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struggling mainstream

Mini

My daughter is 14 years old and was diagnosed with ASD 4 months ago. She is struggling in mainstream school and has been assessed by Coventry Autism Support Services (CASS) who have said she is not fit for mainstream school. I am now struggling to get her to go to school, the education officer is finding suitable option for her but this is taking so long. Has any one got any advice please.............. 

Parents

  • My son really struggled in mainstream secondary. In the end he just gave up, traumatized and with no qualifications. We could not home educate. We had to work. But we had got him involved in voluntary work. The most successful for him was the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. He had a peer group of people who shared his interest in the countryside. They were all ages and came from all walks of life.

    A very good Connexions advisor suggested a residential FE college where he did his first diploma BTEC in countryside management. He went on to get his national diploma and a foundation degree. Now he is working for the National Trust and may get a permanent contract next year. 

    We were constantly told how bright he was and how he needed GCSEs and A levels to get to university. Nobody told us there was a vocational route via BTEC. He could have stayed on to get a full degree. That would have meant two years of lectures and essay writing. He would rather be out repairing footpaths and earning a living. 

    But the beauty of the vocational route is that, providing you make the right choice, you can take it to degree level or step off at any time with a valid qualification that employers recognize. It is a way to follow your special interest, get a qualification and, if you are lucky, turn it into paid employment.

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  • My son really struggled in mainstream secondary. In the end he just gave up, traumatized and with no qualifications. We could not home educate. We had to work. But we had got him involved in voluntary work. The most successful for him was the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. He had a peer group of people who shared his interest in the countryside. They were all ages and came from all walks of life.

    A very good Connexions advisor suggested a residential FE college where he did his first diploma BTEC in countryside management. He went on to get his national diploma and a foundation degree. Now he is working for the National Trust and may get a permanent contract next year. 

    We were constantly told how bright he was and how he needed GCSEs and A levels to get to university. Nobody told us there was a vocational route via BTEC. He could have stayed on to get a full degree. That would have meant two years of lectures and essay writing. He would rather be out repairing footpaths and earning a living. 

    But the beauty of the vocational route is that, providing you make the right choice, you can take it to degree level or step off at any time with a valid qualification that employers recognize. It is a way to follow your special interest, get a qualification and, if you are lucky, turn it into paid employment.

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