GCSE options dilemma. Higher tier vesus lower tier?

I have the same problem. My son has Aspergers (14 yrs) and has just chosen his options. During this time the teachers 'told me off' for trying to steer my son to subjects I felt he would perform better in explaining that it 'should be his decision'. Whilst I agree that no child should do a subject they do not want to, my son really does not understand/was not interested in looking at the exam/classroom assessment spilts, his strengths and weaknesses so in the end I agreed to all his options despite feeling they were not all suitable to his needs.

The one subject that he and the school all knew he would pick first was music as he is a very talented muscian. He longs to be a rock star and has aims to go to music college. This was two weeks ago and today my son informed me that music was no longer being offered as an option due to low uptake, later confirmed by the school. The subjects left over in the category are all subjects he hates! Art, history, french, drama or motor mechanics! A far cry from music.

I am now looking at moving him school which he seems excited about but I worry about the outcome of moving him at this stage?

Any advice would be much appreciated

Hi Huda,

Sorry to hear that school is tough at the moment but please don't give up hope.

In my experience I've found that high school can be very short-sighted with regard to ASD kids so I made a pact with my Son to do extra work at home to make up for what he feels he's missing in school hours. I'm very lucky because I'm a stay at home Mum and have plenty of time to help with homework and to encourage my Son to push himself. I know that lots of kids don't have someone who is around all the time to help out but if you feel that school isn't willing to put the extra effort into your education then I strongly recommend that you take some time at home to help yourself.

No kid wants to hear that they should have to do extra work outside of school hours but the GCSE years are very, very important and if you want to take A levels then, sadly, sometimes the only way to get what you want is to do it all for yourself.

My Son was told at his last parents evening that he shouldn't bother taking German as one of his options because the teacher felt that he wasn't good enough. We had a couple of months, after the teacher said that, to prove him wrong......and we DID prove him wrong. Every night after school my Son did an extra 15 minutes of German revision and when he took his FCSE he got a brilliant result (he got a D grade GCSE equivalent even though he was only in year 9).

Don't misunderstand, my Son HATED all the extra work and some nights he got grumpy with me when I told him to knuckle down but he really wanted to prove his teacher wrong.

My son has gone into the top sets of the lower tier GCSE group so if he does well he can do the higher tier exams, I'm pretty sure that this is applicable in all schools so be sure to ask your subject teachers about this when you have your next parents evening.

At parents evening I asked all of the teachers for worksheets to do at home and asked about websites that would help too. Teachers, even ones you don't like, are still there to help. Use them !!

If all else fails, remember that there is always further education. It's not too early to start looking at college prospectus' and seeing what courses are available or GCSE re-sits. You are entitled to your education, if it all goes to pot and your GCSE's don't turn out the way you hope remember that it isn't the end of the line and there is no shame in having another shot at your exams.

You could do with someone to turn to. Is there a SENCO or your form tutor you can talk to about this? Do you have a parent or carer who can arrange a meeting with school to discuss your concerns? It's annoying and sometimes a bit embarrassing to have to go into school and nag the staff but your thoughts and feelings are just as important as any other pupils so don't be put off or wary of fighting your own corner.

Try and stay strong. If they limit you to a top grade of C then work with that. If it means it takes a bit longer to achieve your goals then accept that and go for it. Please keep trying, the more ASD kids who prove to schools that they can cope and that they are worth the extra effort, the better.

Good luck and let me know how it all goes.

xxxx

Supercrumpet said:

My 13 year old Son has Aspergers and ADHD and is in mainstream school. He has to pick his options this month and the dilemma we face is that he excels in Science (level 7) and is good at Math (level 6a) and he really wants to do the triple Science award. His Science teacher is all for it and said he should sail through, but, he has been allocated the lower tier GCSE band and that means he cannot do triple science.

We have spoken to all of his teachers and they feel that he would cope in higher tier, his German teacher was the exception, he said that although he was top of the class at the moment (my Son is in set 3 of 6 sets in his year 9) he didnt feel he would cope at GCSE level. We went to the Deputy Head to discuss whether he could do higher tier so that he could do triple science but the Dep Head was just awful, so patronising and had no real interest in helping. He told our Son that it would involve extra work after school and that he wouldn't cope.The new English Baccalaureate is also being introduced so the school have told us that higher tier pupils MUST take a language and a humanity

We've worked hard to make sure our Son has the same chances as the other kids, we're just heartbroken to fall at the GCSE hurdle. We appreciate that our child may not achieve as well in all of his subjects as he will in Science and Maths but I'm at a loss as to how to challenge the schools belief that he shouldn't even be given the chance to shine at the subjects he is genuinely good at.

Has anyone else had this problem? Does he have to take the full set of GCSE's or can he drop some? I feel that fewer good exam results would be better than a higher number but with weaker results.

Hi

You are his mum.  You and his dad know what is best for him.  Trust your own judgement and, if necessary and if it's the only way it works, kick, scream and thump until you get what you want for him.

Easy to say, I know, and learned in a different theatre of war to your own, but nonetheless sincere.  Forgive me if it seems too simplistic. Be wary of school.  The GCSE results in 2014 are much less nebulous to schools than the future of an individual child.

Hope that makes sense.

Warmest best wishes to you,

The teachers claim he can't cope?

Bull. Apologies for the language but here is the truth, those adults could easily let your son do higher tier, especially if hes capable, they're just worried he won't get A's if he does.

A's = more money for keeping the student at school

They're using your kid for cash, sod them. I'm an aspie A grade student currently doing A levels.

I took double science over triple because it doesn't interest me, but I was forced into accelerated maths. Push your point. All the teachers want is for your son to get A's in their subjects so the department makes more money.

At the moment, the governement claim I'm a B grade student, despite all my work being A grade. Don't let the school computer dictate your sons life if he has a chance of excelling.

Bit more info on my Son; He does pretty well in exams so we aren't trying to push him into something he won't cope with. He has been asked his opinion, if he had said he was happy with lower tier we wouldn't be concerned but he REALLY wants to do triple science. He has asked us for a computer based german course to make sure he's up to scratch for September so he's more than willing to put the effort in. The teachers can indeed decide at a later date whether the individual child goes in for the higher or foundation GCSE, which I feel actually validates our desire to let him attempt the higher tier work. Just to clarify, he can ONLY do the triple science award at higher tier, lower tier is double science.

We just really want him to enjoy school, there seems to be so much emphasis put on how well the school performs in the league tables that they just don't want to rock the boat with regards to SEN kids. My Son doesn't socialise well and has just a couple of friends both of whom are also ASD children, his primary interest with school is science, he loves it and is, without being biased, very good at it.

I'm not even going to think about A levels, university and futher education. We've always taken it one step at a time. He's always going to be a square peg in a round hole and we'll eventually find something that works for him and that he enjoys. Primarily we want him to be happy at school and to be happy he needs to be doing the subjects he loves.

If anyone else has been through this I would love to hear about your experiences.

Another point that perhaps needs to be made here.

What do you hope your son will be able to do at the end of a succession through GCSE, A Level, University?  There's an assumption high achievement will solve things.

Yes, it may in many cases be an important way forward. But it is less easy to get cloistered work conditions that avoid the social difficulties these days. So the downsides of AS may well undermine the opportunities to apply the academic achievement.

There are graduates out there with AS not getting jobs. There are undergraduates failing first or second year at university because they are too focussed on certain aspects to perform evenly across the modules and module content they are required to complete each year.

I'm not trying to be too negative here. My strategy in lecture rooms where the cohort made fun of students with disabilities was to stress the importance of different thinking. At the rate of science advancement and limitations to human endeavour, we increasingly need diverse and original thinkers. We need to get people with AS through University and into jobs where they can usefully contribute.

That doesn't mean there aren't problems and limitations for many. There hasn't been enough reflection and research yet on the benefits of pushing young people with AS through University.

In fact I think there's a grave lack of understanding of this, and of the issues holding back people with AS in the workplace. So it is important to give some thought to the benefits of high GCSE scores against the difficulties created by having AS in the first place.

My perspectives on school qualifications are a lot further back in time - mid sixties. Also I wasn't in a comparable situation as I was underperforming badly at the time, mainly due to the level of bullying and isolation I experienced.

However at O Level (Scottish) the school advised my parents that because of my difficulties I should take a just a few.  My parents were desperate that I excelled in science, despite evidence to the contrary, and insisted I take 8. I failed 6.  That set the lid on everything subsequently, as I had to resit O'levels before I took the next grade up. It ended with my leaving school with more repeat Os than higher grades, and a succession of unsuccessful jobs/periods without work/endless unsuccessful applications - fairly standard pattern for AS I guess.

Before you point out that your kid is brainier, I eventually did catch up via FE College at 20, and have a PhD and other distinctions, published books, and a career in both Research & Development in industry and university teaching - OK never an easy life or a lot of earnings because of the eccentricity.

Yes your son might achieve all the GCSEs he is going for with flying colours, and I admire your perseverance. But if there is any risk he wiont, perhaps look at some alternative strategies. Doing too much too soon at school set me back considerably.

Where's their evidence that your son won't cope?

The allocation for lower tier GCSE confuses me - when I did my GCSEs (2003-2005) the teacher teaching you decided what level you did. It didn't matter what you were doing in other subjects.