Functional skills English/Maths

[sazale]

After reading through the paperwork for dd 14 annual review where it states she will start functional skills in September,when she'll be in year 10, I wondered if anyone was familiar with them?

Dd moved to special school in September as was struggling in mainstream but was tested as academically above average. She was tested as having a reading/spelling age of 15 when she was just 13 and finished year 8 (in mainstream) on level 5's (and had been at maths level 6 at one point).

In her statement it says that she is capable of 5 gcses at grades a to c but the special school (where I don't believe she's progressed at all) are now putting her in for functional skills. Am I right to be concerned?

I know her ASD/PDA can make it more complicated but they've had her in phonics classes with children on p levels and I believe she's maybe even lost skills this year.

Just wondered if it was me expecting too much or school not expecting enough? Thanks

if she has the potential to achieve 5 good GCSEs then she shouldn't be doing FS which are level 2 at best.

I believe they're not educating her as the peer group are at lower levels but we were assured they would deliver teaching at her level. It states in her statement "develop her academic skills and attain 5 GCSE's at grades A-C at the end of key stage 4". The headteacher has wrote at the side of this that dd is following gcse accredited courses but the emphasis on emotional wellbeing is restricting wider access ATM. The thing is they keep saying there are no difficulties in school and haven't put on place any of the emotional/ASD provision in her statement so dd attends all lessons.

We have had numerous meetings as dd's anxiety is through the roof but they said no anxiety in school. She is now refusing to go back and after the difficulties getting her there before half term I will not be sending her back as I believe school is the cause and I'm fed up of trying to get them to deliver her statement.

I've complained about the statement provision to the sen dept so the manager is also attending the review. I've told them I want a change of provision which is why we're having an early annual review.

most special needs schools don't do gcse's some of the schools join up with a m/s school and students can attend maths and English lessons with a one to one supporting them, would this be possible for your dd? I would be asking and pushing the school to be doing this,

This particular special school is meant to do GCSE's which is why the LEA named it as its the only one in the town that does! Unfortunately she can't access mainstream classes due to sensory processing and auditory processing difficulties which is why the LEA moved her to special school. We agreed to give it a try.

sounds just like my dd, she was put in ss but they couldn't meet her needs, got put in a pru n nearly got stabbed within 5 mins of entering building, they had to lock her in a classroom for her own safety each time she went, so wasn't suitable, lea decided to give her home tutor in the end, she did her gcse's and got B in maths and C in English,(not bad to say ss told lea that dd couldn't even write her name) she never did maths or English at that ss she only did music and drama.

Oh my days Davidsotherhalf, that's shocking! You're poor dd and you!

She is clearly wrongly placed our LA similar attitude it's only SS are for SLD and yet they are happy to put HF children there when mainstream has failed. Perhaps do a post about Internet school as I know some people on here do them. It's not just about exam passes its about what job etc they are preparing her for and life skills. It's all very well lumping kids together at school age but you can bet your life when she moves into adult services they will be saying she's too bright and mild to need support but will have failed to prepare her for anything else. Do you have a placement in mind? Some colleges are now taking children from 14 but that's more for vocational courses.

She's already falling through the cracks as academically mainstream but functionally/emotionally a 6/7 year old. She doesn't appear to fit either. I've found an independent ASD school and am planning on home schooling until we can hopefully secure it for her as the anxiety of being in the SS is far worse than at mainstream and I'm not willing to keep her in that environment. They're not tackling non academic areas either. If they were I could accept it but it feels like they're just babysitting her.