Call me bonkers, but here's my thoughts. The proposed qualification for system for England and Wales promises to fail many of our children on this board. However we all know many foreigners who integrate successfully into the UK with alternative overseas quals. Perhaps our kids need to exit the English system for one that can get them where they need to go?
I honestly think we are gonna have to go outside the box a little with schooling and qualification options in order for some of our kids to gain anything at all from their years in secondary education. Britain has become very international and colleges/Unis and employers have all become adept at accepting overseas qualifications from applicants at 16+
There are a very ordinary few state schools that have gone over to the IB curriculum if you want your child to remain in a mainstream comp- though you might have to move house to gain access to one. For Aspies specifically Central Academy in Wandsworth is an independent special school that follows the IB curriculum and sends kids to UK Unis every year.
On the back burner at the moment I keep Interlink high which does the current GCSE programme online as a home study option. (£800 a term) I'll be looking with interest to see what they do next, as a high proportion of their students are either Aspie/other SEN or expat.
There are lots of American High School homeschool online schools that lead a child to getting the American High School Cert. Each state seems to run its own online High school programme too.
There are also Canadian online Highschools. Like the American ones these tend to allow a child to work in a modular style and build up coursework style credits rather than the all or nothing end of course exam approach favoured by Gove. (There lots of online homeschooled kids in Canada due to the vast distances, rather than any specific ideology. This means the Canadians have been real innovators in Internet based schooling, and again several provinces offer their own state-approved solution)
I expect, though I haven't researched it personally the Australians will have Internet based diploma options too for outback children & expats, in the same manner as the Canadians.
I worry about online home ed as regards to providing DS with the ongoing social support/friends etc, etc as he is benefiting hugely from all the NT peer role models he has at school. Access to any ongoing NHS therapies such as SALT & OT he may need is another major worry for me, and tbh the key reason I'm not homeschooling currently. (The authorities seem to conveniently forget homeschooled kids exist as regards therapy whenever they can. DS would never had any SALT if a tribunal hadn't ruled he should).
COST is a major factor in choosing to go down the online quals/school route as none of the options I suggest above are free. Also there are a lot of general logistical issues around working/homeschooling for a lone parent like me. However I'm not prepared to see him go through 5 years of hard work for sod all, which is the risk we run if Goves proposals do go through.
I'm lucky in that my son only year 4 right now, and I do realise this gives me time to research other options that those with kids already of secondary age just don't have. I still thought it was worth putting my idea of pursuing non-UK qualifications "out there" in case it my help someone, as this is all so very wrong. The days of rote learning and minimal comprehension of subject matter will be back with a vengeance if this man gets his way.
Didn't mean all that to turn into such an essay, but was keen to share my thoughts on the "Gove- levels" and open a debate in a nice safe space like this as our viewpoint will be so different from many on the main boards.