Foundation to Higher Maths in a year - is it possible?

[MintLindt]

My AuDHD daughter has been at online school for the past three years following a period of severe burnout and very low (or, more accurately, no) motivation. She wouldn't turn her camera on, engage with teachers or submit work so her GCSE results today aren't entirely surprising. She got a 3 in Foundation Maths, 4-4 in Combined Science and a 6 in English.

Shortly before her GCSEs, she started medication for depression and ADHD and has recently completely rediscovered her love of learning. It's as though a light has been switched back on and she has her life back. She is now highly motivated to continue studying sciences and would love, at an absolute stretch, to become a vet. Alternatively, she'd be very interested in training as a vet nurse.

She is planning to resit her science GCSEs to improve her grades. In September she's starting a Level 2 equine course at college but she'd also like to study online for the Higher Maths IGCSE alongside it with the aim of progressing to A levels afterwards.

I believe she is academically capable of doing this but obviously going from Foundation Maths to Higher Maths in a relatively short period is going to be a huge challenge. She's absolutely adamant that she can do it and I'm keen to support her if it's realistic.

So, firstly, has anyone had experience of making this sort of jump from Foundation to Higher Maths in a relatively short period of time? Is it achievable with intensive, structured support?

Secondly, I'm looking for recommendations for an experienced maths tutor who could help her. Ideally we'd need someone who really understands GCSE/IGCSE exam requirements and could assess where she is now, identify the gaps and work out a realistic route towards the Higher paper. I suspect a qualified teacher or examiner would be ideal but I'm not sure where best to look.

I'd be incredibly grateful for any recommendations or advice, particularly from anyone who has experience of supporting an AuDHD young person who has suddenly regained their motivation to learn!

That is a lot to take on.
Level 2 equine, plus science resit, plus more maths.

If she wants to be a vet, would she be better off doing a home ed resit year with the maths and science, and not 'waste time' on equine? I know it would be relevant but it would take up 3 days a week, plus college would make her do foundation tier maths lessons too.

She doesn't want to just get a 6 in maths on higher tier, to go on to vet Med she'll be wanting 7+ for maths and sciences I would think.

Yes, I completely agree and we have suggested this to her as an option. However, she's been at home for the last three years with nobody her own age to socialise with so she's really keen to try getting back into a college environment and hopefully make some friends. I think that's quite important for her.

She's so adamant that she can do this, and although it might seem unrealistic to me, I don't want to come across as negative or make her feel that I don't believe in her. It's just so lovely to see her motivated and excited about learning again after all this time. I really want to support her and give her the opportunity to see what she can achieve while obviously being realistic about what is possible.

As an aside, why equine rather than Animal care?
I would have thought animal care (which DD did) would give an aspiring vet more variety of hands on experience?

I understand re the socialisation.

If she is capable and focused then the L2 work could be got through quite quickly I guess. I still think it is a big ask.

I guess I'm really just trying to find the best way to keep as many options open for her as possible. It's probably unlikely that she'll go on to vet med but she may discover other opportunities along the way and I don't want the lack of motivation she had before her GCSEs to unnecessarily limit her choices now that she's found her motivation again.

Perhaps A levels will open more doors for her than progressing to level 3 equine but we don't know yet. I'd like to give her the opportunity to see what she's capable of and keep those options open while she has this new enthusiasm for learning. I just hope it lasts!

Yes, I think she can do it. My AuDHD completely disengaged with another subject after burning out but suddenly rediscovered it and everything fell into place. Have a look at 5-a-day on Corbett Maths -really good for kids like ours.

She applied for equine before this newfound motivation and it was the only course that really excited her when we went to the open day so that's what she went for.

If she doesn't manage to progress to A levels, she may well switch to Animal Management afterwards which would give her a route towards veterinary nursing.

Thank you — that's really encouraging to hear, especially from someone who's been through something similar. I'll definitely have a look at Corbett Maths and the 5-a-day 😊

You've said she's highly motivated, so I guess it depends on her aptitude for the subject and how much time she can free up. What's your take on that? Presumably college has to make her sit through foundation maths classes, which will cut into her time and perhaps bore her if it's aimed at people who are less capable and motivated than she now is.

Individual learning by someone who really wants it is always going to be far more effective than group teaching when they aren't interested. For instance, one of my kids, having never done any formal maths at all, blitzed through the entire maths curriculum in nine months, working about three hours a week, and then sat higher tier. However, the fact they'd never been forced to do maths against their will and hadn't suffered burnout made a big difference IMO. And they weren't juggling college alongside it.

Your daughter only recovered a few months ago, right? This is a lot of work she's taking on so quickly. And I imagine she'll find the social side tiring even if it's great. Maybe manage her expectations with discussions like, "Okay, this is going to be very full on so why don't you try, but here are some fallback plans if it proves to be too much" sort of thing. It would be simple enough to drop the higher tier maths if it isn't working out.

Also, I’d say for AuDHD, in person tutoring is best as it’s easier to spot when you’re losing them. Where are you approximately? Do you have a local support group where people might be able to give recommendations?

Not maths but science. One of mine had a 33 in science at the end of year 10. They got an ADHD diagnosis and started meds in December of year 11 and last week got an 87 for science. I put it entirely down to the meds giving the focus and motivation so I would say it’s entirely possible

Please look at the mental health requirements for vets and vet nurses before she gets too invested. A few years ago when I looked for a niece they were appalingly bad and excluded pretty much anyone with any mh diagnosis/history from registration with the correct bodies.

Ex maths teacher.

so if she has to do resit classes they will be focusing on grade 4 content because their aim is to get her to pass.

the foundation and higher papers actually have an overlap of questions - the higher paper starts with the same questions (literally the same questions) that the foundation paper finishes with.

these are grade 4/5/6 questions and are known as the cross over questions (because they are on both papers).

For example look at this website:

https://www.mathslinks.co.uk/worksheets/crossover-topics

if you google crossover topics you’ll find lots of resources aimed at these topics as they are key for a lot of students.

Hi OP.

I run a tuition centre called The Haven Overton (you can find us on Facebook). It's been set up for ND young people and/or those with mental health challenges. Many of my learners aren't in school and are recovering from burn out or are on part time timetables.

Happy to have a chat through your daughter's needs and offer some advice. I always offer the initial meet up for free to learn about the young person, their needs and offer some advice on next steps (and whether I can support).

Thanks everyone, this has all been really helpful and has given me a lot to think about.

I emailed the college this morning to find out exactly what the requirements are for the Maths resit. Her predicted grade at online school was a 5 so I’ve asked whether they'd be willing to enter her for Higher tier if we arrange private tuition alongside college. We’ve found a lovely tutor who thinks her goal is achievable if she’s willing and able to put the work in, and I agree that 1-to-1 tuition is probably going to suit her best.

I’m very conscious that she’s only recently got back on her feet and that starting college itself will be a big adjustment so we’re going to treat this as something she can try rather than something she has to achieve. If it becomes too much, we’ll reassess and look at other routes. The last thing I want is for her to burn herself out.

It’s really encouraging to hear the example of the jump from 33 to 87 in science after an ADHD diagnosis and medication too. DD is incredibly motivated now and seems like a completely different student so I’d like to give her the opportunity to see what she’s capable of while keeping her expectations realistic.

I’ll also check the current vet/vet nursing registration requirements, as obviously that’s important to know before she gets too far down that road.

Thanks again, lots of useful links and info here.

Maths Genie has been brilliant for my DD she’s just systematically worked through the levels it’s free website. The old version is easier to navigate than the new one but do check which exam spec you are sitting as some different content is covered and some papers have a non-calculator paper.
ADHD meds transformed my dd as well.

We’ve using the Southwestsciences packages for triple science but they do double as well. It’s very reasonable cost for the level of content provided.

Did you find a maths tutor OP? I can recommend an excellent one if not, she tutors online.

For Maths iGCSEs there is an absolutely amazing free online tutor on YouTube who does videos that my daughter found the most helpful. Google Mr Astbury Maths and his videos come up. She literally just studied via those videos (as her Maths teaching at school was rubbish) and got a comfortable 7.

It can be possible, but I’d separate two questions: whether Higher is realistically the right target, and whether the current starting point leaves enough time to build confidence rather than simply rush content. I’d ask for a recent Foundation-style paper result, identify the Higher topics that are currently missing, and build in short weekly retrieval practice plus timed questions. With burnout in the background, a sustainable rhythm and clear small wins may matter as much as the syllabus plan. Has she sat a recent paper under low-pressure conditions yet?