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Secondary education

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Original poster

Application to 6th form rejected due to social anxiety

61 replies

JT619 · 12/08/2023 12:40

Hi,

Can anyone give us some advice please?

My son really struggled during lockdown as many did. He went from a bright student to struggling to attend lessons. However we pushed through, and with lots and lots of hard work he did at home himself, he managed to achieve 8 GCSE passes.

He then strugged to make it into 6th form. He tried, but the same problems reared their head. And so we decided to take a year out to sort out the social anxiety problems.

In the past year he's done really well. Re-connected with society, had therapy, and has taken on various volunteering jobs, one of which was actually working in a local school in classrooms to put his dislike of classrooms behind him.

We've applied for a different Sixth Form this year. The one he really wanted him to go had an interview day in March. We worked with the support team, who say they recommended he should be allowed to join but with a 6-week care package in-place. They passed that on to the admissions team, who duly rejected his application!

We're gutted and a bit angry. He's trying to put his struggles behind him. But also confused - how can it be that the student support team gave him the thumbs up, he has the required grades and yet he's been rejected?

We're going to appeal, but are wondering where we stand with this? It seems to me to be almost discrimnatory - social anxiety is classed as a disability, he has the grades and he's been turned down due to his disability.

Any thoughts or help would be really useful. The college usefully took 4 months to decide this (and didn't ask for any extra informstion in the meantime) and only let us know yesterday so other college options are looking limited at this late-ish stage. Thanks in advance.

JT619

OP posts:
Original poster
JT619 · 12/08/2023 14:10

He's made huge improvements through hard work since the interview in March. He's been doing 4 days a week in classrooms at a local school as a volunteer. But no-one has asked us or sought a reference.

OP posts:
LBFseBrom · 12/08/2023 14:11

Ladyoftheknight · 12/08/2023 13:25

Definitely go down the discrimination route, he deserves a place and they're clearly saying no because of his anxiety.

That.

OP, I am gutted on your and your son's behalf. However, keep believing he will find the right place and I wish him every success.

HarrietJet · 12/08/2023 14:12

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 12/08/2023 14:09

Honestly, allowing a sixth form student with anxiety to leave the room when they feel uncomfortable is well within the scope of what most schools offer students! Unlike a younger student, he doesn't need to be supervised, necessarily, so it's relatively easy to manage!

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But it's something you do actually have to be present for, it'd be different if it were a purely academic subject where you can easily pick up the notes at a later date.

CoatOfTheWest · 12/08/2023 14:13

@JT619 In case you are new both PanelChair and prh47bridge are experts with real life experience of admissions and appeals.

@HarrietJet my niece who is thriving at uni had a card that she could show when she was feeling overwhelmed in both secondary school and sixth form. She still went on to achieve stella grades and is about to start her 3rd year at uni. These are considered reasonable adjustments to accommodate a child with anxiety. She was under CAMHS at the time.

OvertakenByLego · 12/08/2023 14:14

PanelChair · 12/08/2023 13:33

This sounds irregular. Has the school put its reasons for refusing your son’s application in writing?

Assuming you’re in England, the school admissions code sets out the statutory guidance on sixth form admissions (para 2.6). Presumably, the school has concerns about whether it can meet your son’s needs, but that’s not within the scope of the admissions code; places can be refused only on grounds of not meeting the entry requirement or oversubscription.

I didn’t think FE colleges and sixth form colleges were bound by the admissions code? Although they still have to have an admissions policy which is fair and comply with the Equality Act.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 12/08/2023 14:17

HarrietJet · 12/08/2023 14:12

But it's something you do actually have to be present for, it'd be different if it were a purely academic subject where you can easily pick up the notes at a later date.

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I teach a science subject with practical requirements at A-level, and also teach a Level 3 BTEC.

For either subject, if they stepped out for a short period, and were able to return, it would be fine for the practical elements of the course. If they couldn't, then likely I'd arrange a catch up session (also to pick up any students who were absent), if it was something compulsory. Without wanting to give too many details, I've taught students with around 60-70% attendance for disability related reasons on the BTEC course, and all of them have got a minimum of a pass.

I'd say this is normal, post-covid in English education. If we were turning away every student who wasn't achieving e.g. 90% attendance, I think our sixth form would be 1/3 smaller than it currently is.

TheBrightestStarInTheSky · 12/08/2023 14:22

Your son should be proud of himself for the progress he has made.
There is a book on Anxiety and Panic, called "Dare" which is very helpful.

Blueblell · 12/08/2023 14:23

Is massage an integral part of the course that he wouldn’t be able to complete due to his anxiety about doing that? It is not something I would really want to do either.

Would they accept him onto a different course that doesn’t require massage as part of the course? He sounds well qualified for many other college courses.

Original poster
JT619 · 12/08/2023 14:33

No, massage isn't fundamental. It was just unlucky that was what they were doing that day.

He was told beforehand that he'd be one of a group of similar students joining classes, which he was comfortable with. But when he got there it was just him on his own with a chaperone that had to join a group of kids who all knew each other. Not great for someone with social anxiety.

OP posts:
PanelChair · 12/08/2023 14:36

I admit I’m confused here.

The thread title mentions “6th form” and so I assumed we were discussing a sixth form attached to a maintained school, which would be covered by the admissions code. OP later calls it a “state college”. If it’s an FE college outside the scope of the admissions code, the ground rules are different, but it still needs to have transparent admissions criteria; refusing a place directly or indirectly on the grounds of having a disability cannot be a part of that.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 12/08/2023 14:41

Depending on how it's set up legally, the college may be funded as an academy, which I believe means it's bound by the admissions code- just to make things even more complicated!

The college should have a published admissions policy somewhere.

I doubt it'll mention induction days because they aren't usually standard (realistically they'd be impossible to manage for the 1000s of students that FE colleges normally recruit).

If they don't mention this, then you can pull them up on not following their own admissions policies, and suggest you think they are discriminating because your son would need extra support.

I wouldn't mention the set up of the induction day, unless the admissions policy actually mentions them explicitly.

OvertakenByLego · 12/08/2023 14:43

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 12/08/2023 14:41

Depending on how it's set up legally, the college may be funded as an academy, which I believe means it's bound by the admissions code- just to make things even more complicated!

The college should have a published admissions policy somewhere.

I doubt it'll mention induction days because they aren't usually standard (realistically they'd be impossible to manage for the 1000s of students that FE colleges normally recruit).

If they don't mention this, then you can pull them up on not following their own admissions policies, and suggest you think they are discriminating because your son would need extra support.

I wouldn't mention the set up of the induction day, unless the admissions policy actually mentions them explicitly.

Not if they are a 16-19 academy. But their admission policy does need to be fair, objective and transparent, and comply with the Equality Act.

BCCoach · 12/08/2023 14:51

PanelChair · 12/08/2023 14:36

I admit I’m confused here.

The thread title mentions “6th form” and so I assumed we were discussing a sixth form attached to a maintained school, which would be covered by the admissions code. OP later calls it a “state college”. If it’s an FE college outside the scope of the admissions code, the ground rules are different, but it still needs to have transparent admissions criteria; refusing a place directly or indirectly on the grounds of having a disability cannot be a part of that.

A lot of areas don’t have sixth forms attached to schools and when people talk about ‘sixth form’ they mean a college.

Bearpawk · 12/08/2023 14:57

@PanelChair I went to a '6th form college' which was not attached to a school. Lots of them exist.

Original poster
JT619 · 12/08/2023 14:58

Sorry, I'm not really an expert.

To clear it up, the college isn't attached to a school. It offer A-levels, BTECs, etc to 16-19 year olds (all paid for by the state), and also has a University that students can progress to.

I assumed you meant state vs private (as in Eton!).

OP posts:
HarrietJet · 12/08/2023 14:59

JT619 · 12/08/2023 14:58

Sorry, I'm not really an expert.

To clear it up, the college isn't attached to a school. It offer A-levels, BTECs, etc to 16-19 year olds (all paid for by the state), and also has a University that students can progress to.

I assumed you meant state vs private (as in Eton!).

There's a natural progression to an attached university? Confused

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 12/08/2023 15:02

JT619 · 12/08/2023 14:58

Sorry, I'm not really an expert.

To clear it up, the college isn't attached to a school. It offer A-levels, BTECs, etc to 16-19 year olds (all paid for by the state), and also has a University that students can progress to.

I assumed you meant state vs private (as in Eton!).

Google "college name" admissions policy- hopefully something will come up.

See if they have broken this in any way, and if it mentions induction days or not.

They shouldn't be breaking their own policies regardless of whether the admissions code applies.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 12/08/2023 15:03

HarrietJet · 12/08/2023 14:59

There's a natural progression to an attached university? Confused

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Loads of big FE colleges offer degrees or foundation degrees (often accredited by a local uni) now- it's better funded than 16-19 education, for starters!

It's not necessarily "natural progression" but it can be a good option for some people.

ItsNotRocketSalad · 12/08/2023 15:09

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 12/08/2023 15:03

Loads of big FE colleges offer degrees or foundation degrees (often accredited by a local uni) now- it's better funded than 16-19 education, for starters!

It's not necessarily "natural progression" but it can be a good option for some people.

Show quote history

Yes, but a sixth form that feeds into a particular university? I don't know about HarrietJet but that's the bit I find unusual.

titchy · 12/08/2023 15:12

It's quite common for FE colleges to offer foundation degrees from a local uni, with that local uni then guaranteeing a place for students to do the top up to full degree.

It sounds like an FE college though, as distinct from a sixth form college. They should still have clear admissions arrangements and be bound by the EA to not discriminate.

PanelChair · 12/08/2023 15:14

Yes, point taken.

Polik · 12/08/2023 15:15

I've just read the admissions policy for my local FE 16-19 college (it's the local college who will basically take anyone, offering lower level courses to those who don't have the grades, rather than declining them a place).

Their policy states that the college will undertake a risk assessment or a fitness to study assessment. It seems this assessment is grounds to decline a place.

Original poster
JT619 · 12/08/2023 15:15

I've looked and there's no mention of induction days in their admissions policy. We were offered a second day, but were away. We asked if that would count against us and they said no.

OP posts:
Seaweed42 · 12/08/2023 15:22

It sounds like a case of horrible timing where the class going on happened to be the absolute worse one possible for anyone new, let alone someone with anxiety.

Have you thought about visiting your local MP's clinic to discuss your predicament.

BCCoach · 12/08/2023 15:24

@titchy is there any practical difference between an FE college and a sixth form college though? Our sixth form college doesn’t follow the SAC either.

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