Crazy to move to Nat 5's now thread (part 2)

[52andblue]

I had some good advice on my 1st thread about this.
But I'm putting update on a new one as the last got a bit long.

I have a child doing GCSE's at an awful English Academy school. He is unlikely to do well (no assessments for a year, last were 'D' @gcse)
He has ASD and Dyslexia & is so badly bullied he is having what look like fits (they are not as he's been assessed, its just severe stress).

I have the option to move to Scotland. There is a place at the school.
I HAVE to move next summer anyway.
BUT he'd be moving at the worst possible time if I did it now.

The School say that, realistically, if I move him now, it would be a 'settling' year as they cannot assess him on work he has not done (and the courses are well progressed now). Fair enough.
They would put him in for Nat 4's and maybe Nat 5 Maths?

What would you do? Let him probably fail here and move him next summer or move him now (stressful for him!) and let him do Nat 4's?

Personally I'd let him do Nat4 - there are no exams just continuous assessments. It's like a buildup to Nat 5 the following year. This year a totally wash ours for exam students and if he already has challenges is unlikely to do well at gcse level.

It's REALLY tricky.
I have no recent info re grades this side of the border.
But he has struggled hugely over lockdown so I expect not good.
I'd rather he got Nat 4's than failed GCSE's thats for sure.
BUT
He might be bright enough to have a crack at Nat 5's?
I don't know if we'd have to plump for one or the other at this stage?
Could school assess him when he gets there (how, if he's not done the Nat 5 course so far?) so he could have a go if they thought he was bright enough, or is it Nat 4's or nothing at this stage of moving?

I would imagine, that even without putting him into a formal assessment to see where he sits, teachers would reasonably quickly be able to say whether he is capable of Nat 5, for some subjects anyway. Maths is a good example, teacher should suss out quickly if he knows what's what and the curriculum/exam surely can't vary too much between what he's been taught for GCSE and what they cover for Nat4/5?

Not sure if it would be quite so straightforward for other subjects but hopefully a teacher on here might be able to help?

The beauty of the Scottish system is he can do nat 4 this year and a mix of NAT 4 and 5 the following year and then the same again.
I would say move, take this year to settle him , get the support he needs and then you start next year with realistic expectations of what he is able to achieve.
Check out this site for info on what support you can expect in the Scottish system their help line is great too.
enquire.org.uk/

@WaxOnFeckOff

the S4 head called me yesterday

He basically said: 'it is highly highly unusual to try to move a young person at this stage of the year, across from the English system, and with current C19 restrictions. Personally, I'd only do it if the circs at the other end were so awful you thought it was best to basically let go of exam hopes this year and see it as a settling in year'.
He was nice, but pretty clear.
They've not said how they'd handle the 'stress attack/fits' but have said there is no 'safe space' at lunch / breaktime (though the house is close enough he could walk home for lunch, just). They've offered a p/t timetable for the first couple of weeks and said they could arrange a year group buddy temporarily. Any more support than this would need assessment.

I asked about subject choices and he said he'd check and email me
I had this, as a follow up email -

(list of subjects avail)
"In most of those subjects it would be possible to do either N4 or N5. Biology is a separate class with separate courses so it would be less feasible.

I think if he’s currently struggling at the C/D borderline in England then it would be highly ambitious to put him in for N5s in new courses across the board. We would have to talk it through together if you decided to move him in the next month or so and see what fits best. If he moves later in the school year you don’t have that pressure"

I am desperate for them to take him in, assess him and put him forward later for the level which is best but I'm not sure that's how the email / conversation reads?

I think it does read like that, he's saying that there are Nat4/5 combined classes for all his current subjects except Biology where he'd have to choose upfront which class to join. So he could join those borderline classes and do whatever level seems appropriate once teachers have had time to assess. He's also saying that personally he'd avoid exams so it's likely to be Nat4 (depending on whether there are Nat 5 exams I guess).

I don't think you should assume that he'll need a "safe space", in all likelihood, he'll make a friend or two and have folk to hang out with. He'd be joining at the older end of the school and school will be well aware of the relevant personalities in the school and match him with a suitable buddy.

I think the key thing he has said that he'd only recommend it if was really so bad, so I guess that's the thing none of us can help with.

@WaxOnFeckOff

thanks - it's good to get another take on the tone of the email.
It's pretty bad where he is, I'm just worried the stress of a move now (which ds doesn't really want) will make things worse.
But if he stays he will struggle massively with GCSE's, he has no friends anyway, the 'safe space' system is very patchy in current place and he has a long commute with a difficult bully child so its not good.

I guess it's a really hard choice - my gut feel is that if it was my child I'd move them. I think his physical and emotional well being are more important than his exams. Where there is a will there is a way. My DH left school with virtually nothing. His brother had died in tragic circumstances when he was about 14 and he just spent most of the next few years skipping school. He managed to get himself a manual labour job at 16 and over the years has amassed a couple of degrees, many different kinds of employment and currently has a job he loves (although doesn't pay well) and will do that until he retires.

I'd also just consider taking him out of school completely until the start of the new academic courses and let him just be for a while.

@WaxOnFeckOff
thank you. you have been a really helpful and kind sounding board through this as I have struggled not to be overwhelmed with the seeming enormity of the decision x

I'd much prefer both kids to sit out this year and learn from home (his younger sister is S2 age and only on a 50% timetable here atm) but they both feel that School is where you learn and home is where all that horrible stuff is left behind (very ASD!) and don't seem at all able to work from home so I do worry about blended learning / homework etc. My feeling is, academically, this year should be considered a write off and if Ds blames me for that he would a) not be wrong as I've lost him a whole month by 'freezing' and b) it's MUCH better he blames me than himself if he sits lots of GCSE's next year and fails.

I am just waiting on the Swinney announcement. If he says Nat 5's no exams this year then I'll make the jump!

Oh, S4 head says: 'we will decide for now only for Biology. But we'll see when you've brought all your information in'

Fair do's.

Only as Ds has not been back in England this term I don't have any recent academic information? . Scottish school 'cant take him till end of month' (half term next week, then a week to liaise with old school), then could start wk beg 26th.

I don't really want to send him back here for 2 weeks and don't know if they could do much useful assessment if so?

it sounds like you want to make the move. I'd not send him back, do as head says and enrol in new school for w/b 26th, that gives you a few weeks to get up and get organised, suss out if there are any clubs running that he might be interested in joining to help make friends.

Replied on the Scottish teacher thread OP

I'd move him, some of the Nat 4/5 classes are mixed so they just see how they get on and Nat 4 is based on assessments throughout the year anyway not a final exam. Nat 5 very likely to be no exams also.