Progress between Y12 & 13 at school sixth form

[WhereAreMyDucks]

My DS is in year 12 doing three A levels at a school sixth form.

If he gets less than a grade D in one of his A level year 12 exams he will be allowed to stay at the school BUT will have to restart the A level or start another one from scratch. In affect thismeans his A levels will be over three years, with two A levels taken at the end of year 13 and one at the end of year 14.

He wants to take an art foundation year, and to do this it needs to be the free tuition. Adding an extra a level year would make this impossible.

I know there is a law (st Olaves) where children can’t be removed from school between y12 and 13 for anything other than bad behaviour-so not for results.

Is the school’s policy within the admissions law?

My child just needs A levels, he doesn’t even need three, the grades don’t matter so much to him, although he is trying.

This school is the only school where he could take all the subjects.

Do you think the school would let him stay on the full A level course if we agreed to self fund the exam at the end so he isn’t included in their stats?

If he doesn't need the A levels to do the foundation, will they let him take 2 next year? Can get take AS this year in the tougher subject? My daughter is taking art foundation, and has just been offered a uni place based on completing this year. She has three a levels but fairly mediocre marks and has still got on ok.

No. He can’t take 2 because there would be no funding. The school doesn’t run AS- I thought they had ended?

I Can think of one way around this situation, but it wouldn’t be in the best interest of my child. Those would be to carry on in the poorest subject, learn, and get a poorer grade. But that isn’t in the best interest of the school.

i suppose i would like to know if the school have found a clever workaround to the law.

Can you get him a tutor in his weakest subject so that he hopefully gets a D or above…

Yes. I can and will and have one lined up. But hopefully isn’t enough.

The school performs poorly in this subject anyway-it’s a course mostly run by private schools. So getting a D isn’t out of the realm of possibility

Can the school legally make a two year A level into a 3 year A level course? This was one of the main issues in the St Olaves case- that A levels were two years and not one year.

Can he do 2 A Levels in conjunction with a 1 year Level 3 course? (If the issue with dropping to 2 A Levels is a funding one).

Or, if he doesn't mind about not getting a 3rd qualification, I guess he can do 2 A Levels and start a 2 year level 3 course (A Level or otherwise) and simply drop out after the first year, so he doesn't eat into the 3rd year of funding?

The school only does A levels, there are no one year courses.

Yes he could retake the first year of the A level course and drop out at the end of year 2. But he’d rather do the full course, to get the full learning, and get a lesser grade than messing about for a year because the school want to protect their amazing grades.

BTW the amazing grades aren’t why he’s there-it’s the only school or college which runs his preferred A levels.

I appreciate all your input, thank you.

Does anyone know about the legal aspect?