Sixth form refusing entry

[aqa12]

Hi all. I have a child in year 11 who had some issues last year-pretty minor but have added up (detentions for being late/poor test results/forgetting stuff etc etc). I suspect he has adhd and we are looking at assessment. We received a letter from school at the beginning of the year saying if he didn't improve his behaviour he would not be offered a place (this is a state school). After lots of googling I believe they cannot do this as their admissions policy only mentions getting the required grades. Anyone have a similar experience? Obviously if he is diagnosed it would be a different situation as he would have further protection against discrimination.

Is it a bog standard state school (I don’t mean that in a pejorative way) or is it an academy of some sort?

I say that as someone whose son was excluded from a private school for similar. He did have various diagnoses but they said they couldn’t accommodate him and they had a wide ranging and subjective policy on behaviour etc. Don’t assume that a diagnosis will be a 100% shield even in a state school, but I agree it would help.

I think, it's a fair request if there are no underlying issues

6th form is a lot of self guided study, so he needs to demonstrate that he has the discipline to see it through rather than drop out.

I would also check on pervious years for retention and grades- there might be issues with the school, that they want to avoid moving forward.

@aqa12 you're right - the school can't refuse entry on those grounds. It doesn't matter if it is an academy or an LA-maintained school, so long as it is a state school. It needs to follow the national school admissions code, which you can find online by googling.

If your child was refused entry for minor behavioural issues you would almost certainly win an appeal.

Our local outstanding state does not accept some of their year 11 students, who had bad behaviour or any behaviour that would impact their stats.

Sixth forms often flout the admissions code. Parents need to be savvy and appeal, but they bank on the fact that you won't.

As others have said, during the normal admissions round a school cannot refuse to admit a child due to their behaviour unless they have been permanently excluded twice in the last two years. This is set out in paragraph 3.9 of the Admissions Code which applies to all state schools (including academies). Keep the letter. If your son is not offered a place, you can use this as evidence in an appeal to show that the school has broken the Admissions Code.

Tell them if they continue that you will appeal and win. Also point out that as he is on the diagnosis pathway the school must treat him as if he already has the diagnosis until they hear otherwise.

contact your local council SEND department. If they won't help themselves they can give you details of someone who can/will.

Yep, if they know they're flouting the rules then just letting them know you know, and the potential of an appeal, will probably be enough.

There is a certain super-selective grammar school with a sixth form admissions policy that breaches the code. They also don't tell rejected applicants they have a right to appeal (which is another breach in itself) but students who have requested information about appealing have been sent an offer instead.

Thanks for all the information everyone. It's as I suspected-I'm just shocked the head teacher thinks it's OK to send out such a threat without any legal basis. I can't tell if it's a generic letter or lots of boys get. I did ask my son and he said a few other boys got a letter. I've not challenged the letter as don't want to get the school's back up anymore but I'm preparing myself in case they actually try and refuse him.

Others have advised wisely on the legals and you can and absolutely should use the letter as evidence to challenge any dodgy behaviour by the school down the line, but I wonder if it's useful to not necessarily tell your DS that and use it as a motivator to step things up? Not doubting your suspicions of ADHD and good to get him assessed, but it's got this far and he's not been put in for assessment yet, so I even wonder if this is the school's way of trying to focus his mind on the importance of getting to class on time with all the right things. I have ND kids and sometimes a hardline/consequence like this can be helpful in it clarity, even if you know that ultimately the school has no power to refuse him entry and you'd fight them like hell if they tried to pull that trick.

(Obviously you know your DS best, if the threat is unhelpful and will just cause him anxiety and make him more likely to to not be motivated, ignore my post)

Yes I did show him the letter when it first arrived as a bit of a motivator as you suggest but I've not mentioned it again as I don't want him to become anxious. I'm the one that's carrying all the anxiety for him! It's hard because he really is trying and I've had some lovely comments from some teachers but others (particularly his form teach/hoy) are like a dog with a bone. I understand they are trying to encourage him but constant punishment for minor issues (that could be related to his adhd anyway) are wearing me down!

Hmmm. It might be worth looking elsewhere. I know you know this- but sixth form is very different. Is it actually the right environment for him if he's going to get poor test results or detentions? It might be very negative.

The school will have sent that letter for several reasons:

1. They hope it will shake your son up and frighten him into achieving his full potential.
2. They think him being in the sixth form will have a negative effect on other students
3. They think the sixth form at their school isn't right for him.

Yes you can appeal and make a fuss- but why would you want to? In the case of any of these reasons being correct, he's likely to be better off in another environment.

Yes you are right and we will be having conversations with him about whether 6th form is right for him. However I do not think it's right for the school to threaten him and not follow their own procedures or admission laws.

Depending on where you are and what other options are available, it might be worth going to sixth form open days and applying to other places. They do seek references etc. DS1 had a few behaviour points for punctuality, being late to lessons during the school day, not handing in homework and trivial uniform infringements. Whatever school said about him to his sixth form applications didn't stop him getting conditional offers from 5 places - with quite high grade requirements because he wanted to study lots of Maths - I don't think there were any that said no. I would think academic predictions and likely grades play a part.

Just so you know, this poster is an expert on admissions, so their advice is usually the one to follow.

As others have said, they can't refuse him entry for this. However, it may be a (terrible) way of saying they don't think he will cope with their sixth form. Whilst you could force the school's hand, A-levels are a challenge, and if they aren't going to be supportive, it may not be the right setting for him?

Would it be worth at least looking at other options locally to see if any look like a good fit? I know it may sound counterintuitive, but some students actually thrive in a more relaxed atmosphere like college, perhaps because the day is less stressful for them? In most areas, he can still do A-levels at college.

Obviously he shouldn't be pushed out, but forcing the issue if the school is a bad fit may not be the right thing either?