaps re -enrol in Sept for resits.

The time to reset the clock on her A levels was the end of Y12. Surely it was obvious then that she wasn't on track? If not, what has happened this year?

Hi all
The 4th subject will be dropped. She took 4 against my wishes and against those of her father.
Don’t think she has put the diligent work in - you only get out what you put in. I am seriously looking at her finishing the school year, BUT missing the exams and my dealing with the fallout from that. Then, defer and sit for the first time in 2024. Also, that approach may not make a jot of difference, but it may also be a kick up the backside she needs to change her attitude and learning habits. In the whole scheme of things a deferral of 12 months might not be so bad.

I did not know this. Would I be liable to pay this back.

I did not know this. Would I be liable to pay this back.

No you wouldn't be liable but it would be removed from the school's funding for the following year. There is scope for "exceptional circs" waiver but not being bothered to study wouldn't count unfortunately - it's more for serious illness etc

By all means talk to school and see what they suggest

Please discuss the options and the pros and cons of each with the school. If you are not sure who to go to, try the teacher of the subject where she got the B grade, or her favourite teacher, or the teacher of the subject she most wants to continue with at uni or in her job/life. Take DD with you, paper and pencil, and ask for advice about how to proceed

I'm a sixth form teacher. Shit mocks happen all the time for lots of students and it's more often than not the kick up the arse that they need to work and everything's fine.

Why on earth you'd force her to go somewhere else is beyond me. Totally unnecessary and disruptive and will probably result in worse grades.

Sixth formers have just once chance to redo. So either they repeat yr 12 once and then go to yr 13 or they repeat yr 13 once. If they're already in yr 13 they have just one chance left (repeat the year). They will not be accepted by another sixth form elsewhere to start again and it would be VERY unlikely INDEED that a new sixth form would accept them just for Yr 13.

It has to be a learning experience. If they didn't get what they need then they need work their arse off to get it. But you need to back out of finding solutions. The solution is theirs to find and take ownership of, however frustrating it is as a parent.

Some universities / courses stipulate that they need to be taken over two years. Check what the intended courses require. Some are willing to take resits so might be better to drop one concentrate mainly on two and resit one. What degree does she hope to study?

This is going to be near impossible.

Very few schools/colleges will take a student straight into year 13, and the chances of finding one that will that also offers the same a levels
With the same boards is vanishingly small.

If she concentrates hard and drops a subject, she could claw back a fair amount. Maybe the 4 As was an unrealistic goal?

Her best chance at this point is to knuckle down, and resit if required.

@Hardchoice

"She took 4 against my wishes and against those of her father."

It's her life, not your and not her fathers.

Let her live her life herself.

From the tone of your post it almost sounds as if you want to delay her sitting her exams as a punishment for not achieving high grades in mocks? I hope I’m wrong here. Ultimately it is your DD who will have to organise her study as best she can to get her grades. You can’t control all of it. All you can do is encourage her and help to clarify the best way forward with advice from the school and taking your DDs wishes into account.

OP, please pay attention to the recent post by RSintes, who is a sixth form teacher

Hi all
Thanks for the advice - it was much needed, abd is much appreciated.
Now, we need to mull things over as a family - including if things can be turned around in 3 months.

I would check with uni admissions before taking 3 years to do a 2 year course… I’m not sure they would look kindly on it? Best of luck x

Please also bear in mind that the current yr 13 cohort has never done a formal public exam since they did SATS because of covid.

The majority of them are completely freaking out about sitting in an exam hall and having everything count on a single exam.

Many perform highly in the classroom but have completely flunked their recent mocks as they panicked in the exam hall as they didn't have previous exam experience from GCSEs to kick in.

Teachers are focusing right now on exam strategies and giving them the exam strategy experience to be able to cope when the exam hall panic sets in.

Moving schools because of a visceral reaction to a nerve wracking situation that she's never previously been in is utterly excessive and unfair.

So instead of criticising and punishing, a little empathy and understanding would probably go a lot further and keep your own daughter onside at a time when she needs stability and love to get her through these tricky times.

Karma does of course have a tendency to come back in the future and bite one on the arse.