Not performing well enough at end of year 12th - medical issue

[Koumak]

I am looking for an advice regarding year 13th.
My son missed a lot of school due to being very ill at the end of the year 12, meaning he couldn’t keep up with work, revision and projects etc. Although it looked very serious at the time, MRI head scan etc. He is better now but we have not had final medical results or diagnosis…
Basically, at the end of the year he was at B in one subject, D in another and failed third after 2 resits (although I should have not let him attend the 1st one as he was not up to it). Not defending, just hindsight. His EPQ project wasn’t up to standard either.
Obviously very upset about his results and worried about his predictions and not being able to get to any uni, although he prefers degree parentships route anyway.
The school wanted to meet us to discuss his options. Except they didn’t give him any? They suggested he drops the subject he failed altogether and instead goes for financial course – an equivalent of half A level. And suggested should he finish the EPQ this would be worth another half point, meaning he would sort of have 3 levels… No other advise given.
I asked whether he could start back in year 12 again, hold back 1 year, so he can catch up on 2 subjects? They seemed not to be happy about this; said he would suffer socially but also mentioned that we probably get that option on medical grounds…
My son is meeting with the subject teachers again to discuss and I am looking at the options how to best advise him. Unfortunately, although us parents both have higher education from abroad, we are not fully understanding the consequences of what seems like very important decision.
He is not keen on spending an extra year at school but also not willing to lose a third subject, which he does enjoy but finds hard (the essay part that is).

Should he insist on keeping all subjects and try to catch up? What if he doesn’t?
Should he downgrade to financial course and hope this enables him 2 better grades in the other subjects?
Or should I ask GP for a medical letter and request to repeat year 12 and initially start over? I think if he repeats, he would still like to stick with the 3 subject he studies already. Not something “easier” if that makes sense?
Anyone has been in a situation like this? Any advice please?

@Koumak

Honestly? He would be much better placed to start year 12 again to come out with the 3 A levels he originally started with and better results. Although he is thinking that he will not go to university he might well change his mind and so having 3 A levels will facilitate that. The EPQ is an extra bonus.

Sometimes it is a funding issue with sixth form. In the UK a child can be funded from 16-19 years old in further education (higher education is university.) If a child wants to repeat year 12 then the sixth form can have issues with funding and so usually suggests two options. One is to start year 12 with the same subjects but at a different college, or alternatively to start year 12 at the current college with completely different subjects. In your son's case his medical evidence will facilitate the funding to repeat year 12 with the same subjects at his current sixth form.

In your son's case, ignore the suffer socially, he was ill for goodness sake, he missed school and this has impacted his grades. It is the sensible decision to start again to give him the best chance. If he continues in year 13 now I think it will be a scramble to do well. Yes it is another year of school but this time round he should do really well in year 12 as he is covering stuff he has already done for the most part.

Thank you for your input so far!

He is doing Physics, Maths and Politics.

Since I wrote this - the school approached my son during the school day and basically told him he can keep going as is - i.e. all 3 subjects and on another occasion informed him his EPQ has been dropped, I suppose meaning he failed this as not finished?

Not sure how I feel about this as nothing has been communicated to me at all? Is this the standard practice in other 6th forms? Thinking the students are old enough or should I expect some official letter?

Although I suppose I should be happy that his subjects are all ongoing, shame about the EPQ as obviously that was something he spent a lot of time on, although obviously not enough time or good enough to be submitted...

I do worry he is not going to be able to catch up with the work missed on top with new topics and with uni applications and personal statements etc. Even though he might not be applying to any, the apprenticeship applications are as challenging.

This is the reason I would much prefer if he repeated. Especially should he fall ill in again, surely he would fail then?

What are the implications on the student if he does repeat? From the point of uni or apprenticeship? Is he disadvantaged? Taken as mature student so to speak as obviously would be applying a year late?

@Koumak I would not be passive about this but request in writing today that he repeats year 12 due to the medical problems and the time missed and the difficultly in catching up and ask for a face to face meeting as soon as possible to push this point. It is probably going to impact his grades so this needs to be the main argument. How well was he performing before the medical issue? Could you use that as an argument too?

There is no legal requirement for a child to be in a sixth form specifically, unlike school it is usually the student that has to contact them if they are off sick etc. I think the issue with this thread is that it is in "secondary" and whilst schools do run from 11-19 there is a "further education" board which covers 16-19 for colleges and sixth forms.

It has been a while since I helped Ds fill out a UCAS form but I am sure there is somewhere that has a mitigating circumstances bit on it or a sympathetic teacher could include the resit details due to medical issues. He wouldn't be classed as a mature student at 19.

Plus if he repeats he still gets to do his EPQ which is a good thing to have and demonstrates another skill.