Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi, this is my first time posting but I just wanted to share a message of hope to anyone worried about GCSEs next year.
My Daughter was finally diagnosed autistic earlier this year, she attended a mainstream school. Despite having an EHCP the school were very unsupportive and had pretty much given up on her. She hated the school environment, her attendance was around 30%.
She was too overwhelmed to sit most of her mocks and her predicted grades were low. Despite all this she managed to sit all her GCSEs exams and passed the lot convincingly!!
I just wanted to say to anyone who feels there’s no hope just don’t give up on your child, you know them best, ignore the school threats, all they care about is attendance figures. Always put your child’s wellbeing first, trust them to know what is best for them. If I had forced her into school she wouldn’t have gone to lessons, it would have been a day spent having a meltdown in the pastoral office. She revised at home and barely went into school then when it mattered she smashed it!
When we collected her results from school last week a lot of her teachers approached me to say how well she had done, one teacher even admitted they had learnt a lot from her too. If her experience helps the school become more inclusive then that’s a win for everyone.
A child's self-worth shouldn't depend on grades. A lot of kids, her age, suffer burnout; due to excess study.
The 'Drive to raise standards' is counterproductive. Kids no longer have enthusiasm. The world enthusiasm comes from the Greek for 'to be with God'. No wonder kids are so cynical, these days. They're deprived of joy.
I always take an opportunity to soapbox about the failure of schooling.