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Supporting my nearly 16 year old when the school can't

JustmeandOURautism

My son will be 16 at the end of this year. He is very smart, an amazing memory and an ace at Maths and after years of the high school telling me there would be ways for him to set exams am now being told it is not possible as they are unable to extract the potential from him and they don't have any staff qualified enough to work with my boy.

It's really frustrating because it seems like such a waste, we can't move schools before that is mentioned as we live in a small town and there is only one high school and my son attended the ASN department of the school.

Am getting  really down because as smart as my boy is he doesn't have great social skills or care skills and it is not likely he will work or leave home so I suppose exams are kinda pointless.

So now am trying to work out how to move forward with my son to give him a full life if that makes sense, when he leaves school I need to be able to make his days etc worth while but how?

I hope I am making sense

  • in reply to JustmeandOURautism

    ASN is the equivalent of SENCO. 

    Unfortunately there aren't any ECHPs in Scotland, but I was under the impression there's an Individualised Educational Programme Instead.

     file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/IEP_Guidance%20.pdf

    I may be wrong, but once agreed upon, it surely is for the school to facilitate the agreed upon course of action. 

  • in reply to Olivia Mod

    thank you Olivia- I will have a look at the links you have provided. Am in a small town in the highlands and there is next to no support here :(

  • in reply to NAS77880

    Thank you for you suggestions I had never heard of Academy 21 or Nisai - we are in the highlands of scotland in a small town so there isn't allot here but Academy 21 is online so may be useful I will mention this to the school- it appears to be based on English curriculum so will look into doing it from scotland

    Thanks again think I need to get searching from as much online resources as I can as there is defo nothing close by

  • in reply to overwhelmed & underwhelmed ( O & U )

    Hey so we are in Scotland so things may be slightly different. My son has a child plan and he is 4th year of high school - this is the year his peers are all setting exams.

    Now he has a few teachers in the ASN department where he goes the problem is the curriculum is NAT 1 and Nat 2 which is the lowest level and my son is capable of as high as Nat 5 but no one knows how to teach him. So they do supply teaching for him but he is bored and I think it is because the level of the work is below what he could do. 

    The teachers are aware they are failing him but basically there is nothing they can do - ASN was cut in the highlands so although the local council see the school as "fully staffed" its no where near so they arent able to give my son what he needs.


  • Dear JustmeandOURautism,

    This sounds very challenging for both you and your son. I am sorry you are going through this.

    I have linked our advice and guidance on Resolving differences this has some helpful advice on how to address issues within the school setting, I am hoping there may be some useful content for you to look at. 

    In terms of how to help your son when he leaves education, it may be worth talking to your GP or other health/social care professionals involved about additional support or guidance that can be given. We also have a Autism Services Directory which can help you find support within your local area.

    Hope this helps,

    Olivia Mod

  • I am so sorry. We find ourselves in a somewhat similar situation with our young person, 15, though they have also missed a great deal of school due to anxiety and needs not being met, despite an EHCP and a tribunal and also being highly intelligent.

    we have managed to access some alternative provision which is proving helpful and offers functional skills in maths and English and some vocational skills if appropriate while looking at every alternative option. Can school source some tutoring or have you looked at online schools such as Academy 21 or Nisai if that might work? Local colleges usually offer lots of catch up opportunities for those who have missed out on GCSEs for those who are often autistic or have mental health difficulties, if that might be an option.

    We are also thinking about whether we might need to set up a trust in case our child is unable to work and looking into supported living options. And in the meantime we are trying to support with social skills and mental health. 

    i think there are things out there if you search hard and long but I feel your distress and how let down by the system many parents feel. I wish you well.

  • JustmeandOURautism said:
    not possible as they are unable to extract the potential from him and they don't have any staff qualified

    There must surely be an EHCP in place which should have set out provisions based upon capabilities known and projected?  It isn't really acceptable to move the goalposts midway through the school year - unless they are speaking of next year's provision.

    To clarify (as I am not clear) - do you mean they can't supply adequate teaching for him to the end of year 11 - or years 12-13?  

    I'd be asking to speak to the Head of year & SENCO with urgency here.   This does sound unreasonable.