Sixth form withdrawing subjects

[DecisionYesOrNo]

Need your advice. My child got admission in one of the sixth forms for her choice of subjects. They never informed us it was conditional offer based on baseline testing neither verbally not written. Last week they have taken away her 2 subject choices since she dint clear her baseline testing. She can't do those subjects at all. They are very firm. We left admissions for so many schools because of this school and now this. Is this even legal. Please suggest

The chemistry is totally justifiable. Sorry a 5 isn't strong enough for A level. We sometimes let ours start 4 and drop 1. But even the 7's would be the lowest for the tougher A levels.

OP, please contact the Head of Post 16 about this. They are aware of the ruling, I am sure. She has started the course, she continues it.
That is all.

They offered her 4 GCSEs, we are ok with also doing 3. But now not letting her do 2 of those since she dint do well on her baseline testing. They say the offers are conditional based on baseline testing results but this was not informed to us during tue offer process.

As someone who works supporting 16-18 year olds trust me they can kick her out - it’s not statutory education

it’s not right - but no 6th forms I work with would accept someone onto an a level with a 5 at gcse either

get on the phone to all the other options asap

Whether you go back to them or elsewhere, I'd only go for 3 A levels not 4. Very few do 4 and there's no need at all. Focus on the three she's best at. This original sixth form may even be open to renegotiation on a third A level if they're happy for her to do the first two and then one other rather than two. It doesn't seem like the sciences are necessarily the best fit for her but she should be able to do 3 and find a place, it's still within a reasonable timeframe, although stressful for sure. Good luck!

They can't kick her out.

They should have informed her earlier but I agree with not letting her do Chemistry with only a 5 at GCSE. It is one of the hardest A Levels. My son got a 7 at GCSE and has really struggled.

They are kicking her out of those subjects and asking her to pick others. They won't let her do those subjects.

Why? It’s post 16 - they can if they choose to

im not saying they have handled it correctly - in fact I’m appalled, but there is no statutory requirement to keep her

Are you sure that there aren’t specific GCSE grade requirements for the A level courses as well as entry requirements for the sixth form? It might not have been in the offer but in the A level prospectus.

Does your DD definitely need biology and chemistry A level for her intended career? I think it is worth arguing about allowing her to continue A level biology but I would have concerns about continuing with chemistry if she only got a 5, unless something went wrong on the day of the exam. There is no point studying a subject if you are unlikely to get the grade needed for university.

Does she have a particular career path in mind having chosen those subjects? Chemistry is definitely one of the more difficult A-levels and I'm kind of surprised that with a 5 at GCSE they even let her start the course. From memory, when my sons were at college, they needed specific GCSE grades to get in and then further specific grades in the subjects they were going to study. If she definitely needs a chemistry A-level then it's very difficult but otherwise can she not change to another subject at this point? Many sixth forms are still allowing changes between classes.

At grade 5 gcse she'll struggle with A level chemistry. My dd did those 4 subjects and those who even got 7s struggled in some cases. Could she not just drop the chemistry and do the other 3?

Yes it would be interesting to know her career path and the other choices she has available

dd2 gained an 8 in biology gcse and a D at a level - science is hard post 16

I understand this but you need to inform in the start during admission that these are conditional subjects based on results, Posting what they had put in the admission letter,

"I am delighted to inform you that we have processed your application to join the Sixth Form and can confirm you are able to study the subjects you have chosen on your enrolment form/email."

It nowhere mentions about conditional offer. Her grades are good in other subjects, Chemistry there was some issue at her previous school and hence these results. I am ok they are not offering it but offering and taking is back is not fair.

What does she want to do at University?

https://www.teeslaw.com/insights/exclusion-on-the-grounds-of-academic-attainment.amp

i looked up the St Olave’s case. I’m not clear if this only applies to excluding them from Y13/school altogether based on low attainment, (seems to be what happened at St Olaves) or whether it would also apply to not being allowed to continue a particular A level.

I know DC’s sixth form sometimes doesn’t let students continue into Y13 on a particular A level if they’re not doing well and they do a BTEC or something instead alongside say the 2 A levels they are continuing with.

Medicine.

This is the st Olaves ruling

www.teeslaw.com/insights/exclusion-on-the-grounds-of-academic-attainment.amp

However I would agree with the others that her choice to do 4 a levels is not a good choice, and I cannot think of a single sixth form that would let someone into a level chemistry who had a 5 at gcse.

If she is trying to study 4 a levels (generally recommended for only the very very high flyers - the type of kid who got all nines) and wants to do chemistry with a grade that is barely a pass at gcse then she doesn't have a realistic idea of what a levels are like.

You could go to a lawyer and force the issue and force them to keep her doing those choices. It is very likely she will struggle badly and come out with extremely bad a level results.

She is better off either changing schools (although you may not find one willing to allow her to do chemistry) and dropping down to three a levels.

Has she done anything over the summer to work on her chemistry? I don’t think any sixth forms will let her do an a level with a 5 unfortunately.

I’m also surprised at being accepted onto A level Chemistry with a grade 5, most places specify at least a 6. Chemistry is the subject dc is finding most difficult so far. Has your dc found it challenging? What does she want to do post A levels? It may make the most sense to pick a different subject for the third and not do a fourth.

What does she want to study at university?

I had a bad feeling that she wanted to study medicine at university, hence the necessity to do chemistry. To be honest, regardless of whether it was clear or not on the admissions information for this particular college, I cannot imagine that any other colleges or schools to which she applied would be happy to let her do a science A-level in a subject in which she got a 5 at GCSE. Her other GCSE results in physics and biology very respectable but not stellar for someone who wants to do medicine. I think the school would actually be doing her a disservice allowing her to continue this A-level when it is highly unlikely that she could ever achieve the required grade for her chosen university course.

Also, I know it's very fresh and emotional at the moment, but be careful about playing into the narrative that this has "ruined a child's career ", presumably you realise that only 15% of medical applicants actually get offered a place. There are many other obstacles in her way before she gets to university.

I understand what you are saying but if you see her other grades she an intelligent child. Why her results were bad only in Chemistry and not in others because there is a back story. She had some issues in her previous school with the Chemistry teacher. She is willing to drop a subject and do only 3. She has started personal tuitions on Chemistry and working real hard. I can't let her pursue her dreams because of one GCSE result.

What do you base this on?

Thanks everyone, will think through this and decide next steps. Really appreciate all your help.