English teachers, advice please?

[TeenDivided]

DD is dyslexic & dyspraxic with MH issues, has an EHCP. Missed all y11.
'Resat' Eng Lang this summer, got a 3 (60 marks, AQA).
A big issue is the sheer length of the exam, she only managed 90mins in each exam even though gets extra time but did attempt all questions (which she hadn't done in mocks). Away from exams can do all questions individually OK enough. Was exhausted after each exam, not fit for anything.

So we have options:

• get paper back to see distribution of marks
• ask to resit in November. She is more well now than in May/June, but still not great.
• just aim to resit next summer - but she will be sitting maths then too which we dropped this year as it would be too much
• ask about switching to Functional Skills. I haven't looked at the spec but it seems to have shorter exams
• Resit Nov if doesn't get ask to move to FS for the summer?
• push college re a scribe which would make the sheer length less tiring but is a new skill to learn

If it makes any difference she won't go above a L2 qualification at college if that.

Are any of these a worse idea than others?

@TeenDivided sorry - I don't know.

Without the EHCP, they have to keep taking English Language until they're 18, unless they have passed English Literature

www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-maths-and-english-condition-of-funding#students-circumstances

@TeenDivided I think that link I've just posted says that if your DD has a grade 3, she has to keep going with GCSE and can't switch to functional skills. If she had a grade 2, she'd be able to do functional skills instead.

I'm not sure you can just have a scribe? Has to be the normal way of working?

A scribe could become the normal way of working between now and 1st November (or March next year for the summer exam series).

Thank you, I thought that without an ehcp you have to do the gcse with a 3. Luckily DD does have an EHCP which will give wiggle room.

The scribe situation is indeed interesting. I think she only would really benefit for longer periods of work greater than 1hr. But that only occurs in exams...
It is more to help her stamina as it reduces the effort of writing and might, or might not, increase overall speed too.

This is all very helpful thank you.

Having an EHCP may not provide the wiggle room you were hoping for in this situation. There is an exemption for those with an EHCP where the institution have assessed them as unable to study either GCSE or stepping stone qualifications. However, the guidance specifically states those with an EHCP who have GCSE grade 3 “should be capable of improving their GCSE grade with the right teaching and support.” So the college may not think they have enough evidence for an exemption or for sitting functional skills instead.

Using a scribe for shorter tasks would allow DD to learn to work with a scribe effectively.

May I ask a basic question?

Which is 'better' a grade 3 at GCSE for English/Maths, or the Functional Skills qualification?

Follow up: When do colleges stop chasing a 4 and ensure their students get the FSkills?

Level 2 Functional Skills is a higher qualification than GCSE grade 3. Although, some, rightly or wrongly, consider Functional Skills and other equivalent qualifications ‘lesser’ qualifications.

With the current 16-19 funding requirements as they are, it is difficult for colleges to stop chasing the 4 if the student has GCSE grade 3. There are a couple of exceptions such as the student achieving an equivalent level 2 qualification outside their study programme or if the college feel they have the evidence to justify an exemption for a student with an EHCP.

It seems wrong that students could leave after 2 years at college with neither the grade 4 nor the FS because they keep being put in for GCSE.

I'm a former English teacher and I'm surprised she didn't have a scribe already tbh, poor show from the school's SEN dept.

I take it she doesn't have English Literature? That's the other get out. If she has a 4 in literature, she doesn't have to do language.

I agree.

Colleges could enter pupils in to both to ensure they have the best chance possible to leave with a level 2 qualification, but then you come back to limited funding. A minority of schools do similar for those they aren’t sure will achieve a GCSE grade but can pass level 1 functional skills.

In many ways, if you wanted DD to sit functional skills it would have been ‘better’ for her to get a grade 2.

Don’t forget, with the EHCP funding can continue until 25 or 26 in some circumstances.

To be fair to the school, she didn't attend school from lockdown, ie Easter y10, when her MH already falling a bit took a nosedive. She had 'coped' up to y9, and started struggling more when demands increased in y10. We had at that time just agreed to drop a subject to lighten general load, and got her a counsellor. Who knows where we would have been without the pandemic. We've had an interesting time.

She doesn't have Eng Lit, no. She has no passes, and was only entered for 4 GCSEs where she did a very very limited set of assessments at home in May '21.
We did what we thought best at the time which was enable her to get 4 grade 3s which got her on to a L2 course at college. After a week she was so overwhelmed we bumped her down to a L1 course. Recovery is taking a long time.

@TeenDivided How close was she to the 4, if you don't mind my asking? I might be able to give you/get some pointers for next time

She was 10 marks off, 34 (1,3,3,11,9+7) & 26 (4,3,4,6,5+4).

I think paper 1 she was stressed before the exam due to being in a crowded place beforehand & tech not working; by part way through paper2 I think she was exhausted. I think maybe doing Q5 first for paper 2 might help. She seemed to be trying to do the right things, just not very well. Will PM you.

If she's having a scribe for English she will need to practice to get used to one before her exam.

Please do. I'd be happy to try to help

I agree. I'm not even totally convinced she will find it overall beneficial. But I would like them to at least try her with one.

She'll need to think about how to best use her scribe in the writing section. I would suggest that she dictates at least the punctuation because that gives access to more marks.

Has your DD tried a typing course? I know you said she isn’t dexterous enough but if she’s dexterous enough to handwrite she can type.

My DS is very dyslexic and his handwriting is illegible to everyone including him! Learning to type gave him the ability to express himself on paper with independence.

My DD1 typed her English exams and MFL CAs, so we did try DD2 with typing when she was at secondary (including typing lessons in place of tutor time) but she really couldn't get it and found it far more stressful than helpful so we gave up. It may be related to other issues she has such as time telling and times tables recognition, I don't know.