GCSE & SEND school - advice

[Tinkerbellone]

Hi - my daughter is at a specialist school. She has anxiety and was diagnosed with ASD at age 10.
She has been at this special school for 2 years and has made so much progress. Incredible progress. Great support staff and small classrooms of only 10 students.
Now she really dislikes her class. The other students are still lovely but very needy and disruptive & work is quite low level. They focus a lot on life skills and she's very capable already (cooking, managing money etc). I feel like she's matured and 'left the others behind.'
I can't think of a better way to explain.
Obviously only have her words and explanations of what happens in the classroom and her classmates.

She is bright and is very able to do GCSE's. They're offering GCSE maths and English Lit and entry level science.

I would like her to do English Language, plus (hopefully) combined Science.

She would like to go to college post-16. College requires English Language not English Literature.

Does anyone have experience with a dual placement? Could she go to her current specialist school and also another provider to do other/extra GCSE's?
Sorry this is so long.

Thank you

It is unusual to offer English Lit but not English Lang. More common for it to be the other way round.

Dual placements are possible. However, from a practical point of view, they can be difficult to ensure they run smoothly when arranged around a GCSE timetable.

Before going down that route, I would approach the school about alternatives. For example, sometimes SS can provide a more bespoke offer with 1:1 teaching (either with staff there or via bringing someone in), an arrangement with a local MS (without actually being a dual placement), online provision, AP, or, if it would be appropriate for DD, facilitating her to teach herself with a small amount of direct teaching/support? To guarantee provision, you would need it to be in F of the EHCP. Also, are there any other SS options?

The other alternative if it isn’t suitable for provision to be made in a school is to have some provision in school and some otherwise than in school.

Thank you for your ideas. My daughter has an EHCP the SS is named on there. The school she's at is also the best fit for her needs locally. I'm going to contact the school directly tomorrow and discuss options. There are lots of sessions which such as; PE, 'creative' and 'forest school' - she doesn't engage with these sessions so directed study in some form would be helpful for her. Thank you

Have you looked not so locally? For secondary age DC, the recommended travel time is typically considered 1hr15 but some travel further.

The school is unlikely to agree to DD dropping PE unless it is explicitly stated in F (and then in 99% of cases I would be saying F needs amending because in the vast majority of cases it shouldn’t be dropped completely but provided in an accessible and suitable way) because they are required to provide a “broad and balanced curriculum that promotes the physical development of pupils”. Instead, provision needs adjusting so DD can engage and the physical activity is suitable.

Although the school is named in section I, you would still need the provision set out correctly in F.

Thank you. I didn't realise about section F.
Sorry I wasn't clear. PE isn't a GCSE. She never participates, she sits out with a TA.

It doesn’t matter the PE isn’t a GCSE. If DD never participates in PE, I think you need to look at that too. DD needs physical activity she can access. This doesn’t have to be via a typical PE lesson.