Meeting in school later........

[DameHermione]

with healthy minds woman (not actually sure what she is), Educational psychologist and school.

DD doesn't want to be there so I said if she's needed they'll have to fetch her from her lesson.

I'm trying to work out what I will tell them I want. All I can think of is for DD to have a assessment by the Ed psych.

School have decided the best pathway for her to follow in September is the one that will leave her with only 2 or 3 GCSEs and I think she is going to be bored out of her skull (the ones who do this pathway are usually the ones with most special needs. DD has special needs but is academically bright).

So meeting is at 2.30. Then there is an art thing between 5 and 7 (DD1's art thing) then a PTA thing from 7.30. I may just move in.

aspergerss.

problem is that if she goes down the 'normal' route of 12 GCSEs at her curentattendance she won't actually get any of them.

I know that but it makes me sad that it is such a shocking waste.

I have no idea though how to get her to go to school and focus beter.

That sounds discriminatory to push her towards a path which means that she isn't going to achieve her potential - esp if it is significantly lower than what she should be able to achieve with the correct support.

In my mind you need to be getting the ed pysch to assess her so that you know what she should be able to achieve with support. However no teenager wants to look "different" and have a TA trail around after them. I'm not far enough along to know how that works in secondary.

12 is an awful lot. Is that the norm at her school? we only did 9 GCSEs and that seemed plenty. Is there a middle ground for her which would be more achievable. Are there some subjects that she really flies at and others that because of her AS she really struggles at. I'd say that they at least need to be tryign to get her to get 5 A-Cs.

Healthy Minds appears to be a company and not part of the LA but it does look as if they might be able to be quite helpful.

healthy minds is what we got referred to when CAMHS dumped her. They've just morphed into some other branch of mental health service.

So it is reasonable to ask for an EP assessment to ascertain what she is capable of and then for them to work with shcool to support her to acheve that?

D has discovered she needs at least 4 to do the college course she wants to after school. I am going v e r y s l o w l e y and dripping in the possibility of doing more. There is no point in me telling her she has to do more. she simply won't. so it has to come from her.

or is it better to just concentrate on 3 and her actually get 3, rather than planning to do more and her just not going in alt all?

BUT

if she starts off with just 3 then the doors are closed. If she starts off with more then if it is too much then she could drop some?

ANDi have a bug and am on day 3 of the runs and the dog has been really really ill and i though he was dying

So the choice is 2 or 3 GCSEs or doing 12 GCSEs? I'm sure there must be loads of children who would naturally fit in the middle.

Can you list what she would like realistically to take? I'd have thought 7-10 was a more usual number to be taken.

Another option would be could she do others at evening school. My df took chemistry at evening classes because his school (secondary modern) didn't offer it.

the middle option is for the pupils to do a few more GCSEs and go off to college one or 2 days a week. But DD doesn't want to do that - she doesn't like the throught of having to get used to a whole new place and people. Although she'll have to do that eventually. Maybe I'll push her towards that option.

or evening classes may be a good idea.

i've looked into online stuff before. i'm not sure she'd just get on with it on her own. also i couldn't afford to pay and i work silly hours. but maybe.... maybe......

How about she does 3 days a week on a formal homeschooling programme & 2 days doing the practical subjects (eg resistant materials or other design tech and maybe a science or language) she CAN'T access from home.

Here's a GCSE homeschool option I have kept as a "back pocket" solution for my 15 year old SS. He's HFA and only came to the UK at 12 so we were all a little concerned at whether he'd cope iykwim. I've kept the link in case it all goes pearshaped for my own kid at secondary level.

www.oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk/

I personally wouldn't settle for some half-arsed attempt at a low-level vocational course my child had no interest in just cos I feel every child stands a better chance when motivated by the topic to be studied. Why go into an environment you find tortorous to "learn" something well below your capabilities that you find boring? I don't see how the schools "solution" is gonna work from that standpoint alone and feel that they have given up bothering to be honest.

Oxford homeschool - paid for by the LEA and with their assistance and committment to sourcing examination centres sounds to me like a reasonable compromise for everyone - especially if your daughter has some idea of what she'd like to study.

An ASD neighbour got a 1st class degree via the Open University last year (he didn't do A-levels but started with their entry-level Maths and computing courses at home as an alternative to sixth form). So I've seen with my own eyes it can be done.

I think for so many kids on the spectrum school is something to be endured just until they can be freed to find their own little niche as adults.

interesting.......

What I found interesting is that Oxford homeschool obviously has experience of aspergers as they have a specific page asking parents to contact them.

Interhigh looks at first glance the more "social" option but offers fewer subjects - it does expect kids to get a respectable 8 GCSE's though! Get the LEA to pay the fees and perhaps a friendly neighbour (doubt you'd need a childminder!) to stand guard over the DD in the mornings if you have to work as the pm lessons are optional if you have to work and it makes home ed a realistic option methinks. I'm gonna hang onto that interhigh link for my own future back pocket ; )

Deffo worth having these two as back pocket options if you aren't happy with school's low expectations as either would give your child many more post 16 options than their suggestions for a bright kid methinks?

Is the 3 GCSE route an ASDAN course? The child does a mixture of academic and vocational subjects. I would be careful if that's the case as it is 'equivalent to' GCSE's that the child gains, with the option of doing a GCSE in English and Maths if the child is considered to have the aptitude.

DS was offered this, school could provide no info, but we found that the course would exclude him from many of the level 2 courses at college (insufficient points). The vocational courses offered at our college were also limited to mechanics, hairdressing, gardening non of which interested DS.

Why can your school not offer your DD a reduced number of GCSE's? Say 5 or 7?

They will probably argue that it's timetabling, but potentially she could be timetabled in for X GCSE's then have the option of going into learning support (if your school has such an area) for the empty slots on the timetable to self learn/complete coursework etc (if she is self motivated).

Learning support areas in DS's school are usually staffed, so she could have some supervision and support, if limited, for when she needs help/explanations etc.