Forcing a language option

[UnicornPug]

I’m looking for quite specialised advice here and if you have any idea of things I could try I‘d be very grateful.

Cutting a long story down to its bare bones, my son’s school are insisting that all students take the EBacc pathway. They’re already a faith school with compulsory RE so this takes their option choice down to ONE. This is new policy for this year.

My son is autistic and taking a language is inaccessible to him. I have explained these issues fully to the school, but in brief, he doesn’t hold conversations in English and he certainly won’t be able to do it in French, he has no concept of the emotional nuances of the French language and he has sensory/physical issues that mean he cannot access the written exam (he cannot have a scribe in a foreign language exam and to type he would need to learn how to use a French keyboard- he has enough issues with an English one) He is not going to pass an exam in French and I do not want him to take it.

I sent a long letter to school, quoting their own policies and explaining very clearly how these issues affect my son. I received a generic letter back basically saying ‘we did research too and kids with SEN and ASD do great at languages!’ Which didn’t address any of my specific and valid concerns.

Ive been in touch with SENDIASS who said my letter was spot on and there is no more legislation I can quote. The LA can’t get Involved (I’ve tried!) and I sent my letter to governors too and the head says they’ve discussed it but French is no different to any other subject he’ll be taking. Despite the fact I’ve clearly described how it is.

I am absolutely adamant that he will not take French GCSE. I’m past the point of caring if he has to sit in the lesson for the next two years (though what a waste of everyone’s time) but I will not put him though the exam. Can I just refuse to let him be entered? I will happily take him out of school on GCSE exam days but I’d really rather be clear and up front. He is not capable of passing this exam and attempting it will cause him mental and physical pain. Switching schools isn’t really an option as he is settled and happy and, apart from this, school cater for his needs really well. This is a decision that is being made at the top and the senco and French teachers are all against it. I’ve spoken with them all off record.

Apologies this is still long- I’ve cut out loads of the back and forth and detail! Please, can anyone help or advise?

It’s amazing how little schools understand about ASD. My son can’t sing. They ask why why why. He cannot sing. I’ve not heard him since since he was a baby. He still gets asked.

ditto disorganisation which I would have thought is a fairly obvious asd quirk.

They need to let him off.

I’ve spoken just this morning to my sons schools about the EBacc pathway. It isn’t compulsory at his school. In fact they hardly mentioned it and I was suprised as they are one of the leading schools locally. The Head of year this morning said the EBacc gives the school better figures in league tables - that is all. Apart from that it’s a government initiative that never really took off. My sons school decided that the kids do better (and therefore the figures are better) when they take the subjects they enjoy and are good at. Im genuinely shocked that you are having this battle, it’s just ridiculous.

There are two issues:

1. refusal of the school to consider the SEN properly
2. timetabling.

Once you manage to conquer the first (and I hope you do), the problem will be what he does while everyone else is doing French. It's very unlikely that he would be able to do another GCSE in that slot. What sometimes happens is that a student has time in the support base/library to work on their other subjects, or even in the corner of one of the French sets. The Senco may be able to support on this, but won't be able to help with the fact that he'll be a GCSE down on everyone else. (If he won't have eight GCSEs, that will affect the school's results too.) If they run any extras as twilight classes then he might be able to pick something up that way.

Thank you, everyone. Without French he’ll still have 8 GCSEs and I’m more than happy with that. There’s a massive question mark over whether he’ll even pass English so I originally asked that he be given extra support in this instead as it seemed logical. I’m more than happy to provide him with work!

That is so ridiculous of the school.

DD is at a school that is very Ebacc focused, but children with SEN can opt out of the languages (they offer Latin as well as 3 MFLs but even that didn't click for DD).

Those who opt out then have extra support lessons in English, Maths and Science during the timetabled language block.

Frankly everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief when DD waved goodbye to the poor languages department. They didn't want to teach anyone who was as miserable as she was anymore than DD wanted to spend another minute not getting to grips with Spanish. She can't spell in English let alone another language!

We've opted for 8 GCSEs plus a BTEC to reduce the pressure in exam years.