AS Level - poor results - what next??

[jewel1968]

My DC got AS results BDD. Was hoping for ABC. Wants to study psychology at Uni. They are dyslexic and exam results can vary wildly. Had very little support over the years with their dyslexia. My question is is there any hope that they will get into any Uni as I imagine the predicted grades will be very much in line with AS levels. What practically can they do now? If they were to get specialist dyslexia support and if the level of effort increased I believe they may get decent grades next year but would that make any difference given uni offers are based on predicted. Any advice very much welcome.

These are not disastrous AS level results! For most subjects they won't count for the A level as most subjects are marked on the year 13 results only (there are some exceptions for next year still eg Maths). If either of the Ds are under the old system, I would suggest resitting the weakest papers. Where in the D grade was your DC? This could affect predicted grades (eg a high D with one paper being B could lead to a B prediction). I would suggest looking at a mix of Unis and firming a highe offer A/B and having a B/C uni as insurance. After results Unis often take students with grades the offer and schools often predict a bit higher than AS. Unis do make higher offers than predicted grades. Having a strong, relevant personal statement is important.

As a concerned parent, which is how you come across, I wonder why you haven't researched over the years, how his particular form of specific difficulty affects him. If it was ten years ago that the assessment took place, were there not recommendations as to how best to ameliorate the difficulties?

Does he struggle to read the questions, have poor speed of writing, misunderstand what the question is asking, slow processing speed etc.

If he has already been granted extra time, then the school or SENCo will have had quite a lot of input. Exam boards require extensive information before granting any additional arrangements.

I'm not sure what other things you want/expect from the SENCo. I think that training in exam techniques is useful, but am not sure why you feel that a course of four lessons or sessions isn't enough. Many techniques that benefit students with a specific difficulty will benefit NT children. Mind mapping is a very useful tool. Post it notes or cards with key points, using different colours for different topics etc, etc.

What do you want to achieve from a meeting with the SENCo? Having been given additional arrangements, exam techniques training and so on, I'm not clear what else you expect.

I think that your son has sufficient self awareness to understand that the distractions played some part in his results and that taking encouraging him to take the responsibility he has already started, will stand him in good stead for next year and longer term.

Thanks for the input.

Tranquillity – Thanks for the update. Good to know.

User – Thanks useful advice

Foxy – In answer to some of your questions:

As a concerned parent, which is how you come across, I wonder why you haven't researched over the years, how his particular form of specific difficulty affects him. If it was ten years ago that the assessment took place, were there not recommendations as to how best to ameliorate the difficulties? – I have done a significant amount of research but I am no expert and I am not with him during the day when he is being taught. The earlier recommendations involved a scribe but this was not taken forward to secondary as SENCO argued it was not a good idea.

Does he struggle to read the questions, have poor speed of writing, misunderstand what the question is asking, slow processing speed etc. – I think this is best answered by the professionals but I think he can misread questions, has dreadful handwriting (hence keyboard) can read a question very literally (particularly when younger). In maths in GCSE he was considered to be a natural mathematician but lost marks because he did not record his workings. Maths teacher response was to say ‘ you must record your workings’. He always lost marks in maths exams for this.

If he has already been granted extra time, then the school or SENCo will have had quite a lot of input. Exam boards require extensive information before granting any additional arrangements. Assessments have never been shared with us

What do you want to achieve from a meeting with the SENCo? Having been given additional arrangements, exam techniques training and so on, I'm not clear what else you expect.

• talk to us parents about his areas of weaknesses as identified by the assessment

• share the assessment so we are better informed

• assess his learning difficulties and strengths

• ensure the way he is being taught takes account of his difficulties

• have an action plan and share with parents

• review impact of various strategies and try different strategies if not working

• engage with him regularly and be aware the impact on his mental health.

Thanks Foxy – your questions have helped me think about how I will engage with SENCO.

I do think you are being a little unrealistic.

talk to us parents about his areas of weaknesses as identified by the assessment

your child is 17, not 7! at 7 these things re discussed with parents at length, at 17, not, unless intellectually incompetent.

• share the assessment so we are better informed

you say you already have a copy of an old assessment, ask for a copy of the recent one, it will be a lot shorter.

• assess his learning difficulties and strengths

This will happen in class, as with all students in the class, to an extent, although he is at the age where everyone is expected to be able to do that for themselves. No one is going to go through all of someones strengths and weaknesses in the kind of detail you seem to think you can expect.

ensure the way he is being taught takes account of his difficulties

what ways do you think he should be being taught that he isn't at the moment? Again, I think you think there is some sort of magic formula that should be being applied, there isn't. He has some problems with reading and writing, he needs to work longer and harder to over come them, that's it really, and use any little strategy that he finds helpful.

-have an action plan and share with parents

Again, plan what? What plan do you think you want? and as to share it with parents, again he is 17, so that is entirely at the discretion of the school, and depends on time and manpower available, plus full permission from your son.

review impact of various strategies and try different strategies if not working

again, he is 17, you are talking as if he were 7, he needs to find his own best ways of working, as do ALL students.

engage with him regularly and be aware the impact on his mental health.

do you think teachers are not engaging with him every day? in what way is his mental health more vulnerable than that of any other student? Does he have mental health issues too? That is a totally separate thing, and likely to be recorded and monitored by pastoral, not SEN.

I hope your DS does well, but I do think you are not being very realistic with your demands. Dyslexia is not a condition that automatically qualifies for any support at all, it depends on the extent, and the type, etc. In fact, dyslexia isn't even a clearly defined condition at all. There are no "plans" and " strategies" for dyslexic students, they have weaknesses in some areas, as does every student, except theirs are likely to be more pronounced, however, as every student, they need to work on their weaknesses, and find out what ways of working most helps them.

Thanks copper for your input. I am guessing you are a teacher or a SENCO?

I am a severely dyslexic and dyspraxic education professional.

Thanks copper your insight has been very useful.

I was a SENCo and spent 25 years of my career working in the SEND field, with postgraduate qualifications in specific learning dopifficulties, ASD and behaviour management.

If this debate has clarified your thoughts, then hopefully it has been useful. Ultimately though, your son has to find the ways in which he works best and ameliorates the difficulties he experiences. If/when he goes to higher education, he will be expected to be an independent learner and later, in the workplace the same will hold.

Thanks foxy. I have worked with a few of dyslexic people over the years (and do so now too) and they have had a lot of support. The one I work with now has regular sessions with a dyslexia specialist and they have had voice activated software installed. Various other things have been done and we colleagues have had our awareness raised on bed type of comms to use. Two others I have worked with have also shared with me that the support they had in Uni was way above what they had at school. One also was only diagnosed at Uni (straight A student at school) when they started to really struggle at Uni.

The thing is, you can be diagnosed, but the level of support available will be dependent upon the impact is has on performance.

As a straight A student in school, as you describe your colleague, it would be deemed that the impact on performance was not meeting criteria for intervention. Since you can't be higher than A, or A* if we're talking public exams as they were before the GCSE reform, then there is no reason to intervene.

Criteria used to be that the deficits had to be considerable before intervention could take place, in terms of what was previously School Action, Action Plus and Statement. Of course, now it's an EHCP and I'm sure that changes have been made, but the principle applies that there must be a deficit in relation to age related expectations.

I often hear of students being offered support at university, when they hadn't previously at school. The financial aspect may well play a part. Schools are stretched more and more financially and tough decisions take place every day. As a SENCo, I had constant battles to get the support to which my students were entitled. It also takes ages to gather the evidence required to move from one stage to the next and the amount of outside agency support necessary to support each case is difficult because those services are reduced.

I hope you are able to come to an agreement that supports your son and is practical and achievable.

It was really interesting talking to the individual who has been diagnosed at Uni. She was failing badly in her first year and was in danger of being kicked out. She had no idea what was going on. It was one of the top universities -I think York. I don't think she ever suspected dyslexia. She ender up with a good degree and is now very successful at work. All of them speculated that universities had more money hence the support. Thanks again. I will let you all know how he gets on if you are interested.

Please do!