Are all universities disablist?

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

Dd got 9GCSE levels 7 and 8.

During first year of Alevls she is struggling with autistic burn out diagnosed by a Pyschologist. She’s had to drop from 4 A levels to 2 and is still struggling.

She is however very clever, quick to grasp things and won’t be in burnout for ever.

She wanted to study History of Art at Nottingham. They want AAB. The foundation degree wants CCD. She isn’t in one of the categories permitted to apply for the foundation degree. Without burnout she would easily get AAB.

l contacted Nottingham and asked if there were adjustments in terms of admissions. And no there aren’t..

Is this discrimination? I’m so angry.

Even if DD was eligible for the foundation degree she still wouldn’t meet their typical offer if she is only doing 2 A levels. Perhaps focusing on her mental health and thinking about university at a later date would help. Maybe doing another A level or other qualification after her current ones or looking at an access course is a possibility too.

Some universities offer contextual offers to some applicants with a disability, but they don’t have to and it isn’t discrimination not to. Just like 11+ exams and sixth form external applicant oversubscription criteria the adjustments are said to happen for the exams with access arrangements and special consideration.

But, l contacted the Equalities Comission and they weren’t impressed.

So why post asking for opinions? Universities do not have to offer contextual offers.

Because l don’t know much about university admissions? And l thought someone might?

Is it that strange? Does it really need questioning?

Yes, it did seem strange that when I explained about the admissions and universities not having to offer contextual offers and the process of access arrangements and special consideration you came back with the reply you did. It appeared you didn’t want any replies that didn’t agree with you.

😂😂

Good old MN👌🏻👍🏻

Clearly you only want replies that agree with you so I’ll leave you to it.

I work in a university. As PP said, we can make contextual offers - which usually means offering a student who has had specific struggles or comes from a school that does not usually send students to that uni or uni at all, a place on a course with lower grades than would usually be required. However, adjustments are usually small - requiring ABB rather than AAA, or not requiring a specific subject combination because their school didn't offer it, but they've taken something close.

The problem for your daughter wanting to apply to Nottingham History of Art is that she'd be applying with only two A levels, and from what you say, her predicted grades on those won't be near the offer level. The university also can't know that she would "easily" get AAB without the burnout. If she had three A levels and was predicted BBB or even BBC it might be a different story.

My advice would be that your daughter takes time off and restarts her A levels when she is well, perhaps studying them over 4 years rather than 2, if she can find a sixth form college that will let her do that. Or, she takes an Access to Higher Education course for the Humanities. This may not get her into her desired institution and course, but it will get her into History of Art somewhere. Additionally, Nottingham has quite strict requirements for its Foundation course: other institutions allow students from all backgrounds to apply to these.

I'd also look very carefully at how supportive the institutions she's applying to are for autistic students. Some of the big name research-led institutions are not as good at pastoral care and inclusive teaching as smaller, teaching-focused unis - ex-polys, new institutions.

@BusMumsHoliday thankyou. We just had info on contextual offers from school today.

She was predicted A in every subject (4 at first) She’s now doing 2, but they are still predicting A

Don’t know why that went bold!

Haha! It went bold because it was A* she was predicted. And that at the beginning and end of a phrase turned it bold!

The general reasoning for requiring three A levels is that they want to see that students can manage a course load similar to university work. This is particularly the case at high tariff institutions. So I wouldn’t have said it would be discriminatory as they don’t want to set students up to fail and they are allowed to set their own entry reqs.
Reasonable adjustments or contextual offers would usually be flexibility with entry requirements but in your DDs case regardless of grade she is a whole A level short of meeting minimum requirements so it wouldn’t be THAT flexible.
Have a look at foundation years at other institutions which offer in terms of tariff points, if she’d likely to achieve A star in her two remaining A Levels then she’d probably go onto them fine. She can even do a foundation year elsewhere and then move to Nottingham to start her undergrad.

Have you looked into EPQs? (Extended project qualification) They can be worth up to half an A level and I believe it's possible to get into some universities with 2 A levels and an EPQ. EPQs have the advantage of being 100% coursework. Many universities like them as they demonstrate similar skills that are required at uni: researching, planning your time, extended writing etc.

An EPQ can be done in one academic year. Would DD's school/collage allow her to stay on for an extra year? That way she could do an EPQ and any A level retakes if the pressure gets too much for her this time around? I know a very able DC who is doing this.