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Welcome to Scotsnet - discuss all aspects of life in Scotland, including relocating, schools and local areas.

Original poster

1 year behind in HIgh School problems

43 replies

StripeyChina · 11/07/2019 10:28

If a child is sitting 1 year behind in High School, can they be asked to leave without sitting exams please?

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 11/07/2019 11:14

Can they repeat a year? Do you not think they'll be able to pass any exams?

Original poster
StripeyChina · 11/07/2019 13:25

Just worried that the School will try to ship them out if they are not 'academic' enough?

OP posts:
Mrsjayy · 11/07/2019 13:27

No they can't ship them out unless they need expelled because of behaviour what year are they in?

Mrsjayy · 11/07/2019 13:30

If they are falling behind then the school needs to assess the situation and provide learning support.I am not up on the new nats mine did stadard grades so I don't know how the levels go .

ClerkMaxwell · 11/07/2019 14:56

In my DCs school they would be happy to have students sit qualifications "behind" the standard - even two years behind eg Nat 5s in S6. Not a high performing school so quite common to be doing national 5s in S6 or doing over several years instead of the usual one year. However they would want to be sure that your child was making progression from year to year and in some cases might suggest college routes if they felt this might be better. However your child might have less subject choices.

Lidlfix · 11/07/2019 17:14

In theory, senior phase was supposed to be designed to allow a variety of progression routes. That design, however, did not take into account staffing, curriculum models and other practicalities that shape the life of a school.

What year is your DC currently in and what are their plans? Surely they started new timetable for a few (pointless) weeks before the holidays?

Bigger schools tend offer greater flexibility. Remember that all young people in Scotland have the right to remain in full time non advanced education till the end of S6.

DonkeyHohtay · 12/07/2019 07:28

Children who aren't academically able enough to do Nat 5 will be offered Nat 4 - no exams. Or study for an extra one or two years and do some Nat 5s at the end of S5 or S6 rather than S4.

But surely it's in no-one's interest to present a child for exams they have no chance of passing?

Lindy2 · 12/07/2019 07:39

Is it state or private school?
I'm in England and yes private schools can and do kick pupils out id that are behind. They don't want their exam statistics lowered.
If it's state school then no. Being behind is not a valid reason for expulsion. Surely they are not the only child who is less academic in the school. 1 year behind isn't so dreadful that they don't have the potential to progress and catch up with the correct support in place.

Bumply · 12/07/2019 12:45

What's your definition of being 1 year behind? At what point did the child slip a year?
Ds1 started p1 at 4.5yr but learnt nothing at that school and ended up redoing p1 and going from youngest to one of oldest in class.

Original poster
StripeyChina · 14/07/2019 21:01

sorry was away from t'internet for a bit.

Repeated P1.
Left for English school in P7.
Sat in correct chronolgical year in England

Now returning to Scotland they want him to sit in his 'old' Scottish year (ie 1 year behind)

State school. Would return in Aug.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 14/07/2019 21:05

So would he go back into the year group that he would have been in if he'd stayed in Scotland? What year would that be?

Original poster
StripeyChina · 14/07/2019 21:06

Yes.
S3, I think (he'd just begun Y7 in Sept 2016)

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 14/07/2019 21:10

What age is he?

dementedpixie · 14/07/2019 21:12

They sit exams in S4, S5, S6 so surely he'd get a chance to sit something to get some qualifications

serenadoundy · 14/07/2019 21:14

Age is literally everything here

surlycurly · 14/07/2019 21:14

All pupils leaving school have to have a minimum level of qualifications (five at three is the school jargon, or five qualifications at national 3). Whilst this is a low bar, this is obviously a minimum. Pupils also have to have a 'positive destination' up to the age of 18 and the school is responsible for that so it's not to the school's advantage to make a pupil leave without qualifications. I hope this helps.

DonkeyHohtay · 14/07/2019 21:22

You are looking at this all wrong. As you know having moved between the two systems, the intake is different. Our cut off is February, England's is August. It's 6 months difference so there is no exact comparison.

So if they're saying he's to rejoin S3, where's the problem? He does S3 and S4, then sits Nat 5s with everyone else.

I don't get why you'd think he'd be asked to leave without sitting exams, when he's still a way off sitting exams in the first place. It makes no sense.

WaxOnFeckOff · 14/07/2019 21:24

I think part of it will be due to whatever system the school is using for choosing subjects. If the school start their Nat 5s in S3 rather than S4, they may feel that's a better position for him to be in so he has the same run to the exams as his peers and sits his Nat 5s at end S4. Most (All?) High schools in Scotland are for the full 6 years of High School so it's not like he will only be in school for a year or two.

When is his birthday?

dementedpixie · 14/07/2019 21:31

I think our school chooses subjects at the end of S2 now whereas it used to be end of S3. It would probably be in his best interest to start back in S3 to give him a chance to learn the whole syllabus before the exams start in S4

surlycurly · 14/07/2019 21:35

@WaxOnFeckOff is correct. If they are starting S3 then they have the whole year to prep for their Nationals, in which case they shall be no further behind than anyone else.

WaxOnFeckOff · 14/07/2019 21:35

When my niece returned from the English system, she was due to go into s4 but the school had chosen Nat5s at the end of S2. What they did was put her into S4 but skipped Nat 5 completely and did 2 year Highers sat at the end of S5 instead. She was a summer birthday though so would have been quite old to go back a year.

tabulahrasa · 14/07/2019 21:41

It’s not a year behind though... it’s the right year for Scotland, just that Scotland works their years differently.

It’s also not the same curriculum or the same exams, so he’d not be repeating work either.

WaxOnFeckOff · 14/07/2019 21:47

I'm guessing that OP'S DS has a birthday that would have allowed him to be deferred when he started school and that he initially wasn't but they've felt that he would have benefited from repeating P1 and did. So he is essentially in the position where he could be put in either year. He'll feel like he is going back just because pf the way the years work in England v Scotland but will fit age wise perfectly well.

I could be completely wrong though...

DonkeyHohtay · 14/07/2019 22:07

That could well be the case Wax but " can they be asked to leave without sitting exams" still makes no sense because:

a - the child isn't old enough to be sitting exams.
b - nobody is asking the child to leave.

WaxOnFeckOff · 14/07/2019 22:13

I agree @DonkeyHohtay, it's like it's two different threads tbh

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