daughter been withdrawn from uni in fourth year

[imperialqueen]

I would be so grateful for some advice on behalf of my daughter. She has started the fourth year of a social work degree last month and is on her final placement.

She contacted a lecturer today as she couldn't get into her honours folder on line. The lecturer told her she has been withdrawn from the course because she failed a 2nd year resit. She sat the exam in May 2022, resat it in December 2022 failed again, then resat in May 2023 and she said she thought she passed the May 2023 resit as she got 41%.

The lecturer who got back to her today just said a resit is 45% so she has failed for a 3rd time.

She is obviously quite upset and is saying she has emailed the lecturer back and the lecturer is not getting back to her. She is in her final palcement at the moment and isn't sure what to do.

She is quite distraught as this was a 2nd year exam and she has passed all of 3rd year (although not sure if she has all her 3rd year results back). and now in 4th year.

I am so upset too, a 3rd and 4th year saas fees have been wasted on the course. She is dyslexic and going through an adhd assessment (due to get final one next week).

She is adamant there is no phone number she can phone to speak to anyone to help her and let her know what to do. Whether just to leave the placement now or what. She says she doesn't have a personal tutor.

She has emailed the head of social work at the uni.

She has never missed a lecture or been late with an assignment or missed a day of 3rd year placement or 4th year. I know she has to be able to do the academic side too but I wondered if there is anything she can do now.

i didn't go to university and she is my first child to go. So I don't have anyone to ask for help.

Oh the head lecturer has just emailed back saying she failed the 3rd attempt and she had 10 days after they emailed her telling her she was withdrawn to appeal and that 10 days has elapsed.

She is saying she didn't receive the emails. I am thinking she didn't check.

Is there no hope now? So sorry for it being so long. I am so upset for her.

Life lesson I suppose for her.

@burnoutbabe

It can be to do with the lecturers involved both in terms of the content and the instruction.

If you have for example a course that is managed well and accessible to ND people it will have PowerPoints with visual information, good references and a range of resources for further reading/study in multiple formats including video and access to listen to/watch the lecture again or supplementary notes.

Someone such as the OP’s daughter should also have been entitled to a note taker and/or scribe software appropriate for dyslexia/adhd, training in how to use the software, a study support assitant to identify issues where misunderstanding may arise and help develop strategies to alleviate issues, extra time for assignments or alternative assignments, extra time and breaks for exams, mental health support and more besides.

We have all been on courses where the lecture material is big blocks of copy and pasted text with few references and little lecturer support. This, lack of appropriate disability support as outlined due to her being undiagnosed. Or some other factor with the course/lecturers may have been involved. Even them dictating information regarding how to do the assignment or about the new portal may have contributed.

Re. How you received your exam results - it isn’t done like this now. It is now all online, which involves logging into your Uni area, then clicking a series of buttons to get to the exam results area, then logging into this and knowing which tabs to press to get your result. Information regarding pass marks, particularly with regard to resits may be in another area or in the Uni regulations. Usually they will email you with information and an instructional video about how to access results.

OP’s daughter off the back of this, could ask for the reasonable adaptation of being sent her results and explanation via letter as would have been done years ago. Which would be more straightforward and clear for someone with ADHD… and indeed all typical students, the online system is a bit stressy, I remember my social media and messages being awash with “what do we do?” “How do we get in?” “I’ve clicked on the thing but it isn’t working” “I’ve been on hold to registry, I don’t understand”

The difference with OP’s daughter and the rest, is that she didn’t clock a problem due to her disability, whereas NT would have and would have followed up on it.

Yes I used the online system, I have just finished a second degree and then masters. Plus I was course rep so dealt with these sort of queries regularly from students who wanted to appeal things.

My point about the failed module was for her to explain why that module was failed and why it would be passed with the adjustments. If it was done exactly the same teaching style as all other passed modules then it's harder to make the argument than if it was done very differently.

The student union had special student advisors to discuss appeals with who knew the exact university regulations you can appeal under. Best to contact them.

@burnoutbabe

I think our correspondence on here shows exactly how ND people can misinterpret things…

You said
All my exam marks I have been sent usually say 2 things -the mark and then a letter a was first, b 60, c 50-60,
Then f would be fail. It also would state what f was on sane page. Did her documents show this..

I took this to mean that you were literally physically sent an actual letter of correspondence and physical documents. This was due to the way you’d written; grades weren’t capitalised, you didn’t use a colon following the grades and there were spelling mistakes - all of which is distracting and less clear for a ND reader.

Communication style can really impact people who are ND.

The main issue I can see is that she had difficulty with admin due to increased ADHD symptoms around exams and she didn’t pick up on what was required in terms of her responsibilities nor that the pass mark for a resit was higher (as this is info usually hidden in uni regulations).

Also the fact that she passed the higher level of the same subject at 60% in third year would indicate perhaps an issue with the content/tuition relative to second year.

I agree; speak to special advisors at the Union regarding the appeal.

Actually I am currently at uni, with traits of ADHD with no money to try and privately get diagnosed, and no chance on the NHS. I also have a DC with ASD and SLD, so believe me, I'm fully aware of lack of support and discrimination thanks. But at the end of the day the university have asked the OP, not a load of random Mumsnetters.

@ThickSkinnedSoWhat

OP has no experience of the process and isn’t sure how to advise, and her daughter is a young, potentially vulnerable, disabled woman who has already shown she has marked difficulty with admin tasks.

I’m more than happy to help and feel genuine compassion for them both. I’ve been at Uni where I had incredible support, and at Uni where there has been next to no provision, ridicule when asking for reasonable adjustments, and an inhuman process of exceptional circumstances. In the latter case, had it not been for student services at the union I wouldn’t have completed the degree.

As for your situation, ask your gp for referral both for adhd assessment via nhs and counselling/other support if you need it. On this basis you should then be able to apply for DLA, if you don’t have it already. Provided you fill in the form robustly and are given it, this will open the doors to more Uni funding. And you can also use a few months to pay for private assessment - we did this with one of DC.

@ThickSkinnedSoWhat is right though.

The university needs to hear from the student, not her mother - and not well-intentioned people who don't know her. If the OP's DD can read this thread and finds it useful, all to the good - but it's important that this comes from her, and is specific to her, rather than being generalisations.

@SarahAndQuack

I’m also in agreement, which is why I referred to my example as a “skeleton framework” to give an example of how detailed you need to be, the overall structure and the sort of things you can say to explain the impact of adhd.

Not for her to do a copy paste job…

@Robinni, I do get that, but I see why @ThickSkinnedSoWhat added a reminder that this must come from the OP's DD, and must be specific and tailored, not based on generalisations. It's not on to have a go at her for pointing that out - it can be really important.

@SarahAndQuack I didn’t realise I had come across as having a go, that wasn’t my intention and I’m sorry @ThickSkinnedSoWhat if my response to you was interpreted that way.

It obviously has to come from the OP’s daughter and student services are best placed to advise.

I hope my contributions do serve as a rough guide. I had terrible experiences with EC and honestly have never felt as bewildered or humiliated by trudging through that quagmire.

I hope it is resolved quickly for your daughter OP and that she achieves the desired outcome and is able to move on.

You have been amazing and generous with your help and advice. I am sure OP and her daughter will appreciate it. If this was my daughter, I would be moving heaven and earth to support her and to prevent her from losing her dream and career.

I feel a bit concerned from what you are saying that the uni realises it made a mistake in allowing your daughter to continue onto 4th year, even organising a placement for her, and is now going through the motions so they can show that your daughter has had every avenue of academic appeal, ultimately changing nothing.
Open Uni does SW courses - maybe worth a phone call to discuss what credit she could transfer to try to complete that way ? Or asking the current uni if she can do a module with Open Uni and transfer it in ?

Be careful she doesn’t fall foul of not being fit to practice. Sssc registration is compulsory and includes - you’ll need to check the detail - stating that your health doesn’t impede your ability to practice SW. Or something like that. So absolutely stress the impact adhd has had but also that now it is diagnosed, the coping skills and strategies she will be using to improve things. Good luck.

I went to Lancaster University for a social work MA we didn't have personal tutors

Robinni - I don't think I have the words to express my gratitude and amazement at your level of kindness and generosity towards my daughter and I. I

For you to have taken the time you have to reply to a complete stranger on the internet with such indepth information is an act of kindness I have not experienced before.

I could not work out how to DM you (think I may have to be a paying mm member for that). Thank you and as I said I do not have the words to express my level of gratitude to you.

I am also so grateful to all the other mumsnetters who have replied with such helpful information and support over the last few days. Thank you so much to everyone who has given us invaluable advice and information.

The kindness of people on this thread has absolutely humbled me. Thank you so much.

As soon as I have any information back from the University I will update.

Reading general summaries of a condition an individual suffers from can help them put their own personal difficulties into words. Same applies for PIP/DLA applications. For many people it’s hard and daunting to put into their own words the issues they’ve lived with long term and of course they don’t know how other people deemed “normal” function.

@imperialqueen
came across your post and was wondering how you and your daughter have got on?

I really hope things worked out for your DD.

@Wineandcrisps28 and @SmallDaffodils thanks for asking. She isn't back at Uni and we are still waiting to hear back from this final, final appeal.

I will update as soon as she has a definitive answer.

Thanks again to everyone who gave invaluable advise and to everyone who showed concern. I can't thank you all enough for the time you have taken to reply on this thread.

but she passed the following year!. Not sure WHY they did not cancel her then? They have also put her forward for placement!
Option 2 would also be to get a remark of her failed papers (if, of course, they can even find that paperwork)

This sounds unfairly harsh OP, I hope you will get it sorted.

Hoping the final review is good.

My daughter achieved her degree, but many of her peers went to the graduation ceremony and were awarded Certificate of HE or a DipHE, even though they had completed 3 years - based on failing finals but on the results of their previous 2 years. Because her Uni changed the course names & content at the end of her 2nd year, dropping her course altogether, they awarded her a DipHE to use to apply for her 3rd year.
I have a CertHE from a random course I did in mentoring volunteers - I was told I could use this as a 1st year pass to apply to enter a 2nd year of a related course.

Just a wee update.

My daughter heard a couple of days ago that she has got back in. Her final, final appeal was accepted.

She is to restart her fourth year in September.

Thanks again to everyone who gave invaluable advise and to everyone who showed concern. I can't thank you all enough for the time you have taken to reply on this thread.

That’s great news. Thank you for sharing the update. Good luck to her and hopefully she can successfully complete her degree now.

Hurray!! Thanks for such a positive update and I am happy for your daughter.