Year 'out' to retake GCSEs?

[Echobelly]

DS is in Y9 and as the expectations ramp up it's clear his ADHD, even though he is bright, is making it hard for him to keep up and GCSEs could be a massive hurdle. He catches up a little more with peers each year but he's also August born and I fear that he just won't be ready to get strong enough GCSE results when he's still 15 to make it to A-level. But given a bit more time to catch up and retake some of them (without the pressure of all 9 subjects) he could be able to do better and be ready for A-levels.

I gather it is possible to take a 'year out' this way and there are costs attached, which we could bear - I'd be interested if anyone has experience of doing this. Like, where do they do the retakes private insitutions, public? Is it always in-person teaching or can it be done online? And so on.

Obviously there are many variables as to whether this would be the right solution for him, it might not even come to this, but I'm trying to get as clear an idea as possible what the options are.

Would it not be better for him to do fewer GCSEs and choose an alternative path to a levels - of which there are many great options.

I’d be worried about the mental of social effects of him being a year behind his peers, and what this would do to his confidence.

He could go to a crammer.

Eg this place

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ManderPortmann_Woodward

They are expensive.

If he fails maths and English and wants to continue in state funded education he will need to resit anyway.

You'd probably need to pay privately to resit GCSEs. Could be costly and soul destroying.

You are talking about catching up, so is it a situation of ADHD was undiagnosed but now it is known and on meds/other adjustments he can catch up?
Does he have an EHCP?

Are either of these possible:
. Hold back a year, so repeat year 9
. Discuss with school to do reduced number of GCSEs
. If can't do reduced number, just mentally throw away a GCSE or 2.

If you don't think he will be able to meet A level entry requirements, would A levels actually be right for him, or would a continuous assessment model such as T-Levels suit him more?

What are the A level entry criteria? Are you looking at a school that wants eg 7s across the board, or somewhere with more basic requirements such as 5 passes but 6/7s in chosen subjects?

Thanks for input. I think a year out is not an option if he just struggles really badly and isn't getting anywhere near 4+ in anything (though I don't think that will happen); in that case I would rethink options for further study/work.

If he shows improvement in his ability to study and does OK in some subjects but not quite well enough to progress to A-level (we wouldn't be looking at super high grade requiring 6th forms) then I think this could be a good option that gives him time to be ready. I'm aware he'd have to retake Maths and English regardless if he doesn't make the grade - I think he'll be able to manage a 4 or maybe even a 5 in maths, but English language will be a challenge, especially as I think the Eng Lang exam as it is is ridiculous and hard to get your head around (I am a English graduate myself).

I wouldn't be worried about age difference - he'd literally be 17 at the start of Y12 and 18 when he takes his A-levels, so he wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb.

He has a diagnosis on inattentive ADHD since age 9, but no ECHP. It didn't seem like he needed one but maybe we need to look into that now. He takes equasym but we're going to talk to consultant at catch up next month as to whether this needs altering as he's really running out of steam at the end of the school day and he is quite a bit bigger than when he started on it.

@PinkFrogss - I'd be happy for him to take fewer GCSEs, but not sure if they allow that at their school. His sibling sat GCSEs this year and it was 21 papers, which I felt was a huge ask and put oldest under a lot of strain even though they are very able and motivated. I'm happy, and DH is moving round to accepting, non GCSE courses at 16 as well.

It’s not about the age difference, it’s that his current friends and peer group will be moving on and he won’t. If he needs an extra year for GCSEs then I think he would struggle with A levels - which there is no shame in.

What does he want to do post 18 and why are you so set on him doing A levels?

His school doesn't have a 6th form, so either he'll be moving on to a different one maybe with some friends, or if he doesn't make A-level standards he'll probably be separated from them anyway.

I'm aware of the argument 'If they can't do GCSEs why make them do A-levels?', but I think there is the argument of maturity and also just sheer having fewer subjects and only the ones you want to do. Nephew (autistic) did not get good GCSEs but scraped into 6th form, which he was initially not keen on going to but went on to get decent A-levels because he was more ready and more able to learn with fewer subjects on his plate. I'm not wedded to A-levels, but I'd like to at least like to make it what to aim for but obviously would re-think if GCSEs suggest he just won't manage them. Also, DS at the moment says he would like to go to university.

What does he want to do OP? Does he know? I would say that A-levels may not be the right choice for him, I would get him to do his GCSE's and get a tutor for maths and English if you can as those are the ones that are really useful. I would then look at BTECs at college - many will do GCSE maths and English or functional skills as well alongside if needed - and the BTECs will mean he can go to uni if he wants but they won't be so exam based. DS got all 8's and 9's in his GCSE's and got B's at A-level, they are tough and I wouldn't recommend them for a child struggling to get 4's/5's at GCSE. I would keep moving forward though, there's nothing more demoralising than going back a year and retaking IMO.

You can go to university with T-levels/BTECs.

you need to be aware that if he takes a year out post GCSEs he will lose his ability to 'restart' 6th form. This means that if he resits some GCSEs to be allowed to take A levels, but then starts A levels and can't cope, he'd only have 1 year left in 6th form which isn't enough to get T-levels.

A-levels aren’t necessarily needed for university. I think doing an extra year to get GCSEs is a pretty drastic decision and sounds like there are plenty of better alternatives in this case.

Do any of the local sixth forms/colleges have open evenings coming up?

What costs? You're well within your right to request them to retake a year. We did this, DD retook Y10 last year and is Y11 now. I would personally move schools though as socially it would be difficult to go down a year in the same school.

Oh, I didn't know that, no, a year out wouldn't do any good for A levels in that case! This is exactly why I'm asking about this stuff now and not in two years' time. It's also because of DH's stress about it. He was privately educated, super high expectations from his parents and has difficulty understanding that your life does not have to go down the toilet if you don't succeed academically. He agreed with me today that we need a Plan A and a Plan B (and maybe a Plan C) for post GCSEs because I think a lot of what scares him is he doesn't know what the options are. I worked in education/SEN publishing for long chunks of my career and maintain an interest in education so I'm more aware than he is of the alternatives out there. I also have worked the last few decade in real estate and facilities management, where I have met plenty of people with great careers who were not academic.

@Jessie1259 - I'm definitely thinking tutors for maths and English through Y10 and 11. DH is excellent at maths but is someone who it's totally natural to so just does not have the patience with DS to tutor him as he doesn't grasp it easily. DS is not actually bad at maths - he can find it hard to remember what technique he's supposed to use, but once he does he is OK and it's a closed-answer subject, which he finds easier than open ended things like English.

@Foxesandsquirrels - that's interesting to know. May be one option if he is still lagging a lot next year, but agree another school would be better.

It's just such a hard call to make when making these choices so relatively early in his life! Like I said, I want to line up some options so we can do the best for him when the time comes, whether that's retakes, taking A-levels, or doing something totally different post 16.

I'd let him go through GCSEs as "normal" with fewer subjects if possible.

Line up options for afterwards, not preempting something that may not be a problem.

I think that lining up options is exactly what you do in order to manage something that may or may not happen 🙂

But I should find out if it is possible to do fewer subjects. The school offers BTECs, but only 2 or 3 I think.

When choosing gcse options many secondary schools use a "pathways" system now to try to match kids to courses that are right for them.

Many schools will offer the option to drop a gcse (usually a foreign language) to do additional maths and English (sometimes tagged as "booster" or "learning support"). These are usually aimed at students who came in with lower sats results.

Do you know if your school has such a system?

Many schools also offer BTECs alongside GCSEs as for some students it reduces the exam load and coursework means the effort is spread out among the two years.

I feel quite sorry for your ds. Your dhs attitude shines light on the original post. OP, you sound as though you are panicking.

Fewer GCSES, tutor, a mix of A levels and BTECS could work well.

Which are your ds favourite lessons?

Does he do a lot of sport? PE A level can have 30% coursework I believe, also Geography has a coursework component depending on board.

I really wouldn't recommend using that extra year for gcses.

Just to add to the options OP FE colleges can take students from age 14. I'm not saying it is an option for your DS just pointing out it is there.

BTECs at GCSE level could be a good suggestion. As pp said it would reduce final exam load. You/he would also gain understanding at how they work prior to 6th form.

My DS is very similar. He is very dyslexic and was in a specialist school until y9. He consistently had time off school during y7/y8 for medical treatment. He was diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive) at end of y9. He is now in y11 and doing GCSE this year. We have faced lots of similar issues and concerns.

He is bright, ambitious and works extremely hard and wants to go onto sixth form and university. Working memory/volume to learn and passing English are his biggest challenges with GCSE. I often wish he could have another year, just to let it all sink in.

His school have been very helpful and he is doing seven GCSE. He has also worked solidly through the summer and now, over half term. Maths is a relative strength and through trial and error we found a marvellous tutor who is really supporting him.

If your son is August born, and it's an option, I would hold him back and repeat y8 now. I know of several families who have done that. All of the GCSE work builds on earlier understanding and if that is shaky, your problem starts right there.

Other things to do are learn how your child learns. Then max out on those things. A big part at GCSE is organising the information and being able to access it in an easy, consistent way. Work in note books, handouts, Google classrooms (presentations, prep submitted, prep marked), different websites - can all be a challenge to manage.

Totally agree that once you get to sixth form, a lot can change for DC with these profiles. My nephew was very similar and did BTECs and has just graduated from a RG uni with 2:1 accounting degree and now has a good training position.

Good luck OP. 😃

Summary so far:
. Look to see if you can repeat current year and if it would help
. Go (just as parents?) to some 6th form open evenings both A levels and more vocational to see the options and progression opportunities
. Pick GCSE options strategically, thinking about BTEC options too
. Keep in background possibility of officially dropping or unofficially abandoning a subject or 2 part way through gcses (better to start full set as you don't know where the struggles will be)
. Help your dc be organised and help with revision so you all learn what works for him
. Don't Panic!

Does DS even wat to do A levels? Even if the entry requirements are low A levels are hard and take a level of independent work - if he is struggling with GCSEs you are setting him up to fail.

Let him do GCSEs with the rest of his cohort and then let him choose a more appropriate path afterwards, that might be level 2 courses, it might be a BTEC with more coursework rather than an A level where he is required to regurgitate what he learnt over 2 years which is difficult. It could be a hands on apprenticeship.

’Wanting’ to go to university does not mean you should go. Most young people ‘want’ to go because of the student experience rather than the studying. If he is not academic enough to take this pathway then it will be long, painful and expensive. Plenty of other options out there.

Oh yes? What are these myriad of options?

OP, my dd has slow processing speed. She did in fact repeat a year of A levels and ended up scraping into a non RG university. Had an amazing time and now has a fantastic job.

Non A level options:

apprenticeships

vocational courses (eg business, computer science, animal care, various trades, hospitality, event management, outdoor pursuits, public services, health and social care ....).

Do well enough on vocational courses you can progress to uni too (for related courses or those not requiring A levels).

Thanks for all of this, it's really helpful and a lot to think about.

I would say I'm not panicked about it in myself - at the end of the day, we're pretty privileged and I'm sure outcomes for DS will be fine whatever he is capable of academically. But I want to find a balance between 'It'll all be fine' (my tendency) and 'You will totally mess up your life if you can't take A-levels' (DH's tendency)

I'm not insisting on A-levels but it also feels too soon to rule them out either. DS recently turned 13 but honestly at the moment still much more like a 10 year old than a teen, but he could make a bit of a cognitive leap in the next year or so and become more able to deal with everything - or he might not. He doesn't have any obvious vocational leaning, I would certainly go with it if there were. It's not clear at this stage whether vocational learning would 'hook' him any better than academic. He is interested in working with animals and his cousin has recently started an animal care course at a well reputed college (which doesn't require academics, although cousin did do A levels) and that might be something to aim for.

It's just such a shame GCSEs are so exam led and so fixed - if he could do a subject that involved an assessed project on something that piqued his interest, like Japan, I think he could do a good job of it and it would help him in other areas too, but I can't see there's anything that gives that kind of leeway.