Repeating Y7 - will this impact GCSEs?

[BertieToo]

Hello, DS has had a disastrous transition to Secondary this past year, due to his Autism and severe anxiety.

He has learnt very little this past year due to poor attendance. His attendance is nearly back to normal this term after various support.

He has an EHCP. The school (state school) and psychologist have suggested that he can repeat Y7. Otherwise they are concerned that he will find Y8 too stressful, due to all the gaps in his knowledge and his anxiety issues (missed quite a bit of school in Years 4 and 5 as well, due to severe anxiety).

We think this could be helpful for him, but wonder how it will impact his GCSEs? The school don't seem to know (!), but I would want to know this before making a decision.

Does anyone know - would he then sit his GCSEs at age 17? Is there anything else I should be aware of? Thanks in advance

Does the school have a sixth form? If not, they may have trouble keeping him/getting funding once he’s over 16 but in school. That’s for them to sort of course but they better start working it out now!

It won’t stop him getting his GCSEs somewhere. Everyone is entitled to a first fill level 2 (basically equivalent to 5+ GCSEs).

But they should be working all this out for you!

Would be no problem at our school, yes he takes them at 17, but that is of no consequence to him, it damages our figures for passes.
We would have, out of a year group just under 300 anywhere between 3-8 out of year each year.
In later life no one will even realise he took them a year later than standard.

I would be more concerned as to how they think this will "magically solve" the issues. What is going to be so different? What about friendships?

If he was re=doing year 7 at a new school there might be an argument, but at the same school it sounds like a bad idea to me.
The consequence will be in Sixth Form, where he will not have a chance of a 3rd year in sixth form.

Does he want to redo the year?

Could he not do a reduced timetable for year 8 instead and do less subjects? I have a 12 year old with autism and would do that over repeating a year as he would lose friendships and learning could be caught up unless he is massively behind.

Mine has done reduced timetable, no homework, allowed out of lessons when he needs to and that worked for him, took 3 months but now full timetable with homework. Though does depend on child.

Theres 3 years of funding post 16 so it won't affect his post16 options.

It also shouldn't affect GCSEs either.

The only thing it will affect is go he want a to do age graded sports teams etc.

Make whatever choices are right for him.

DS repeated a year due to illness. We are in the middle school system, so he would have had to move up to Year 9 in a new school after having missed most of Year 8 and much of Year 7. We were worried that he would be so far behind and also that it would be too much for him going back to a new school after having had so much time off school. Sadly it was the wrong decision. He has always struggled socially and his new year group didn't get him or try to include him so he became even more isolated. Academically I actually don't think it would have made a difference if he had gone up when he should have done as he is still struggling now. I think the only positive out of it is that he at least has one more year before he sits his GCSEs!

At DS school they did precious little in year 8 anyway (I think because if they are missing teachers they prioritise year 7 and GCSE years and year 9 is options year) Does he really need to repeat year 7?

But I can't see why it would affect GCSE or A levels.