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[clootie]

Can anyone offer any advice regarding alternatives to study for and sit GCSE's without attending school? My DS has just started Year 11 and will sit his GCSE's next year but, as you can see from a previous thread (Facebook bullying) we are looking at options available should we decide enough is enough and remove him from school. I know it's a bit extreme but I'm curious at this stage. Any advice gratefully received.

[Guest]

Your options are not good in year 11. He wouldn't be able to easily go to another school as all his subjects will be doing different boards etc so he wouldn't have studied the right stuff. I wouldn't recommend home education either I'm afraid, I look after a GCSE course and it's double difficult getting my head round what the exam board wants and then getting all of my specialist staff to the same place - I couldn't even begin to imagine getting that done for multiple subjects.

 

Of course his school do have a responsiblity to educate him if he is on roll AND should he fail any GCSE's that will count against THEIR figures - they cannot withdraw him from the exam entries once they are made.

 

As a parent I would be raising merry hell over this and making their lives very difficult.

 

Keeping him out of school for a short while will pose the school quite a problem. Back up your action in taking him out of school with a letter campaign to all the authorities. Schools HAVE to do something to sort this kind of thing out and should do it without pushing but maybe a huge shove is what they need.

[Chucky Mama]

My brother has this year taken his what would be Year 10 out of school. He was very unhappy at school and wasn't really learning. His is mildly dyslexic and was suffering a degree of bullying. Got picked on for having polished shoes. He now has private tuition to enable him to reach an acceptable standard of education. I will say thought that he will go into the family business and so doesn't 'need' any qualifications. Good luck Clootie, don't do anything hasty and don't give up on the school yet. Give them chance to put things right.

[clootie]

Thanks for that, I will of course. x

[Patricia W]

Try the local college - if he's under 16 the Local Authority or school will have to pay them unless he has never been registered in a school. But many do.

 

Once he is 16 and has left school he is entitled to free tuition at a college until he is 19. As long as he enrols on a course before he is 19 it is free until he completes it. Also, it can be free up to age 25 for some young people with learning difficulties.

 

Colleges offer GCSE's and in fact they are the main providers of AS and A levels in England rather than schools. Some also offer the International Bacculaureate which is an alternative to A levels. They also offer a range of vocational courses at all levels from pre-GCSE to degree level and of course, apprenticeships.

 

Connexions should be able to advise you - he's entitled to free advice from them.

 

If you need help finding your local college PM me and I'll see what I can do to help you find one to contact.

 

Tricia

[Valkyrie]

That sounds a good idea - colleges are more "adult" and so the problems won't be there Cloots. DS goes to Connexions a fair amount - they are always very helpful (still hasn't got a job yet though).

[clootie]

Thanks Tricia, that's really helpful. I'll look into that.

[Snowy]

Cloots there are loads of options to take GCSEs from home. I home edded my son through his GCSE years, we received work for him to do and sent it back to be marked. He had several options of where to sit the exams (although in the end he decided not to do any, but thats another story ) at local colleges who were happy to accept external candidates.

I've lost most of the info that I had at the time, but check out Education Otherwise

http://www.education-otherwise.org/

You can also look into IGCSEs which are more exam based and no course work.

Despite my son's lack of GCSEs he is at college doing what he is passionate about, and I thoroughly enjoyed going through his subjects with him - we had some great 'educational' trips out!

[Seagazer]

I was going to suggest the adult ed college as well. Ours has classes specially for kids that have been bullied etc at school. My next door neighbour's granddaughter joined me in a few computer classes. I think she was quite happy there.

 

I hope you manage to sort this problem out.

[TAJ]

As I have suggested on your other thread - for most subjects they will have more than one class - try getting him in different groups so he is never taught with the bully. It is an important year for him and his education shouldn't suffer as an outcome of the situation.

 

Tracy

[Gem_Seb]

The college i did my A Levels in had loads of kids doing their GCSE's although most of these were there as they had been expelled from school! maybe worth looking into why some of the other kids are there! You will prob also have the check they use the same exam board... Hope you work something out

[ubereglu]

That sounds a good idea - colleges are more "adult" and so the problems won't be there Cloots. DS goes to Connexions a fair amount - they are always very helpful (still hasn't got a job yet though).

 

Your connexions service sounds vaguely useful where you are then. My friends and I are still trying to find jobs and they were useless, giving them 6 vacancies, 3 or 4 had been filled and the other 2 they already knew about...so I still don't have a job.

 

On another note, GOOD LUCK Clootie, I can't really add much to what's been said already.