How to help Ds re Y11 huge issues

[52andblue]

Ds is in an Academy school.
He is due to sit GCSE's in Maths, English, Triple science, Design Tech and BTec Engineering.

BUT - he has Autism, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia and Clinical Anxiety. All NHS diagnosed for some time. He doesnt have an EHCp.
He gets no adaptations. No exam concessions applied for as yet.
He struggled to do any work during lockdown.
He had the first 4 weeks of term off for medical reasons. No work provided (really no contact from school). Then a fortnight due to Covid issues. So back this week.
DTech and Engineering say they will help him catch up.
But he says he has been 'kicked off' triple Science (these lessons are held 3 times a week after school anyway when he is dog tired)
He gets 4 free periods a week (no PE plus free time from another GCSE now dropped) but has nowhere to work as the library is shut and the 'breakout room' is noisy. No one to set him work or supervise.
He struggles to work at home (ASD - work at school, sleep at home)

He's got no chance like this, has he?
School think its okay as 'his MH is important'.
I agree. But he is very concerned to get some exams for the future.
AND he is very very bright, just struggles due to his disabilities.

Is there anything more I can ask them to do at this stage?

I think you should be researching his next steps. What is he planning to do next year? Where? Will they take him on the GCSEs he is likely to end up with? Will they bend their usual requirements if he doesn't meet them due to the combination of his SEN and COVID? If so, then I wouldn't worry too much. Provided he gets his English and maths and entry to an appropriate post-16 course, that's the main thing. He might have fewer GCSEs than most applying to university, but they'll be more interested in the A-levels.

You could talk to the science department about the triple science. Are they aware that he does have some free time in his timetable, so perhaps more capacity to catch up than some? Would you be able to run to a tutor to give him a bit of help with the bits he missed, if that's the main issue? Obviously if he's a long way behind, dropping to combined science may actually be the better option. They don't need triple to do science A-levels, and a science teacher on here said they'd rather have someone with high grades on combined than mediocre ones on triple.

Tackle the school on somewhere for him to work during the free periods. If the breakout room is noisy, is there a relatively quiet GCSE class he could sit in the corner of? It's difficult, because some of the spaces which might be an option in a normal year are not possible because of keeping bubbles separate. Would noise-cancelling headphones help his concentration?

How to use the free lessons? Is the school signed up to any of the big revision programmes? DD's school have GCSEPod, which gives them lots of playlists of revision videos and the like, specific to the GCSEs they are doing. That sort of thing might be quite constructive use of the time. Also ask the subject teachers to tell him what he should be doing, particularly where there's stuff to catch up from the absence - it's possible that his subject teachers aren't really aware that he has those study slots.

You also need to ask about exam concessions now - if they are going to apply for any, it will need to be soon.

I've got a year 9 with ASD and feel for you having a child in year 11 with SN and no EHCP (same here) as there was no support during lockdown. I got my DS to work but I had to stop work to do 1 to 1 with him and had to learn some of it myself to teach it.

I would try and get school to find him somewhere he can work during the 4 free periods (though mine is a nightmare in those and gets nothing done in those at school but can try). I asked our science for advice and they recommended seneca and he would do that even by himself sometimes. It's very shortfact based which he seemed to like and very to the point. Our school is pointing anyone at home to Oak Academy - that has science on it online though I have to watch everything with DS and sometimes watch it for him and summarise. I would try seneca and Oak Academy, also you can get CGP books. If you have the funds a tutor might be a good investment if you don't have time to help yourself.

I would ask the senco what adjustments can be made and see if you can get him back in triple science if you think he can catch up. If he can't he maybe better with 2 good grades than 3 bad ones though 7 is on the low side if he's very bright. He maybe eligible for extra time in exams. I've also heard people recommend Tassomai for science - it was a bit pricey but a lot cheaper than a tutor is he will use that.

I would also double check no work was sent through in lockdown/when off if you haven't already. My DS claimed that and I got school to give me his login and I could see 3 lessons a day sent through - was only 3/5th the normal amount but science was well covered. Ours goes on SMHW. Currently wfh students its pretty much all look at Oak Academy though rather than any work set as such as teachers are in school full-time.

@52andblue

Ds is in an Academy school. He is due to sit GCSE's in Maths, English, Triple science, Design Tech and BTec Engineering.

BUT - he has Autism, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia and Clinical Anxiety. All NHS diagnosed for some time. He doesnt have an EHCp.
He gets no adaptations. No exam concessions applied for as yet.
He struggled to do any work during lockdown.
He had the first 4 weeks of term off for medical reasons. No work provided (really no contact from school). Then a fortnight due to Covid issues. So back this week.
DTech and Engineering say they will help him catch up.
But he says he has been 'kicked off' triple Science (these lessons are held 3 times a week after school anyway when he is dog tired)
He gets 4 free periods a week (no PE plus free time from another GCSE now dropped) but has nowhere to work as the library is shut and the 'breakout room' is noisy. No one to set him work or supervise.
He struggles to work at home (ASD - work at school, sleep at home)

He's got no chance like this, has he?
School think its okay as 'his MH is important'.
I agree. But he is very concerned to get some exams for the future.
AND he is very very bright, just struggles due to his disabilities.

Is there anything more I can ask them to do at this stage?

My DS is in a very similar position. I have decided that we need look into options for him to retake some GCSEs next year and not at his normal school. DS will be very upset but I don't think he is going to pass many GCSEs. He won't work at home either and outright refuses to engage with any tutors and most homework . Is there no SEN room? My DS goes there to work in his free ( he doesn't do pe and dropped one subject as well) though he does very little work when he is there

Hi he needs an assessment by an educational psychologist in order for him to have access arrangements for his exams and in class which it sounds like he would be eligible for. Google JCQ Access Arrangements these are the regulations around exams for the provision of adaptions.

What do you want?

Presumably you need him to be assessed for exam concessions - what do you think will help?? Extra time? Computer for essay subjects? Rest breaks?

What does he need for next steps?

Do you want him to do triple science?
Do you want him to catch up in all subjects?
Do you want him to drop something?

I think you need to take responsibility for what work he does in the free periods (can he wear headphones to block out noise?)

I think a lot of y11s with various SEN will be struggling this year more than ever and schools/parents/pupils will need to make compromises to aid mental health.

If you think what will help and then write a clear reasoned email saying what you think might help and why you are more likely to get a response you like. (At least it has always worked for me with DD's school).

@janknitti

Hi he needs an assessment by an educational psychologist in order for him to have access arrangements for his exams and in class which it sounds like he would be eligible for. Google JCQ Access Arrangements these are the regulations around exams for the provision of adaptions.

The school should have a senco that can sort out extra time etc - doesn't need to be an Ed psych. But get onto this now!

Have DS with some of the issues on your list but without any NHS proof as school identified the issues themselves and put in own support measures so we never needed a formal diagnosis.
Thankfully just before lockdown they had someone come in to assess identified students and last term we got issued with letters advising of the specific exam support. This has been important as it means his mocks can also be done this way and all his preparation since then geared to it so he can get used to it being different.

Why I’m saying this is your post immediately made me concerned that if your Ds isn’t getting this help with all his well understood, pre-identified issues, what about all the other kids there who might need help too!

@TeenPlusTwenties advice seems good, laying out for them what he needs and getting them to put in writing what they are already going to do/commit to what needs to be done. I’m guessing lockdown probably messed up a lot of schedules and priorities, but hopefully they have exam arrangement assessments planned but have just not been communicating well.
As to working in those free periods where he isn’t getting school direction, getting him to identify in advance what he’s going to work on and set with him some objectives with him for each session and following up with him after school might help. My DS totally resisted such things to start with, but he gets on well with it now. Headphones have helped too, if they allow them.

Good luck and I hope he gets the support he needs x

@CasparBloomberg

THANK YOU and thanks to everyone else who has posted too.

I finally got my phone call from the DHT at 4pm (I've been hassling for a fortnight by phone and email)

3.5 minutes - 'yes, I don't think he's been kicked off Triple Science (as he thinks a teacher has told him) as I would probably have heard, ha ha. Exam concessions usually sorted in Y10 but his Year head then is no longer with us. There is probably time still... No he can't work in the library, no there is not a quiet space... maybe he should just do PE again instead'.

I do NOT feel reassured by this.
This is an Academy which normally has a 20% 5 GCSE pass rate.
Oh, crap.

Demand to speak the SENCo, who will probably have a rather better idea whether exam concessions can still be sorted. Also the head of science. If the DHT didn't actually know, he should have been finding out before contacting you. Unfortunately you're unlikely to get any response until after half-term now.

It sounds like he'd be in the running for improving their results if they could get organised on supporting him.

Will you have any chance during half-term to sit with him and try to work out what he's missed this term and set about catching up some of it? Don't try and do it all - he probably still needs half-term, but if he can work through the relevant sections of a CGP book/Oak academy or similar to catch up. If he doesn't have the information about which topics they did in his absence, and there isn't anything on the school website, try his friends or appeal to other parents. Or if he can tell you what they were doing last week, people on here may be able to make a fair guess at what came before that.

If he can end half-term with a couple more topics under his belt, it may give him more confidence to work on the next ones in his free periods.

Why doesn’t he have an EHCP?

Applied. Rejected. Was not aware of appeal process at time.
Later the local NAS told me that my school has a v poor record re EHCps
The Senco is new, young, also the PE teacher, hard to get hold of and 'sees no problem' so that is a waste of time.

@lanthanum
good practical suggestions thank you
School website usually doesnt work. We have poor internet at home.
Don't know any other parents in his year (school is 20miles away)
All sounds a bit pathetic and defeatist as I type it. Gah!
He's been given 2 topics to do over half term re his practical subjects (DT and Engineering) but no other work.
He refuses to work at home as 'school is for work' which is really hard. He gets extremely stressed and his Psych says not to push it.
I'd prefer he came out of school for the rest of this year and studied at home but that doesn't work for him at all.
I've no idea where is he is as they have done no assessments for a year. Pastoral say: 'don't stress him' but he will be stressed when he doesn't' pass. These exams will hit him like a truck & he has no chance like this.

Oh, it's so hard, isn't it! My now-year-10 didn't cope with lockdown learning, despite being very able. Ironically it was her strongest subject she hated doing at home most, so we actually ignored it in order to get the others mostly done, and also ignored the subjects she was dropping even before the school officially sanctioned that. Fortunately she's been okay since school restarted.

Number one priority has to be his mental health. Hopefully he can do enough to get on A-level/equivalent courses that suit him, and recover his learning at that point. If not, don't despair - there will be a route eventually, once he's in a better state for learning - an access course route into Higher Ed, or the Open University.

You might be able to make contact with other parents online - sometimes there's a parents Facebook group you can tap into. (Ours is labelled as a uniform buy&sell, but also gets occasional other school-related queries, and usually someone can help out.

School must be able to find a place for him to work that is quiet. I completely agree ring school every day twice a day for the SENCo. I used to work in an office and we had a strict rule on dealing with things in the date order they came in. But if you rang a few times we would do it just to stop you ringing.

You want to make yourself their priority and the way to do that is be a pain in the arse. Awful but true.

Re other parents, is there no parent's facebook group?

@OnTheBenchOfDoom
I will be that parent if necessary but
I rang the DHT 4 times on Friday and the Receptionist told me she wouldn't take any more calls from me.
The local ASD specialist teacher (peripatetic) tells me she can never get a reply from them either.

Yes, they must be able to find somewhere for him to work but atm it's all 'but Covid'. I appreciate that Covid restrictions are making things exceptionally hard for schools atm but it was pants beforehand tbh.

That is just completely shit of them 😓

I know it doesn't get as much traffic but have you posted on the SEN board? I am sure there are organisations that can help push a school.

How good is your local MP?

Does the school have a social media presence where you could just state facts? Such as no return phone call.

Does the school have a communication policy that you can look at and quite back to them or a complaints procedure you can start?

It is ridiculous that all this fall's to you fighting for your son.

They have a legal duty to not discriminate against your son.

Ask why they have no quiet spaces for him? Why can't he work in the library? If it's closed then he could be let in.

An empty classroom. A class that is quiet eg an art room. A desk in the reception area? Out side the HT's office?

Sorry I can't be more help OP but wishing you both luck.

This sounds awful. You have to be that parent. Complain to governors if need be. You need to get moving as there’s 6 months lost already. Any chance of moving schools? I’d be moving heaven and earth. Clearly constantly phoning up isn’t helping.

Take the bull by the horns. You know your son the best. What do you think will work? You need to go with a constructive step by step plan. Unfortunately with the underfunded state sector (which can be brilliant with wonderful staff) you need to take ownership here. Mumsnet is a great resource. Can you throw money at the problem so get better internet etc. What about his dad? Y

Good luck.

Why was their completely failure to address this over lockdown.