Any Experience of Workplaces for 15yr olds?

[Stella63]

Hi,

 

Need to pick your brains on this issue.

AJ has started Yr10 and is really struggling with the work, particularly english, maths and history. This is being exacerbated by the fact he is doing a 1 day a week college course in motor mechanics which he loves but it means he then has to catch up with the work he has missed.

He is NOT academic and realistically will not achieve even 'c' grades in his main subjects.

He hates school and has always hated school but never been able to verbalise why and he only had his aspergers dx last year so the label of 'naughty boy' has lived with him for many years and he now lives up to that reputation.

 

Things have reached critical point for him, he is on the verge of expulsion for his behaviour and the SENCO, who is brilliant, has suggested getting him a work placement, which I think means he will spend more time out of school but working and reduce the amount of subjects he will take at GCSE, but I don't understand how it actually works. Are there any legal implications if he doesn't study particular subjects? Any ideas please!!!

 

Stella xx

[annie]

<'> Stella63 <'>

 

I don't know if this will actually give you answers, but this is how things went with us.

 

Alex was diagnosed with ADHD at 6 and AS at 11, up until he left school last year he was known as a 'naughty boy'. I couldn't begin count the amount of exclusions he was given , but I think in the last year in mainstream alone, official exclusions topped 10 plus unofficial ones. In year 9, we decided to request that Alex be taken out of mainstream and be taught in small groups by Education other than at school (still under the LEA). After a fight, the LEA agreed and even though Alex only had 7-8 hours tuition a week, his depression/stress/behaviour improved dramatically . Obviously, the amount of subject that he did were reduced but, if we hadn't taken the decision Alex would have been out of school completely and wouldn't have had the opportunity to taken any exams at all. We were never given letters from the school regarding work experience even though we know they were handed out (hm, strange that ), but we made our own arrangements anyway which Alex did after leaving school (once stress levels were reduced).

 

So..........

 

If the SENCO has suggested a work placement, I would go with it. Having that extra time away from school and reducing the subjects/GCSEs might just be the thing that your son needs, it helped Alex .

 

Annie

xx

[purplegail]

Hi Stella

My daughter has completed a week at the RSPCA. It was set up by our local Connexions (Careers advice service). We are thinking of making it regular but can only do that now she is 16. I can't imaginr there are many legal implications on missing lessons. Laura is only sttudying Maths, English and Science now. You need to talk to school, ASD services and the carreers advisor - there should be one in school. Why not request a meeting with all these people to explore the possibilities?

 

Gail

 

 

 

 

Hi,

 

Need to pick your brains on this issue.

AJ has started Yr10 and is really struggling with the work, particularly english, maths and history. This is being exacerbated by the fact he is doing a 1 day a week college course in motor mechanics which he loves but it means he then has to catch up with the work he has missed.

He is NOT academic and realistically will not achieve even 'c' grades in his main subjects.

He hates school and has always hated school but never been able to verbalise why and he only had his aspergers dx last year so the label of 'naughty boy' has lived with him for many years and he now lives up to that reputation.

 

Things have reached critical point for him, he is on the verge of expulsion for his behaviour and the SENCO, who is brilliant, has suggested getting him a work placement, which I think means he will spend more time out of school but working and reduce the amount of subjects he will take at GCSE, but I don't understand how it actually works. Are there any legal implications if he doesn't study particular subjects? Any ideas please!!!

 

Stella xx

[oxgirl]

There's no legal requirement to do any number of subjects, nor to take exams. My lad is on a reduced timetable and is only studying English, Maths and Science. He excels at Science, but very probably won't come away with passes in English or Maths.

 

It could be that going down a non-academic route might be more appropriate. I'm not sure how you'd go about trying work experience but if there was something your lad was particularly interested in, I'm sure, with some phoning around, you'd be able to secure him a work experience placement or the school will probably have lots of contacts out there of firms where they usually place children. Good luck with it.

 

if we hadn't taken the decision Alex would have been out of school completely and wouldn't have had the opportunity to taken any exams at all.

 

That's not right, Annie, children who are home educated are able to take examinations if they want to, it's just a matter of making arrangements for them to take them but this is not a problem.

 

~ Mel ~

[annie]

Hi Mel ,

 

Sorry, I didn't explain myself very well . We weren't home educating, the school were excluding Alex because even with a statement and full time 1:1 they didn't/didn't want to understand his needs. He was also diagnosed with depression and attempted suicide. It was this that made us decide enough was enough. Alex had previously had the small group learning when we first came back from Australia (7 and a half years away). As this had worked really well then, we thought it would be worth trying again, above all it was where Alex was happiest.

 

I know that children who are home educated are able to take examinations. Home Ed would have been the next choice, but luckily after support from our GP, Paed. IPSEA and our MP, the LEA finally agreed with us at what was the best for Alex.

 

Annie

xx

[oxgirl]

Ah sorry, Annie, my mistake. <'>

 

~ Mel ~

[Stella63]

Hi

 

Thanks so much for all the info and your support, I have been feeling really on my own with this one.

 

I have finally come to the realisation that for some kids, AJ being one of them, school and academic subjects just doesn't work and I have been part of the system pushing him into failure, low self esteem etc for all the wrong reasons.

 

he has already had a meeting with the lady who organises these work placements and he is quite motivated by the idea, so fingers crossed.

 

Thanks again guys.

 

Stella x

[annie]

I have finally come to the realisation that for some kids, AJ being one of them, school and academic subjects just doesn't work and I have been part of the system pushing him into failure, low self esteem etc for all the wrong reasons.

 

 

Stella x

 

That's how I felt too Stella .

 

I feel that all through our lives we are fed with the idea that school and exams are the be all and end all. It's only when you go though what we have been through that you realise that in comparison to your child's wellbeing, they don't mean a thing.

 

Fingers crossed for you and AJ.

 

Annie

xx

[oxgirl]

I feel that all through our lives we are fed with the idea that school and exams are the be all and end all. It's only when you go though what we have been through that you realise that in comparison to your child's wellbeing, they don't mean a thing.

 

 

Yes, I agree with you both as well. My lad is very 'able' in some ways, but I know he'll come out of school with just a Science qualification and nothing else. He'll have gone through his whole school life without having made a single friend and I wonder an awful lot of the time why we're putting him through all this stress and what, frankly, is the point of it. I can't wait until he leaves school, but I'm also very scared, because I don't know what will lie ahead for him. Unless he can find something that really interests him then he will be limited, I guess. It's such a shame really, 'cos he has the ability to go to university, but he's just not able enough!

 

~ Mel ~ <'>