ND y11- worried about GSCEs and future options

[Myotis]

Our daughter is autistic but until high school always ‘managed’ and was educationally doing well- but since y9 she has gone down and down. We have just had her predicted grades from end of y10 work and I am now so worried about what on earth she is going to manage to do in the future. She barely leaves her room and has massive social anxiety although she does take part in an activity once a week.
I just have no idea if she’ll make it in to 6th form and if not what she will do after, and I have no idea how to support her to achieve anything that she wants.
She is such a bright girl who just cannot cope in the school environment- she has subjects she really excel at but probably not enough.
I just am so worried.
Can anyone who has been through this give me any advice?
posting this in the SEN group too
Thanks

DD is currently assessed for ASD and just finished her GCSEs. Her anxiety was sky high in Y9 and it definitley carried over into the mocks in Y10.

Having therapy definitely helped her to find a more positive look out on life in general. We also looked at the bottom line of things, what does she actually need to do for her preferred 6th form subjects. We decided to focus on the grades she needs, getting her to pass MFL or science was the bottom line, getting a good grade in history and English was the important bits. And for that we got her a tutor to sort out issues 1-2-1 where necessary.

We obviously have no idea if this strategy worked but she was a lot happier when we told her to ignor the school's ideas for her and focus on what is important for her, not the school.

Have you looked at other options outside 6th form? We found that DD didn't like tha college envrionment as it would mean just too much unfocused, too much independence and not enough structure. Also, her preferred subjects are all academically, so vocational courses don't do it for her.
Her school SENCO thinks that with a focus on subjects she wants to do in 6th form instead of 7 out of 10 she doesn't like but has to do for GCSE will make a huge difference as well.

My DD missed y11, but it can clearly be very stressful and you need to ensure she doesn't burn out even if that means negotiating a drop of a subject or 2.

Instead of A levels she might be better suited to BTEC/T-levels. These would have a more straightforward timetable and have some level of assignments rather than just final exams.

She could do 3 years and start on a level 2 course to get used to the college environment on an easier course before progressing.

Experienced a drop in attainment around that age in DC with asd. Found out DC also had adhd which was then medicated for. Not a silver bullet but improved focus, attainment and hence self esteem.

Firstly, what things have school put in place to support her? The right accommodations can make a huge difference.

In my experience year 9 is an absolute nightmare year for all students regardless of disability and those with ASD often find their challenges lessen in year 11 as their hormones level off more and they learn coping strategies (not always but for a lot of students).

GCSEs are not the end of the road, if college doesn't suit her then there is always online courses and specifically created online courses are very different to the rash, quickly thrown together online courses over Covid. Or she could go straight for an OU degree and study from home without doing A levels - although I believe this would need to be funded independently if she is too young for student loans.

Thanks everyone for your responses. School have generally been very supportive as she has 1:1 class support otherwise she wouldn’t make it in the door. I have a meeting next week about dropping history and focussing on the subjects that she does do well at. I think I will widen this meeting to find out what she needs to do her preferred subjects beyond GCSE. We are quite rural so I really don’t know about how we would manage travel to other colleges etc if she doesn’t go to our local sixth form. Finding this so very stressful and just worrying that I don’t have enough time to be able to work it what is best for her. My husband, her dad is very involved but has been very ill in hospital for the past 5 months and this just seems to be escalating and I am aware I need to do more.

How does she work best, my DD has a phenomenal memory so exams really suit her. She would find ongoing coursework and deadlines a struggle as well as she refuses to do school work at home as doesn't like the cross over.

Looking at how she works best and how that relates to her GCSE subjects whilst you are dropping them is worth while. My DD is a few years from GCSE yet but already knows the she wants to do Maths, Further Maths, computer science and Geology at A Level, having that goal takes the pressure off of doing very well in courses she really doesn't care for like creative subjects or those that require extensive writing like History.

Also have you tried any sort of animal therapy with your DD? It can work wonders, it could be formalised Horse / dog therapy, helping out at local rescue kennels walking the dogs or taking more responsibility for a family pet / getting a dog if family circumnstances allow. Using it as an excuse to get them to leave the house for the benefit of the animal can take the pressure off of leaving the house for themselves.

What subjects does she excel in?

Graphics and computing- she is top of her year for graphics and spends a lot of her free time doing her own graphics works
i think I need to talk to school next week and see what she needs for a levels and what she could do that suit her skills at that point

Re animals- we got a cat for Christmas last year to be a therapy pet but haven’t tried more than that, it has worked well though

There is or was a Level 3 BTEC extended diploma in computing.

There still is. @Myotis the spec is on the Pearson website.

Currently most of the btecs in computing are being de-funded in the 2024-25 academic year. The idea is to force colleges to deliver t-levels, but these are so far proving difficult to deliver successfully in rural locations.

Pearson and OCR will be offering alternative qualifications equivalent to one A-level, these may be an option for some students who would have previously taken level 3 btec courses.

It is an absolute disgrace that Extended Diploma BTECs are being defunded if there isn't the possibility of providing the work experience needed by a T Level.

Soon there will be no options left for students who are capable but aren't good at exams.

I am genuinely so stressed about the situation around T-levels and BTECs- I keep meaning to start a thread about it, but I also feel like it's a niche issue that not many people are interested in.

I currently work at a school with a lot of post 16 provision, our nearest big FE colleges are about an hour away (especially if you're reliant on public transport). There is some very vocational provision in the local area. We've successfully run extended diplomas in subjects like science, computing, engineering, health and social care, sport, performing arts, art etc for years, and have great progression onto university from these courses. I'm not sure if it matters but a lot of the students on the applied science course I teach go onto really useful jobs like nurses, mental health workers, radiologists, pharmacy technicians etc.

Most of those students wouldn't cope with Science A-levels, or would get through with maybe E or D grades, giving them really limited options for progression. As you say, some students are not good at exams. Some students also have challenges which mean that a system where "one bad day" can really scupper you doesn't fairly reflect their ability. Some students need a slightly more supportive course in Y12, to bridge the gap from GCSE to level 3.

Our course is being defunded in 2025, so we've potentially got two years to figure out an alternative. The nearby big FE college (which is in a city, we're not) hasn't been able to successfully run T-levels. The next nearest one has got a cohort through BUT then those students really struggled with university progression. Our local university doesn't current accept T-levels for any science or healthcare courses- that may change in the future but it may not.

A LOT of providers also say that T-levels aren't as accessible as BTECs for students with challenges such as SEN, health issues, social needs etc.

But it looks like in 2 years time, we're going to have to give up a course that works well for us and our students. It's very likely we won't go down the T-level route, because we don't think we can make it work- and because we're an 11-18 school, it's difficult for us to set up a whole new style of course post-16. We'll probably offer AACs, but these may not be as accessible, and so we'll likely leave a gap in provision in our local area. And I don't think we'll be the only ones.

I haven’t heard about t levels, and had just been looking into some btec options for after her potential GSCEs in 2024, this does sound worrying. Although we still need to get through GCSEs first…. Have a meeting with the school tomorrow so will ask about whether this is going to impact choices.
I think I would be less worried if I could actually get her to engage in other things too, but if she doesn’t manage her GCSES I am unsure how we will get her to leave the house and go to a college or even a small job.