Dropping a GCSE

[Joeblack066]

DD is 15 and coming tO the end of yr 10. There is lots going on with her atm, and she has just started being helped by CAMHS. She would like to drop the Art GCSE as this is so much pressure of work, but is adamant that the school would ridicule this idea. I am going to speak to them obviously, but I wondered if anyone has ever gone through their child dropping a GCSE? TIA.

I dropped an O Level back in the old days, I did Engliish Language early so dropped literature.

Basically it was to much for me to cope with, a bullying teacher, lots going on.

It is simple. It is a health issue. They are required by law to make reasonable adjustment for health and disability. If you frame it as an adjustment they would have to prove it wasn't reasonable.

Does the school offer BTEC Art and Design as an alternative? If they do it may be possible to switch over and use some of her current portfolio. The BTEC is less time demanding than the GCSE.

Art is a subject with a lot of course/homework so I can see that it might reduce the pressure to drop it.
I know of one friend's DS who has health problems and has dropped two subjects.

Many thanks for your replies, I have asked the school.

Ds has just finished his GCSEs. He dropped accountancy mid way through year 11. I had a lot of conversations with his head of year about it and in the end we agreed that it was best for all concerned.

Ds was really struggling, very far behind and hated it so had no motivation. In the end he threatened to just sit in class and not listen or participate at all. I think school were glad he dropped it so they didn't have a fail on their records. Harsh but true.

He sat in the class doing other work and was supervised by his accountancy teacher. He wasn't allowed to just bunk of iykwim.

Art is s huge amount of work. My DS went from triple to double science and our lives were so much easier.

Like sashh, I dropped an O level (many, many years ago) - I was getting far too stressed, in the revision run-up to my Mocks, and decided that there was no way I was ever going to understand Physics, so, with my parents' agreement, I decided to drop it. But as I was sure the school wouldn't agree, I went in and failed the Mock on purpose - and even then they wanted me to do the CSE (but accepted it when I said No - so maybe they'd have accepted me dropping it).

Anyhow - the point of all that waffle is that you are absolutely right to put your dd's health and wellbeing above her Art GCSE. I would hope that if you talk to the school and explain the circumstances (are they aware of the CAHMS involvement already?), that they should be very understanding and allow her to drop Art without any fuss.

And she might find that, relieved of the exam pressure, art becomes something she can do for enjoyment, and to relax and destress from her other subjects.

DD dropped art half way through. It was a bit of a fight with the school but in the end we told them what we expected to happen rather than asking them. Good luck with your DD. CAMHS are fantastic & will offer plenty of fresh ideas to help DD cope. At least this is my personal opinion of out local CAMHS.

Keep fighting for what you feel is best for your child OP.

ds1 dropped spanish at xmas of Y11 - he hated it and I really didn't see the point of him doing something he wouldn't get a decent grade at plus he was already doing 11 other subjects including another MFL and he would have potentially ended up with 13 gcse levels (did one early) which I was able to point out was an obscene amount of qualifications and totally unnecessary. His free periods were used for private study. Didn't cause any problems with school at all.