GCSEs and depressed DD

[supersop60]

I don't think my dd is going to be in any state to take her GCSEs. She's seen CAMHS, private therapists, the doc has given her a sick note enabling her to have flexi-time at school, the school has been very supportive, and she is still not well.
Does anyone have any experience of what happens next in this situation? My dd is bright, and predicted to get As and Bs.

With 6 - 8 for new English and Maths.

Is she on any medication? Is she actually going into school?

Is there a possibility of withdrawing her from all but key subjects for college entry?

She doesn't have to sit her GCSEs this year, you could take her out of school, homeschool her and enter her next year as one option.

What does she want to do?

She's not on medication, and she has been into school a few times for her 'favourite' subjects. But every time she comes home she's in tears and finds it terribly distressing.
I've asked the school about withdrawing her from one subject, and they were unwilling, and since then she has got worse.
I don't think she knows what she wants to do - her brain is very muddled at the moment.
I'd prefer to delay entry until she is better - if she doesn't turn up to exams will she need a doctor's note? will it affect later entry?

If she doesn't turn up to exams then the school may charge her for the entry fees, however they can withdraw her from the exams by the 22nd April and get the entry fee refunded, or if she doesn't sit the exams but provides a doctor's note, the entry fee can be refunded.

You could go back to the GP and discuss medication, although obviously the exams are quite close now so this would have to be a quick decision as medication can take time to take effect and for side effects to settle (I'm no expert, this is just from observation).

The school obviously wouldn't want to withdraw a bright student from exams, they need a good mark in 8 subjects for the progress 8 measure, however they may be persuaded by the possibility of a good mark in fewer subjects if you tell them that her sitting all the exams isn't an option.

Do you think she will turn up for the exams even if she isn't making it into school?

I think there are some posters on here who have withdrawn their DC from GCSEs and entered them the next year. Hopefully they'll turn up to advise!

Noble Under NICE guildlines GP's should not be prescribing anti depressant to under 18s. They are meant to be a last resort and only following a full assessment by a psychiatrist who specialises in this age group and in conjunction with other therapies. Many GPs will also not prescribe anti depressants to this age group on the recommendation of a private psychiatrist.

I said medication not specifically anti-depressants and while medication should not be a first-line response, other methods do not seem to be working here. I am aware of students who have been prescribed medication to help them get into school and take exams so this could be an avenue for discussion.

DD said she would take the exams, but that was a few weeks ago. She has tried to revise and catch up on coursework, but her brain is so jumbled that she can't concentrate, and then she panics because she thinks she's going to fail. I'd rather she got well and lived to fight another day. She already has two As and two Bs from last year (they start GCSEs in yr9). I think she burnt out.

In my experience (as a teacher), I think the two possibilities are

• She continues on a reduced timetable this year, and repeats year 11 next year

or

• She prioritises attending lessons in the subjects she needs to pass in order to get a college place

As a teacher, I have had students do both of these things for health reasons. At least at the school where I teach, we often have 2-3 students repeat year 11 each year for a variety of reasons, so she wouldn't be the only one.

She currently is doing very well, so even if she didn't do any revising, could it be that she would still manage to get Cs at worse?

Is your daughter putting herself under too much pressure? Does she thinks that getting anything less than an A is not worth contemplating? Does she know what she would to study for A levels and beyond? Could it be that whatever goals she aspires too, getting an A or a C at GCSE would make no difference whatsoever?

Her issues might be deep seeded, but it would be a pity losing out on a year when she could get it all over with this year with possibly lower results that would still allow her to get on with aspirations.

I hear you swing. I would be happy for her to get Cs. This year she has freaked out about doing the exams at all. The school has already had 3 lots of 'purposeful practice' exams and she has missed most of them. Even when we got her into school she hid in the loos for her maths exam.
She does have high aspirations for herself, and is more worried about other people's expectations. eg her friends are all expecting her to do well, and she's afraid of being judged if she 'fails'. She has rather black and white, fixed mindset thinking. It's tough to get around that.