Poor AS Level Results - Son & Bereavement

[AliBongoBoo]

We lost my husband/DS's father to cancer in Dec 2012, in the middle of DS's final GCSE year. He achieved 4.5 A's (the half was a short course in RE, the rest maths and three sciences), 5 B's, 1 C and 1 D (French, not his favourite).

He joined Year 12 studying Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Business Studies (with a view to drop this after AS). Target grades after Year 13 of 4 B's. It was only at a parents evening in Dec I discovered he hadn't been keeping up with work, handing work in etc. I was mortified. I had no idea. We had a busy Christmas holidays, and I had booked us a holiday, not knowing at the time of booking that trial exams were set to start the first day of term! DS revised on holiday. Results weren't fantastic; B, E and 2 U's. Cue a meeting with the school, who drew up a plan to help him catch up with missing work etc. The school seemed to be on his case with extra lessons in some subjects and ensuring he spent his free periods on certain subjects. I paid for extra external Maths tuition too which seemed to be going well.

AS level result day arrives and DS gets D, E, E and U.

I assumed, as did he, that he could retake Year 12. I found out at the weekend that the school had been e-mailing him (not me, I am only the parent!) and basically said:

(a) No space in Year 12 unless somebody drops out and that's got to be for all the subjects he wants to do, plus they don't have funding for it.
(b) Year 13 place is open for him. Retake the AS levels alongside the A2 levels. (If he couldn't do it in Year 12, I don't see how he could pull himself up in a year.)

I feel that he worked in Year 11 through the grief, and achieved good results. I suspect the grief caught up with him at the beginning of Year 12, and he never recovered from slipping behind. I am furious that nobody at the school contacted me after our New Year meeting this year to say that he wasn't going to achieve his target, and that he was allowed to 'get away' with it.

I have ordered the exam scripts to see what happened.

I am seriously considering putting him through a local private school sixth form, starting again with Year 12, wipe the slate clean. He is happy with that idea, IF they have a place at this late stage.

We have a meeting with the school on Sep 3rd. I wonder whether I am being unreasonable wanting to pull him from the school? He wants to do Biochemistry or Cell Biology at University, so is fairly academic and enquiring. Exam and study techniques let him down, I suspect. I do not want a year's blip in his education ruining his future plans when he is capable of achieving more.

Sorry...went on a bit! But some thoughts on this would be appreciated as I have no one to discuss them with...

[twentyten]

Would it be worth speaking to an admissions tutor at one of the unis he was thinking about? They are keen to advise.
I really sympathise- so tough for you. I know of many yr 12s who got big shocks this year. Good luck.

[noblegiraffe]

Thing is, if he has been doing all these extra sessions and past papers etc, school might have been expecting better from his results too. Now that the January modules have gone, it is very difficult for schools to predict how students will do in the June exams - the first real exams that students are sitting in their subjects. I had some disappointing results from my Y12s too, a couple that had been getting As in homework and past papers only got Cs in the real thing (conversely some who had been getting Cs got As!).

There might be some universities who discount students who have taken three years to do their A-levels, but that is likely to only be top universities and highly competitive courses like medicine. If his target grades are Bs, he would be applying to universities/courses who are more likely to be accepting of a range of candidates. He could also mention working through the bereavement on his personal statement as an explanation.

[KleineDracheKokosnuss]

You used to be able to reject your exam results (vague recollection from GCSE time). If it is still possible, he could reject the current results, and re-start sixth form elsewhere. Sounds like it would be best for him.

[AliBongoBoo]

Noblegiraffe, I had a report in February and concerns were flagged for Maths and Chemistry then. He was told to attend Guided Learning (basically his free sessions had to be spent in the library working, so he had to sign in for these) and there were intervention lessons in Chemistry. I had no contact since Feb/Mar from the school, but as far as DS was concerned, all was going well. I asked him countless times. Helped with work when he asked. At the end of the day, yes, it is his responsibility. I feel, looking back, he fell back too far to catch up, and repeating Year 12 is going to help. He's in agreement, even willing to change school. I don't know if Uni's will look on this unfavourably though, I read something earlier that stated they would. You sound like a teacher? Do you know if that is true?

[cricketballs]

I agree with noble; a fresh start after having a honest discussion with DS might be the best idea.

[unrealhousewife]

I have no answers but I feel your fury that school didn't keep you informed particularly knowing his difficult circumstances. Two of my friends lost their partners, their sons, one a top performer at a state school, the other at a private, dropped out of school. They spent a long time just grieving, although both deaths were sudden. The schools have both done everything they possibly could to keep them on track, one was doing AS, the other GCSEs.

Your son has been through exceptional circumstances and the school should have taken more care of him. No sure if there is anything you can do about that other than contact ofsted, but I would definitely be looking for a different school.

BTEC applied science could be an alternative for him as work is continually assessed, and can gain entry to RG universities with Distinction matching AAA but I dont know the real world outcomes.

Sorry for your loss, I hope your son finds his feet again soon.

[noblegiraffe]

Did you not get a written progress report between January and June? Something like behaviour, effort, predicted grade?

Parents are contacted a lot less often in sixth form - students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning. My school would have probably contacted home, but we are a lot more hands on pastorally than other sixth forms and colleges who would treat the kids more like adults.

I think a fresh start at a new sixth form would probably be the best option. But you need to talk more with your DS about his education as he should be the main source of information about how things are going rather than relying on the school.

[AliBongoBoo]

Twentyten, I really thought he was knuckling down. He seemed to work hard, but whether that was effective I don't know. If he's like my late husband, who really knuckled down in Year 13, then perhaps an extra year's maturity would help too. Both my late husband and I have degrees (only 2:2's, nothing fantastically outstanding), but I have NEVER pressured him to take the Uni route. He chose the subject, not knowing it was close to my degree subject. He seems committed, he was upset when he got his results, so it's not as if he had an indifferent attitude to it all...

[AliBongoBoo]

Perhaps "furious" was a little strong. I mean that I am disappointed in the lack of communication from the school about his progress between January and the start of the exams. As far as I was concerned, he was knuckling down to study and he was happily telling me that he had answered all questions in the papers. He was completing countless exam practice questions beforehand. Were these marked and if disappointing, why did the school not tell me? I'm not going in guns blazing next week but would like to know how things went so wrong. My son isn't perfect but I thought the intervention sessions at school were to iron out problems. If he looked like he was going to get below target grades at AS, I wish the school had called me in again.

[cansu]

I think he should retake year 12 somewhere else and basically start again. I appreciate that you are disappointed but I think being furious with school is a bit unfair.

[twentyten]

How committed is your ds to putting the work in?what is he going to do differently? I realise he and you have been through an awful time but is he ready to change? Good luck and