SEN and GCSE cancellation

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DS has asd and has found secondary school near on impossible. There were not any “sets” low enough for him for subjects such as science and maths. English was not in sets so all abilities. He has just been getting by but no more. He is predicted 1s 2s and a U for GCSE which he would have taken this year. The loss of learning this last year and the disruption caused by Covid has made what would have been difficult anyway, impossible. The school are still trying to get him to engage with the online lessons. They’ve even offered us for him to go in to school and do the online lessons there. Thing is he has given up. He’s logging in because he has to but I am also now thinking what is the point in making his life miserable doing anymore than that? He doesn’t want to go and sit freezing in school with a risk of Covid, doing the same online learning he’s doing here. I feel guilty for not having been pushing him more but it really is pointless. He wants to do a practical course at college which requires no set grades. Should I just make peace with it and tell the school he isn’t going to be doing all their work?

That’s great that he has a clear plan what he is going to do after school.
I would get in touch with the school and ask if some liaison can happen with this proposed course so that he can be set work which prepares him for the course. Then there is a point to it for your son, and he gets the benefit of a bit of structured activity.

If I was your son’s pastoral lead I would be really concerned about the idea of him disengaging with learning until September at this point.

Are there activities he can engage with at home? What are his life skills like? You could appease the school by committing to a programme of cooking/ household management for example?

There are entry level qualifications available in English for those students who are unlikely to get a GCSE. It is coursework only. The course is called Step Up To English so you could ask the school to investigate as it may well keep him engaged

Or could he do Functional Skills, perhaps through a local fe college if school cannot offer it. Any opportunity for f2f teaching if he has additional needs?

I'd be tempted to give up except for English and Maths.
If he could access the bottom set y7 work would that be low enough for him / too low?
Easy with online to be given access to work out of year group?

Or find the 'functional skills' stuff and do that for maths & English?
Maybe college could help with whatever resources they'd be getting him to use there?

I really feel for him and you! The current approach is clearly not doing him any favours in terms of learning or well being. Can he focus on maths and English and whatever else his area of interest is and ditch the rest? Switching to functional skills as a previous poster suggested is a good idea too. He could focus on FS1 to start with and get a decent qualification under his belt.

He will need qualifications in English and Maths though, so he really shouldn’t give up. His options in future will be very limited without them.

Is it just an ASD issue or does he have learning difficulties as well?

He will have to take Functional Skills maths and English at college so I’d concentrate on his skills in those areas.

At my sons old school they had a life skills type course for very low ability children. It’s a shame thee is nothing like that for your son

Does your son have an EHCP? I would definitely be talking to the SENCO and trying to work together to come up with a plan. An EHCP is not just for school - it would help ensure the right provision is in place for him at College too.