History GCSE want to drop it

[Belshels]

Hi there, I am at my wits end with dd's school, and wondering how to escalate a complaint I have. I'm not happy with the way she is being treated.

Dd suffered a serious SA age 13, and is having ongoing SA therapy each week. It was unfortunately the R word, involved entrapment, and she gets flashbacks as has blanked it all out, and also panic attacks.

She is triggered by certain things, and is struggling at school, particularly in History, where certain subjects in the GCSE curriculum cause these flashbacks. (Nazi Germany, Crime and Punishment/ torture being a couple of those subjects).

She wants to drop History, but after several emails and meetings in house with the head of year, head of department and deputy head, the school have said no she can't drop it. This is because it causes a precedent, and will open flood gates for others to drop subjects. The other issue is they don't have another classroom or extra staff where she could go and sit.

There have been times where she's walked out of class when she found it triggering, only to be threatened with suspension and effectively bullied to go back in. Other subject teachers just say have 5 mins out, and then come back.

If she goes to pastoral care, where she should feel safe and supported, they don't let her stay and send her back to class.

She's been in all sorts of trouble because of it, which further adds to her stress, and she's in tears at least twice a week at school. her attendance is bad, and this is mainly to blame. The mental struggle to go in at times is too much.

She also being investigated for severe headaches / migraines, and about to have a brain scan. These are worse at school. Her attendance is poor because she hates school so much. This situation is making it worse.

The school are being far from understanding. The History teacher gives her detention every week for not doing the homework, and now she's being forced to go into History catch up class after school.
She feels she's being treated like a criminal, and no one is listening.

Today with 4 teachers in the room she was told in a smug way by the head of Pastoral (!!) she will be sitting the Mock exam and the GCSE exam itself, and if she didn't we would be charged for the exam.

How can a school force her to sit the exams, and make her do all the work for it?

It's so petty, it's as if they don't want to lose face now, and so are dictating to her, at the detriment of her health and wellbeing.

What would you do in this situation. Any advice gratefully received. Ty x

The issue will be the lack of where to put her if she’s not in her History lesson and what work will she do - there is a legal requirement, even in an inclusion unit, for appropriate, academically rigorous work to be provided. The inclusion unit is not for students who are refusing to go to lessons, in a state comp they simply won’t have the space.

If you’ve followed the correct procedure as you say you have and you’re so adamant that she will be dropping the subject then just go directly to the Head or Governors now with your complaint. If you’re that unhappy with the school why not move her elsewhere?

I don’t really understand why you couldn’t explain to the Head of History why your daughter’s sexual assault is triggered by the topics being covered. As a highly sensitive piece of quite private information it’s likely this has not been broadcast to every single teacher at the school.

@Belshels I would be looking at getting her moved into another class, any class for whatever is timetabled on at the same time as History. There must be somewhere with an empty chair where she could work on something else by herself. To be honest Ds2 was acing out 100% in History since year 10 and spent half of the time in year 11 History just doing his own revision in class because it wasn't relevant to him, he already knew it so was allowed to focus on something else. They recognised the benefit of engaging in improving himself in another subject.

Is the head of history just stupid or ignorant? Do they know exactly what happened to your DD? Sometimes schools are not good at communicating these incidents fully. I agree with London on that, they don't share. Ds and his best mate were sucker punched in the face in class and the form teacher of the aggressor didn't even know who her student had hit! It was only because she is Ds's History teacher and she rang me to tell me how great he was that she found out from me that it happened. The puncher was excluded too. How did she not know? She knew he punched 2 students but wasn't told who.

It doesn't matter what part triggers her it matters what they can do to keep her in school and in keep her mental health intact. That means no History lessons going forward. I am so sorry you are having to fight for this. Good that your DD can see that you are not giving up and you will do this for her.

Hi, thanks for the advice. Will ask the counsellor re the ADHD.
I had a meeting with all 3 at the school in October, and they just didn't listen to anything I said. I discussed what had happened to dd and how serious it had been, about the weekly counselling, and how the topics in history were triggering her.
They didn't and aren't taking this seriously, and as you say, are not interested. They just tried to find ways around it and how she could continue in class.
Trouble is once triggered by something in the lesson, it keeps coming back again, and every lesson is triggering.
You are right though, she can't heal with all this going on.
I am going to write to the counsellor now and detail everything in the hope she will discuss it with dd and write to the school. I think she will, she's very understanding.

You're right, it's an issue. They just don't know what to do with her.
Unfortunately I couldn't move her elsewhere. She only has around 1 and a bit terms to go, and her exams will be over in June. She has moved twice already in secondary school, the last time to get away from the perpetrator and all the horrific bullying and gossip.
I did explain dd's trauma the to the head of History in the meeting in October, she knows what the topics are and why they are triggering. I have a feeling they think it's over dramatic and exaggerated. They don't believe it's exceptional circumstances!

Hi there. Thanks for the reply and empathy. Moving her to another class isn't possible apparently, only the year below History class. They won't allow it.
That's good they accommodated your DS. That's what I'd expect at this school tbh.
They don't know exact details but know it was serious enough for her to be having counselling ongoing until she is deemed better.
The other teachers just seem really ignorant. One teacher shouted at DD who wouldn't go into class and was crying after a panic attack, and said she wasn't the exception and to get into the class or be suspended. I was so angry, and asked for him to call me. He just said he wasn't equipped to deal with MH issues and was just doing his job, as they can't have students out of class.
I see what you mean about teachers being in the dark, that's ridiculous!!

It's not clear if she's in year 10 or 11, but either way she will have missed too much content from another subject to pick it up, even if there's one she likes that fits on the timetable, so you are going to find that there's nobody to supervise her.

While your DD has suffered horrifically, this doesn't change the problem the school has in accommodating her, now she's picked this GCSE. No teacher would be responsible for her or setting her work for those hours, so they cant let her 'drop' it.

If she is year 11 (doing mocks makes me think yes) she's actually probably nearly covered all the content now, so little new will be introduced, and it would definitely be worth sitting the exam for the qualification she would gain. Better to get something rather than nothing after being triggered in the lessons and persisting anyway.

I know you think the school lack empathy, but objectively if she's nearly done, and she won't have to write about her trauma in May external exams, she'll have an extra GCSE. And avoiding a whole subject for fear of being triggered isn't to be encouraged, as it is just that - avoidance.

If she's incapable of being exposed to any uncomfortable content, and the therapist hasn't suggested or encouraged practice of strategies to cope in a scenario like that, then you need to propose a solution about how she could fill her timetable and whether she can be off site, join another lesson without being examined, catch up (at least a term) of another subject, do self study in the back of a year 7 class... I wouldn't be just stating that she's not doing it and nobody can make her.

Given the severity of what happened to your child, I would expect her to still be at a fairly early stage in her healing process. She is doing incredibly well to be engaging in education as well as she is. Of course she couldn’t have predicted how her future self would feel when she chose a GCSE in the early aftermath of a serious SA. Try the governors but your daughter’s privacy should be respected - you shouldn’t need to keep revealing highly intimate information about her to more and more people in the hope of an outcome and each time risking her privacy further. Could you get a GP note saying serious and private and tell them that is what you are prepared to share?

@BelshelsThey don't know exact details I think that maybe part of school's lack of understanding.

For me I would book an immediate emergency meeting with whoever is the DSL (Designated Safeguard Lead) and I would be totally honest about what happened. Literally what you wrote in paragraphs 2 and 3 in your opening post. They are sadly very used to dealing with incidents involving SA.

That person can then feed down not specific information but the severity of what your daughter endured and it would have far more clout. From the outset of the meeting with the DSL I would be clarifying what you are looking for from the meeting. To convey information to them but that the details are kept private and that your daughter to protect her mental health drops the subject that is a problem for her. In fact I am not sure a DSL can even share specifics with staff.

Although I have never worked in a secondary school I did volunteer in an incredible primary school and because of this I had extensive safeguarding training which I had to re-read a massive safeguarding policy document every year (along with other policy documents) and sign the paperwork.

There are other lessons timetabled for year 11s in the same block she has History as there will be students not taking History. I would suggest to the DSL that they find somewhere she can go that doesn't feel like a punishment.

She's year 11, so no, she can't swap subjects.
She has been sitting in the back of the class blanking it all out and not participating, so she can carry on doing that. She always has a book, and hyperfocuses on that, as it takes her away from reality. The problem is when they try and make her listen and do the work.
She is not interested in doing the exam, and she would fail it anyway.
I'm going to ask the therapist to write to the school.

Thank you. Will have a look at who the safeguarding lead is. Also going to get the therapist to email in / possibly speak to the school. Unfortunately there are no other lessons she can go into I believe, but current situation is ok, as long as she doesn't get made to listen or do the work.

Thank you 🥰 Exactly, she didn't know all the info about the course as she had to make a very snap decision on her options as moved to the school right in the final week of Year 9.
Yes may try the GP, but first port of call her therapist. Xx

They are worried her withdrawal will affect their results data, I suspect.
They’re being cruel and totally unsympathetic - have you had a meeting with the Head yet as you won’t be able to make a formal complaint to Governors until you do? The process will be in the website.
I would be kicking up a huge stink as there is no reason why this can’t be accommodated with some thought and planning, and she should be withdrawn immediately to prevent further distress.
I hope she’s not staying there for 6th form.

Thanks, yes I had a meeting with the deputy who is in charge of this area, (also HOY and HOD) Not interested at all, only in finding ways to make her stick with it. Would not agree to her dropping it.
I agree it's just madness, they are meant to take wellbeing and safeguarding the no.1 priority, then academics. It's says somin their complaints procedure.
No not staying for 6th form thank goodness. She's going to a vocational music / performing college.

The buck stops with the Head and they are ultimately answerable to the Governors so make an appointment with the Head (they're trying to string it out by you only seeing Deputy - the Head should have stepped in a long time ago). If the head won't see you, put this in an email and tell him/her you will be making a formal complaint about him/her (that way it can go direct to Governors) and also to the Local Authority safeguarding team. Make that complaint today and use the procedure on their website (which the DfE is currently getting schools to update). Hint that you are also taking legal advice.
Where in the country is the school - I have a feeling I may be familiar with it!

My first thought re charging you for the GCSE is "whatever". If you agreed to her continuing the lessons for the sake of saving the exam fee, it would be evidence that you are just blustering. Any parent who really considers this a MH issue would not be put off by that. And however much they talk about precedence, it would be highly unusual not to have some students already on partial timetables due to MH difficulties, often secondary to ND.

However some schools do have nowhere to put students out of class. I wonder if it might help to unpick their practical objections from the rest. It's a bit of a paradigm shift but if you could offer to collect her and physically take her out of school for History lessons, you might find them suddenly more accommodating. Not everyone is able to do this, and you shouldn't have to, but it solves a significant practical problem for them while sending a really strong message to your daughter that you have got her back. If you end up with a child unable to attend school at all over this then it's a much worse problem than somehow juggling work around her History lessons between now and the end of April.

I think you have such a strong case that you are likely to be able to force them to find somewhere else for her to sit out history lessons. But it might be not at all fun for her - sitting at the back of a geography lesson for example. Be really clear going into the meeting what you want to achieve. It's only a few months now.

Yes will do, thank you. Although I was told he curricular matters were dealt with by deputy.
It's in Shepperton, tbh I'm not bothered if people know where it is. Where were you thinking?

Thank you. I'm not prepared to let her sit through all the classes and get triggered, and sit for 3 hours doing nothing in the mock and the exam. Why should she be punished like that?! She already does detention every week because they won't accept she's not doing the work, because she's not doing the exam.
I may suggest collecting her, good idea, although the times vary each week.

Hi guys, just a quick update. Her counsellor /therapist wrote an official email to the school re dd's trauma and explained about triggers etc. The Head also spoke to her on the phone.

I was called in to see the head, and it was a complete battle to get him to see our side. His concerns were that letting her drop a subject was not something they ever do, as it teaches resilience. He was worried it would lead to her dropping other subjects too, and encourage other students to try and drop some to their GCSE subjects too.
He also said that shed only have 8 GCSE'S which was below the national average, and the logistics of where to put here were very difficult.
I had to put my side forward yet again as he still didn't quite get it🙄
I also told him what the HOY had said to her (to stop emotionally blackmailing him) and let her cry for 10 mins in his office while he watched. He didn't believe this had happened as apparently not the sort of thing the HOY would do.
Anyway he reluctantly semi agreed she would drop History, but was meant to get back to me with a definite plan of where she would go during lessons, and he was also meant to be speaking to my dd about it, which he did neither!
It appears that the staff have now accepted that she is not doing History anymore, and so things have improved because she's finding supervised places to go now herself (often the back of another years class for a different subject)

So we got there in the end!! DD is relieved, and as a result is working better at school and the staff are leaving her alone a bit more now.
Thanks for everyone's input xx

So glad you got there in the end. Sorry it was such a battle.

A compromise could be to not study that topic in the course and not take the relevant exam. I imagine the exam board would really take this on board in terms of special consideration.

They would not, if you look at the JCQ regs this wouldn’t come under special consideration, which only uplifts marks by a maximum of 5% anyway.

They would. I was a secondary teacher for 25 years. She was unable to attend the exam due to severe anxiety.

They then calculate a grade. My daughter was unable to sit an exam due to accrue ancAnd it was applied to her. She got level 7

Why did she pick history gcse?

My guess is because she didn't realise how it would impact her and/or she had to do her options before the incident.

Yes, very end of year 9 and she had just changed schools and it was the last few days of term. Everyone's options had been decided and we had to decide quickly, without seeing the syllabus. Also the extent of her SA was only disclosed just over a year ago as she'd been blocking it out, and was ashamed / embarrassed. The flashbacks and triggers only started after she disclosed what had happened to pastoral school, and started proper counselling sessions.