Alevel maths - can DS really not be up to it?

[grownupbabes]

DS has just started AS. He got all A and A* for GCSEs, including A for maths. He is now doing maths, physics, music and a language for A level - but his school has told him (after just 5 weeks)that his maths isn't up to it. They are insisting he drop maths. Surely an A at GCSE is a good enough to be going on with?
The problem is that he needs maths as a prerequisite for what he wants to do at university. If he drops maths, he won't be able to follow his dream. Surely they ought to let him give it a go. How hard can it be? Can they really tell he is going to fail after 5 weeks? He has always been a very good student in all subjects.
Feeling really quite angry about this. Any maths teachers out there who can advise? Or anyone else had any similar experience? Is this about league table scores, and not my son's future?

To be honest, I think that it does sound like he might have bitten off a bit more than he can chew - doing a new language is not easy, even for students who are as bright as your son sounds, and maybe he isn't doing as well as he did at GCSE because there is just so much work?
What does he want to do? Is he adamant that he wants to carry on with the maths?
The A Level set up sounds really odd?
I would be tempted to review his A Level choices, particularly since he's taken four - most schools would demand that all students do four AS levels, but then also demand that they drop the weakest one.
There are lots of places he can do sound engineering - you should be looking at a broad range of courses, not just the top Unis!

My son is just half a term into Maths A level too. He was in the bottome set for maths but got A* and is doing fine. But he has observed that the course is so hugely different to the GCSE and the work rate is much faster so if you don't 'get' something the pressure to just move on is huge.

He is incredibly lucky that actually the A level course appeals to him and he is finding it easier than the GCSE - and the boys who were top set are some of the ones who are struggling to adjust to the change.

But I think half a term is too short a period if he is committed and really trying to grapple with it. I would getthem to give him longer and ask if he can get some extra tutorial time. When DS1 was struggling with chemistry last year the school set up a support class for 6 of the boys which helped enormously ( he got an A in the end in spite of being sure he would flub it)

I would press them for more time and more support.
Good luck

Message withdrawn

Oh I see, thanks for clarifying grownupbabes & bloss. Quite an interesting idea with pros & cons to both, but does that mean everyone does 4 A2s with no option to take one subject just to AS?

My nephew is doing Maths at A level He aslo got an A* atGCSE's but he says Maths at A level is much harder.

bloss - is your school in Rugby by any chance?

Interesting aside: last night I met a university maths professor socially and so mentioned this discussion. He said that there is a chasm between GCSE maths and A level, that the two subjects are almost discontinuous, and that the weakness of GCSE maths was causing a lot of problems to bright students who were interested in maths. The whole thing was having a knock on effect at university level. But he also thought that a short burst of coaching would help - not to fill the gaps but to change the spoon-fed mindset in respect of what maths really means... to effect a mind shift from counting and measuring to theoretical understanding.
Food for thought.
I am going to talk to the head of maths this week, and try coaching during half term. If that doesn't work, we will have to reconsider I guess.
Thanks for all your support and comments.