GCSE Year for SEN teens

[ArtixLynx]

Anyone elses 15/16yo staring down the barrel of exam season.

My 16yo DS goes to a special school.. he's got ASD/ADHD among other things and has 2 weeks of mocks ahead.

He won't be going to college, we've had to find some SEN provision for him for a couple of years with a view to him revisiting the idea of college maybe at 18.

The threads on the forum from these alpha mums pushing their kids into revision are just making me feel awful. I always knew we'd struggle to get him to college, but i feel like this application process to alternative provision post-16 has been the final kick in the teeth as i've been doing his PIP application alongside it.

I need a hand hold from other parents doing this.. i feel a bit lost with it all.

anyone? No-one?

Ds got his autsim diagnosis at the start of year 11. His year 11 was 2020, so he got sent home from school in the March, with no exams or in fact anything. For him cancelling the exams was actually a blessing in disguise. And he got better grades than if he had taken them as his anxiety was off the scale by then.
Tried mainstream sixth form and he couldn't cope, so is now at a specialist college placement.

Ds's SEN college also offer's some qualifications alongside other support. Do you think somewhere like that would be more suitable for your Ds? There is quite a mixture of abilities at his placement some young people doing functional skills, others A Levels. So it has young people with quite a wide range of needs. But is considered a FE college, albeit specialist.

PIP is a nightmare, but Ds did get enhanced for both after our application. Do keep at it!

It feels really difficult when you know your child is taking a different path to their mainstream peers. But I would take each step at a time. With an EHCP support and education can continue until 25, so there is no need to worry about rushing things.

I'll handhold. My DD2 was at mainstream school but fell off a cliff in the pandemic and left with zero GCSE passes, anxiety & depression.
She is now in her second year at agricultural college on a Level 1 course with an EHCP granted about a year ago.
She 'resat' Eng lang last year (3) and will 'resit' maths this year (can't manage both Maths & English exams at the same time).
We have just applied for a supported internship from Sept but that will be dependent on them finding a suitable placement, and I have no idea how likely that is so don't know if we need plans B & C as well.

I have one friend who is in a similarish position, but due to the needs of our respective DC (she has 3 with differing SEN) I don't actually get to see her more than about once a term.

I'm quite interested in education, and don't mind the education threads, but object when people start saying how 'easy' GCSEs are or labelling 6s as 'bad' or 'poor' grades without saying for their own DC.

It is very hard when 'everyone' seems to be on the designated pathway, and your DC aren't, and infact you can't even work out what the pathway for them is.

DD has been referred for an ASD assessment after walking out of school twice during her Mocks. We've got a meeting on Monday about what support she might get with GCSEs although I suspect not much. I've been asking for her to be referred for years and so far the only "support" she's had is to kick her off an upcoming school trip over the Easter Holidays.

oh, thats not good :(

Ds seems to be coping ok.. although he did break his ear defenders today, so i've got to get those replaced and hope it doesn't throw him off tomorrows mocks.

Hi
Any one had poor experience of post 16 provision at Farnborough college of technology?
Ours was awful

Not heard of that place sorry @Fionad45

@Fionad45
Yes dd was off rolled from gcse class as struggled with writing ideas(asc/adhd)..very bright but needed support. Turned down, again for EHCP and told should be able to be managed under FCOT SEND policy.... no help at all.

Thanks for you reply 😊 unfortunately didn't have a great experience at FCOT and that was with An EHC Plan with sen provision was turned down for various courses with no good reason.
I know it is different experience for individuals but make sure you stand firm as very hard to have proper communication from the college 😞

Didn't even know who the Senco was at FCOT was even when we asked ?

Has any one suffered difficulties with communication from EHC Hub caseworkers?

When we got DD's EHCP we had zero response from DD's supposed caseworker.

Both my daughters with Down Syndrome went to mainstream school and sat 4 GCSE’s and managed to pass 2 (not A I hasten to add!) They were completely unphased by it. Sadly no jobs!

How is everyone doing now that results day is approaching?

DD's just got the 1 resit. It will be borderline.
Sticking fingers in my ears and going la la la.

I think there's a fair bit of that going on here too

My DS is panicking as results day approaches, his worst nightmare is having to retake maths and English, he is HF and is bright enough to pass but has poor executive function so can’t do exams. The BTEC subject which was coursework he has excelled and got really high marks. Either way he has been offered a L 2 or 3 course at college depending on results.

his school was a 5 minute walk, college is a 7 mile bus journey so a bit worried about that part for him as he is not great if things don’t go as planned.

Good luck for next Thursday. 💐💐

Does Any body know who is the main SENCO at Farnborough college of technology thanks 😊

Who is the SENCO at Farnborough college of technology?
Thanks 😊