Feel so stupid

[tallulah]

Had a call from DS1's new school (6th form) this week. 3 of his 4 teachers have expressed concerns because he isn't keeping up. He's working hard but not making progress. Then she said something about not writing to time & having him tested.. then the penny dropped and I told her he is dyspraxic, has always had extra time... I can't believe I FORGOT to tell them!!!! I suppose I expected his old school to pass the records on & they obviously haven't.

Now I'm worried that if he's having problems with AS/A levels, will he be able to go on to marine engineering like he wants to, or is it an impossible dream?

Don't feel bad, tallulah- that sounds like an easy mistake to make to me. I'd have guessed his last school would send info on too. Anyway, hopefully now they know they'll be able to help him and he'll make more progress. Fwiw, friends who are teachers often tell me that the leap from GCSE to As/A level is one of the biggest ones people will ever have to make educationally, so maybe it's partly an adjustment thing as well.

I would've thought that the old school would have passed on his records too so don't feel stupid. Now that they know and can make allowances, inform exam boards etc then there's no reason why he shouldn't go on to do well. Universities also have a SN/disability adviser who is responsible for students with any kind of SN. Your ds may also be eligible for some extra funding if there's any specialist equipment that he might need at university.

I'm with up Coppertop on this one. Universities are well set up to help. We're in a similar situation with a different problem (ie not dyspraxia). Our helpful head of sixth form suggests approaching universities now (the disability person would be the best) to ask about admissions, support while at uni, etc.
Good luck with the AS - they do involve more work than GCSEs, dont't they?

I hadn't thought about contacting Universities now. He isn't sure whether he wants to go into the Navy & I've told him to ring them now.

Thanks for your good wishes, it's quite hard when everyone else we know doesn't have these problems