Year Group change

[Flora]

On Friday evening I got a surprise call from my son's primary school head teacher. She asked me to come in for a quick chat. To cut a moderately long story short, she said that she'd had a meeting with the school child psychologist who had suggested that my son, instead of leaving primary school at the end of this year, could repeat year 6.

 

Normally the LEA doesn't like this to happen, mainly because at the age of 16 a child can leave school without the permission of parents/teachers. However, in my son's case they thought it would suit him.

 

I was rather pleased at this suggestion, mainly because it gives us a whole new alternative. However, I hark back to several frustrating (head banging) meetings I had with the same head teacher and ed psych last year; during these meetings I was strongly putting the case forward for my son not moving up to year 6 as he has always been more comfortable with the year group below him. They put all their arguments against this suggestion and refused to consider it.

 

So here we are one year on and THEY are suggesting the same idea to ME. Why don't they listen to us (the parents) in the first place, we are nearly always right!

 

So now we are left with the choice of either home educating or repeating year 6.

 

Has anyone else had an experience like this? Has anyone elses child repeated a year?

 

Incidently they also said that if he does repeat year 6 he won't move back up to his chronological year group. He'll follow the path of year 6 to year 7.. and so on.

 

Lauren (bemused!)

[Canopus]

Does an LEA have the right to make a child repeat a year?

[call me jaded]

No, they don't have the right, but it's an option.

 

I would ask for an undertaking in writing that your son will not have to miss an academic year at some point, because all you need is for the ed psych to move on and you may have to start negotiating again.

[Canopus]

At my special needs secondary school, about half the kids had been held back a year despite the school claiming it was for high intelligence people. The headmaster seemed to take delight in making people repeat a year if they failed the internal exams or generally underperformed. He tried to make me repeat Y9 but my LEA refused and stated they would withdraw me from the school if I didn't move into Y10.

[littlenemo]

check with the high school that he won't be moved back into his own year group when he moves on, or later in Y10 (when they start their GCSE programme)

[kazzdt]

Hi Lauren,

 

I haven't had any expereince of this situation, but one thing I would be questioning here, is whether the extra year at primary will be beneficial. By this I mean do they provide well for your son, do they have strategies that will further him. I say this because my son is starting secondary in September and so far the school he is going to seem much more clued up and helpful than his primary were. Sorry, I'm not explaining myself very well here, but I hope you get the gist of what I'm saying.

 

 

Kazz

[Zemanski]

It very much depends on the schools - we thought high school was more clued up last year but then Y8 hit and we discovered it was all just lip-service; the only real plus was a fantastic LSA - when he went so did all the understanding

 

ultimately, it is important to check out all the options and then decide what is best for your child - you know your child best

 

Zemanski

[Flora]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

The difference with my son is that he was originally always in the year group behind his chronological age. It was only last year after we'd moved that his new school insisted he moved up to the year he should be in but now they recognise that it wasn't a good move, hence the offer for him to go back a year.

 

I think after considering all the options we are going to take the school up on their offer, with the idea that when he is ready to move up to secondary he has to stay with that year group or we'll again opt for home education. It is reassuring to know that there is always that option to fall back on if we aren't happy.

 

Many thanks for all the input.

 

Lauren

[LKS]

We were told by our LEA who has in the past agreed to hold some children back, that they must take their GCSE's in the year that they are supposed to (year 11) there have been several problems with having to move the children into their correct years. I think you should try and find out what their policy is otherwise it might be a case of just delaying things. Hope every thing works out well for you.

[CarerQuie]

I had a firend whose daughter repeated year 6 and then moved on to Secondary School and went through the 5 years there.It worked out well for her.The child was more ready emotionally with the extra time to mature for a year before the secondary transfer.xx

[Canopus]

We were told by our LEA who has in the past agreed to hold some children back, that they must take their GCSE's in the year that they are supposed to (year 11)

 

Now that is worrying as they will not have completed the full GCSE course and therefore won't be able to answer all the exam questions. I don't know where Y11 coursework is supposed to fit into things.