advice ,info, help ,needed

[Suze]

Hi guys , does anyone have any experience in a high school environment of a work placement scheme.Not sure but it may run from yr 9.It is usually for kids who truant badly, school refusers and those kids not suited to school environments etc.I believe it consists of a 3 day placement each week followed by 2 days in school where the pupil will do the core subjects ie maths english and science.The pupil would end up only sitting these 3 subjects when exam time comes.The idea is they get the child out in a work environment learning there instead of school.Schools usually arrange these place ments them selves via pupil services.

.........Has anyone had experience of this or been offered it...............need your help fast.

[Flora]

Suze,

 

I've pm'd you, but also I was wondering, if he is only doing the core subjects at school, could he do a course at college along side that would be equivalent of GCSE's? Some of the vocational courses are the equivalent of several GCSE's, although I don't know much about them, but I know the IT one is the equivalent of 4 GCSE's. Perhaps a local college might run an agricultural course that might appeal to Jack. Or even mechanical engineering or something?

 

Flozza <'>

[Diane]

My son is doing an mechanics apprenticeship with a charity. His outreach worker picks him up from school and I collect him from his placement at the end of the day, This is currently one afternoon a week. He works with children who are there because they are not suited to the school environment. I think he is the only one with AS but the charity are excellent and my son loves it. He is learning a lot very quickly.

 

School are as we speak trying to put in place work experience for him one day a week. We have given the school the details of places he would like to do this and they are seeing if they can make it happen. So he will only be in school three and a half days one of which will be spent on a Performing Arts course. That only leaves two and a half days of normal time-table. It is still early days and my son has been signed off school whilst all the arrangments are made for him to access his education. I am hoping to get him to go back after half-term. He has been out for a long time so I know it will not be easy. With regard to his exams he says he wants to do them but when it came to SATs in year 9 he did not do them. He is in year 10 now so GCSEs are not that far off. School are treating him as if he will be taking them for now. When the time comes he may not do any or just a couple. I am keeping an open mind about all of this. Our priority at the moment is to reducce his anxiety and raise his self-esteem.

 

As long as your childs interests are taken into consideration it can be very worthwhile. It is only working for my son as he is doing things that interest him. He has been involved in the whole process. If you would like more detail let me know and I will PM you.

 

It has been a long and hard journey to get where we are. If it all works out it will have been worth it.

[Suze]

Thankyou guys for your replies, feeling very confused about stuff at the moment, , if anyone else has any experience please let me know, suzex.

[smiley]

I think, round my way, it's called Education Other Than School - but I'm sorry hun, i don't know that much about it.

 

Sending you a big hug though <'> >< <'>

[Stella63]

Hi Suze,

This is one of the options we are looking at for AJ as he is already on a reduced timetable (core subjects and Business Studies) but is still bunking off, walking out and not doing any work and realistically at this stage in yr11 he's not even going to be entered for exams. I had a meeting with the work placement people this week and normally they start off at 2 days a week increasing it to 3 if it looks as though it is working - apparently there is a high chance of a job at the end of yr11. They have now gone away to see what options they have for him, bearing in mind he is currently on a referral order and not every company will take him! But she said they do have some contacts who like to take on kids who 'don't do school' because they understand that it is not the right place for everyone which sounds quite promising.

 

I probably won't hear anything until after half term but will let you know what happens.

 

Stella x

[Suze]

Hi stella sounds like the same type of thing they are talking about for us.Have you or your son been given a choice as to the type of placement he will get??...............ie are they going to get him in somewhere that he is interested in.At the moment for us the plan would be 2 days at school and just taking maths eng and science exams in yr 11, and 3 days work placement.Stella is your son statemented ??

...........thankyou <'>

[Stella63]

Hi Suze,

 

Yes they try and find a placement that the pupil has an interest in so AJ said he likes IT and possibly landscape gardening - they then see what they have on their database that might work. They work with the school and the parents on this which is great.

 

No, AJ is action+, never quite met the criteria for statement. I would just mention that the problem with reduced timetabling at his school is that his lessons are all over the place, so he wouldn't be able to have 2 or 3 days of his core subjects because they are spread over the week and the school are unable to accomodate a personal time table for him logistically it couldn't happen so I don't know how that works in reality. Having said that, we have reached the point where he is unlikely to gain any GCSE's at school and I think it becomes a legal thing - he has to be in school or on work placement until June next year and if at some point he decides that he needs the qualifications he will have to retake in college somewhere.

 

The way I feel about him at the moment he is probably more likely to retake them in prison!! Sorry, I'm very jaded about him at the moment.

 

Stella x

[Suze]

thanks stella, sending you some hugs <'> <'> suzex

[baddad]

Hi hen <'>

No real advice, as i haven't a clue on this, but I guess in your shoes I'd be looking at what the options meant for the boy. If the work experience/vocational training is geared towards what he wants to be doing and he'll be gaining specific qualifications/experience in that it's not such a bad idea, particularly if he's unlikely to flourish in school outside of those core subjects...

Hope whichever way you go it comes up trumps for him and you

 

[Suze]

thanks bads <'> , just giving this a bump to see if anyone else has any experience etc..............

[bid]

Suze, is this what you are talking about?

 

http://yp.direct.gov.uk/diplomas/

 

Bid

[Suze]

Thanks bid , that was one option they spoke about, the one we really need more info on is the work placement type thing, gona speak to school and arrange another meeting