Unexpectedly low grades, lost for options

[HisMum4]

Don't want to highjack other threads with specifics.

DS got his IGCSEs today and they are all C and B instead of predicted A*, meaning he is not making his 6 form offer.

DS is autistic and has a statement. He wants to do Maths, Further Maths and Physics as A levels, as these are his best and "easy" subjects. There isn't a back up option of doing Psychology and Media Studies as these would be a huge challenge to him. There is little sense to go to another college to do Media Studies...

He wants to do Engineering or Maths and Computing at University. With these IGCSE results this seem falling apart.

We thought of applying to other schools, but basically they also have high requirements for Maths and Further Maths. If he could get into another college 6 form for his desired subjects, he potentially could do them without changing school, we could just appeal and hang on to the current school based on his Statement status (at least hope as a plan). But his results are too low, so I really don't know what now.

What went wrong? Not clear. Mostly nerves. DS underperforms under pressure. Not good at exams. Not good at explanations in those science exam papers.

What is DS good at, what does he enjoy? Playing Minecraft, working on the computer. He learned to program.

He is good with MFLs, so he could eventually do French and German in 6 form (he got A in MFL IGCSEs). BUT, he is totally useless at esseys and probably would not make the A2 exams which require to write esseys. He certainly would have nothing to do in an MFL university course as he is useless with literature and language nuances. A dead end.

Back to computing. Actually we applied for an Apprenticeship in IT. Results are not clear, they are waiting for his grades. But even if he gets the Aprenticeship, it will be not in comuting and IT, but in Digital Marketing. Marketing is really not a career for Aspies. DS could make it as a first job, but not a career. How would he get back on track? He would need to return to 6 form and do 3 A levels including Maths to get into a Computing degree.

The thing is because of his ASD, his difficulties with social skills, interaction and communication, DS would struggle in those mid level service jobs in which normal people thrive. He needs something very technical, but doesn't seem to have the grades for it.

To be honest we don't know his Maths grades yet. We will know them tomorrow. But if they are not A*, tomorrow we will need a plan B.

What could we do?

Get his exam papers, see what went wrong?

Apply to other schools/collegues until we find one that will take him in 6 form for his desired subjects with Bs?

Hang on to 6 form by doing MFLs (A* on paper)?

Get the Digital Marketing Aprenticeship?

Get a different IT Aprenticeship (not many options after GCSEs, Help Desc aprenticeships require a lot of communication and interaction...)

What other routes are there into IT degrees?

[queenofthemountain]

Your DS has got stellar maths results!! The English is irrelevant to the subjects he is intending to pursue.I am sure any decent 6th form will snatch his hand off.

[Dayshiftdoris]

HisMum4

I have just remembered something.

Ambitious for Autism were doing some campaigning around this sort of admission criteria into further education for children with ASD.

What the last poster just said reminded me. It's around the DDA and reasonable adjustment - if, because of his disability (ASD) he struggles with English, especially deduction / inference / empathetic analysis then the schools policy potentially discriminates. It's not reasonable to expect him to reach that grade due to his disability.

If he wanted to do English at sixth form or he was attaining less than a C they might have an argue meant but that is not the case here,
Here there is opportunity for a reasonable adjustment to be made so that he has the SAME opportunity to access sixth form as a child without ASD who does not have an known, inbuilt barrier to accessing that part of the curriculum.

You know what it's worth talking to IPSEA on this one too

[queenofthemountain]

Is the 6th form at his current school? If so they can't have it both ways! They clearly think he had the potential to get A*s in maths and physics , and that being the case should be willing to admit him on to the a level course.
With GCSE sciences , the knack is studying mark schemes well so you know the buzz words examiners are looking for.I have a few friends who are science teachers nd this is a very common complaint, that able tudents don't get the grades they deserve because they don't us ethe right form of works to explain their answer.It is more 'how science works' than actual science.He may very well do better at A level which is more a test of scientific flair

[HisMum4]

Thank you all so much for good advice and words of support . I will definitely appeal and try to get DS into 6 form.

My support to all of DC and mums who did or will sit GCSEs
Warm regards to the mums of DC with special needs. My DS got his statement in year 6 and then I though I could take a back sit and watch the scenery, but it did work that way at all...

As the saying goes, we just have to keep on going. Let's selebrate the begining of the new battle school year .

[Dayshiftdoris]

HisMum4

I have absolutely nothing useful to offer except that I read this thinking 'this gives me hope' and 'this mum is doing such a fantastic job'

Thank you - my son is 10 - going into yr5 and the future scares me but well yes, reading this is fantastic - your son is absolute inspiration but had to have a wry smile at the spiky profile

Hope his school see sense and keep him

[Seriouslyffs]

I'm really shocked that his current school won't keep him on, and I'd demand to hear it from the HT's mouth!
Then I'd be calling round local selective private schools and feeling pretty confident of getting a pretty massive bursary.

[NWgirls]

Wow, congratulations OP, your son has a real spike in maths! I agree that 6th form should be the plan - and at a good school!

Before giving up the current school I really think you should write a letter to the school and also insist on a meeting with head of 6th form (and/or HT - whoever can decide) to seek an exception from the policy of requiring at least a B in English - and perhaps also:

• agreeing to attempt to retake English
  
• emphasising his ASD
  
• making a really big point out of the 4As proving his intellect
  
  Others on MN who know how such decisions - including exceptions - can be made might be more helpful than me on how to best do this. You may also want school-specific advice. Perhaps you can try to find out if the school has made exceptions in the past, and why/how? Don't give up! And don't be fobbed off by non-decision makers explaining the policy!
  
  If that does not work: With those 4 As other really good schools would hopefully see sense and snap him up in a heartbeat if given the chance? (No idea if any independent schools would be able to drum up a scholarship based on his maths talents at short notice; I don't know if this ever happens, and possibly too late, but perhaps worth finding out)

[mollyb101]

I needed to get a certain number of A-C grades with at least Bs in the subjects I wanted, I think one or two I didnt get a B but they knew I would put the work in and so they let me into the college.

the same happened for my uni choice, I needed BBC, I achieved BCC and they let me in anyway after a short conversation.

dont right anything off until he has spoken to the head of the college, they maybe far more understanding than a blanket No.

However as other people have said, it maybe a different route would suit your son more if Essays and high pressure environments like exams make him struggle then the next step to uni maybe more difficult via that route.

I did sports science at uni and the people who had gone the BTEC route were far more knowledgeable and found the start of the degree easier than those of us with the traditional GCSEs

[frogsinapond]

don't you have to redo all the controlled assessments if you resit? If so (and probably even if not) I don't think it's worth it. A C is good enough as long as you can persuade his sixth form (or another one) to take him.

[crazymum53]

Hismum4 GCSE English can be retaken in November but only worth doing if your dc would be self motivated to do it or if the school/college would provide teaching and support with it.
I have experience of teaching A level Science and it is possible to take A level with a grade B. PM me if you need further advice.
A level Computing may also be a possibility for students with a good record at Maths.

[HisMum4]

Yes, the school is selective and English is the sticking point.

Any opinions whether it is worth to re-sit English or sciences?

DS needs to get an habit and confidence to do well in exams...

[crazymum53]

Is your ds at an academically selective school OP?
GCSE grade C English is still a Pass and most state sixth forms and sixth form colleges would accept him for A levels providing he has at least a grade B in the subjects he wishes to study and grade C English.
Which subjects was he intending to study at A level? Grade Bs at GCSE should be sufficient for most A level subjects including Sciences.

[FozzieMK]

My DD has just studied and passed level 2 BTEC in IT at College whilst retaking her GCSE English. She is starting the level 3 extended BTEC in IT this September which is a 2 year course enabling her to go on to Uni or an Apprenticeship if she gets good results. In both the level 2 course and the level 3 course this year there were quite a few boys with Aspergers who got on very well. Would it be worth just talking to your local college to assess his options?

[Seriouslyffs]

Will his school definitely not keep him with those grades ?
That's awful- have you spoken to them?

[HisMum4]

We've got news. His Maths and Further Maths exams are A and A.
So he didn't bomb all exams, just sciences.
Apparently ISAs are bad. He let himself down on exam units which he had less time to learn and practice exam papers for at school (they were finishing unit 3 days before exams).
He 's got 4 A (Maths and MFLs), 1 C (English) and 3 Bs.
Weak English was expected, but everyone was hoping for a B.

So the conclusion is:

1. DS is good at Maths
   
2. He can do exams
   
3. He can score A* in sciences if he is over prepared by practicing exam papers. Otherwise he is all over the place.
   
4. Need to revise for sciences in a different way, focusing on rehearsing exam questions.
   

Based on this 6 form still makes sense. An apprenticeship would be better after A levels.

But he didn't meet the criteria for 6 form because of English. Need to appeal.

These GCSE results make him far less competitive for good apprenticeships and work experience, which is very important for an Aspie.

Should we bother with re sitting sciences or is it gone?

[Springcleanish]

What grades did he actually get? In which subjects? For many sixth forms you can get in with a C or a B in a subject, most schools are keen for the extra money a sixth form student brings. Perhaps his subjects just need changing? Have you spoken to the school? What have they said? They will often make special dispensations for unexpected results. Was your son entitled to an individual room for his exams, rest breaks, a single invigilator he recognised? All these things can make a difference for some students.

[tobysmum77]

QCF is the Qualifications and Credit framework. Things have got confusing in recent years, but broadly at the present time apprenticeships lead to an NVQ-type qualification, a knowledge element or qualification and functional skills (although gcse English/ Maths is also accepted). 74 credits means that there are 740 notional learning hours. A levels are not credited in this way. Also an intermediate apprenticeship isn't equivalent to A Levels anyway. That would be an Advanced Apprenticeship.

Please get some proper advice, maybe the National Careers service? That way you don't have to deal with advice from people who can make money out of you (ie colleges/ schools/ training providers)

[tobysmum77]

there are lots of different types of apprenticeships. I would look further into the different options to find one that is right for him rather than jump into one that is not right for him.

If you visit the national apprenticeships service website www.apprenticeships.org.uk they have a search engine with over 20,000 vacancies.

[MumTryingHerBest]

HisMum4 Thu 21-Aug-14 00:10:01
The apprenticeship involves a
City and Guilds Level 3 Diploma in digital marketing 7513-30.

So it is not a BTECH or HNC/HND. Assessment is via QCF, whatever it means. I think it is work place assessment based on portfolio of work.

74 credits - what does this mean? Is it less than one A level?

They say in the broshure that they teach :

• Search - SEO and PPC
• Design
• Online advertising
• Email marketing
• Social media
• Image and video editing

Mumtrying, what do you make of it?

HisMum4 do you know what SEO and PPC means? - Search engine optimisation and Pay Per Click - this is pure play on-line advertising - based on what you have said so far, not right for your DS, although an understanding may be of some use at some point.

Design is very vague,

Online advertising is too vague

email marketing - quite useful for the majority of businesses. It involves writing a promotional email and sending it out to prospects with a view to them buying/signing up to something or expressing an interest in something. Useful to know how but not a major selling point for your DS.

social media - twitter, facebook, instagram etc. social media is the "in thing" and considered "a buying influence " but what exactly will your DS be doing and to what end?

Image and video editing - again can be useful but what exactly will your DS be doing and to what end?

None of the above incorporates the data mining/warehousing/real programming that is very much in demand with regards to marketing.

Can you PM me any links etc. I will get OH to have a look at them and let you know what he thinks? He is at events all week so comms. is slower than usual but I will kick butt and get you some feed back as soon as possible.

[funchum8am]

If he has B grades in the subjects he wants to do for A level there may well be a school or college he can find to take him, even at this late stage. Do try calling around, you never know. The school I work at requires a B grade plus our own maths test to do A level, and C for any other subject. When he only has his preferred subjects to focus on he may find academic study more manageable, and get good enough grades for a degree course.

Having said all the the other options you are considering sound really interesting and positive too! Very best of luck.

[HisMum4]

I should add it is a 12 months appreticeship.

[HisMum4]

The apprenticeship involves a
City and Guilds Level 3 Diploma in digital marketing 7513-30.

So it is not a BTECH or HNC/HND. Assessment is via QCF, whatever it means. I think it is work place assessment based on portfolio of work.

74 credits - what does this mean? Is it less than one A level?

They say in the broshure that they teach :

• Search - SEO and PPC
• Design
• Online advertising
• Email marketing
• Social media
• Image and video editing

Mumtrying, what do you make of it?