GCSE alternatives for a child with Autism in Mainstream Secondary School

[HLVH22]

Hello everyone,

I wonder if anyone could help.

I am beginning to think about options for a child who is accessing some mainstream secondary education in the UK (England) but whom may struggle to acheive certain GCSE's. He adores art and functional subjects, and has a good base knowledge of maths and english.

Ideally he would be able to aquire a qualification at the end of Secondary school.

Any advice would be most appreciated, whether thats something youve heard about for your child or one that you have tried and loved.

Thank you!

Hannah

This will depend on what your school offers. Some schools offer BTECs, NCFE awards, functional skills, AQA units, ASDAN… but what schools offer varies, so you will need to look at their specific offer.

Does DS have an EHCP?

What type of school is he at?
Special / mainstream / online / home

Does he have an ehcp? If not you’re very much restricted by what the school offers.

He has an EHCP and is in mainstream secondary with 1:1 support currently

Well, what do the school say? It is up to them to source suitable qualifications if he's on their roll. I had a year 10 in my tutor group this year who attended a horticultural college one day a week in place of one or more GCSEs. This was not part of the school's standard offer so no doubt linked to his EHCP.

With an EHCP, there is more scope to do a reduced number of GCSEs (or other qualifications the school normally offers) and use the other time to undertake different qualifications either in school or via alternative provision. You would need to ensure section F is detailed, specified and quantified.