The Student Room Group

Are schools legally allowed to block you from dropping a fourth A level?

So my school is a state funded secondary school which comes top in the area for A level results, however when starting in year 12 we are forced to do 4 a levels. I figured I'd try it out and then drop one before the winter mocks as why study something for a year just to drop it and gain no qualification from it. Aside from just the pointless study of a subject we will not be taking in Year 13, 4 a levels means limited frees. My school is a CofE school meaning that we are required to study Religious enrichment (in the place of a free period) fortnitely. Surely there is enough evidence that any student, regardless of prexisting anxiety and mental health problems, will become overly stressed in this environment? But my school makes it incredibly difficult to drop the fourth a level, they say its just a 'policy' but my friends who have tried dropping a levels have been increasingly blocked from doing so unless they have a mental health diagnosis and parental permission. Is this even legal?
The school cannot compel you to take four A levels.

IAAL

IANYL
Reply 2
Original post by lovegals08
So my school is a state funded secondary school which comes top in the area for A level results, however when starting in year 12 we are forced to do 4 a levels. I figured I'd try it out and then drop one before the winter mocks as why study something for a year just to drop it and gain no qualification from it. Aside from just the pointless study of a subject we will not be taking in Year 13, 4 a levels means limited frees. My school is a CofE school meaning that we are required to study Religious enrichment (in the place of a free period) fortnitely. Surely there is enough evidence that any student, regardless of prexisting anxiety and mental health problems, will become overly stressed in this environment? But my school makes it incredibly difficult to drop the fourth a level, they say its just a 'policy' but my friends who have tried dropping a levels have been increasingly blocked from doing so unless they have a mental health diagnosis and parental permission. Is this even legal?

It doesn't sound legal, that's for sure. I don't do four A-levels myself but I know other people who do, and there are only a handful of them who can adequately cope with it. But our school doesn't hold it against us and we can drop our subjects pretty easily. I would personally get a parent to help complain against them about this. The fact that you can't drop the fourth A-level, was this mentioned when you were applying for them or not?
Do they still award AS levels for subjects which are passed but then dropped in Year 13?
Reply 4
Original post by Asvin0409
It doesn't sound legal, that's for sure. I don't do four A-levels myself but I know other people who do, and there are only a handful of them who can adequately cope with it. But our school doesn't hold it against us and we can drop our subjects pretty easily. I would personally get a parent to help complain against them about this. The fact that you can't drop the fourth A-level, was this mentioned when you were applying for them or not?

No it was never mentioned and the funny thing is they encourage you to drop one in year 13. Bare in mind we get no qualifications for studying a subject for an entire year.
Reply 5
Original post by bones-mccoy
Do they still award AS levels for subjects which are passed but then dropped in Year 13?

Nope. We get nothing for all our revision and exams because all exams in year 12 are mocks.
Original post by lovegals08
Nope. We get nothing for all our revision and exams because all exams in year 12 are mocks.


That sounds unfair. I did my A Levels a long time ago and we picked four - three over the two years of sixth form (A2) and one over the first year (AS). It’s a shame you don’t get to see anything for your hard work over the year.
Reply 7
Original post by bones-mccoy
That sounds unfair. I did my A Levels a long time ago and we picked four - three over the two years of sixth form (A2) and one over the first year (AS). It’s a shame you don’t get to see anything for your hard work over the year.

Agreed. It totally jeopardises any motivation I have to study my burner subject because I get no qualifications out of it, a shame but the way things work at my sixth form.
Original post by lovegals08
So my school is a state funded secondary school which comes top in the area for A level results, however when starting in year 12 we are forced to do 4 a levels. I figured I'd try it out and then drop one before the winter mocks as why study something for a year just to drop it and gain no qualification from it. Aside from just the pointless study of a subject we will not be taking in Year 13, 4 a levels means limited frees. My school is a CofE school meaning that we are required to study Religious enrichment (in the place of a free period) fortnitely. Surely there is enough evidence that any student, regardless of prexisting anxiety and mental health problems, will become overly stressed in this environment? But my school makes it incredibly difficult to drop the fourth a level, they say its just a 'policy' but my friends who have tried dropping a levels have been increasingly blocked from doing so unless they have a mental health diagnosis and parental permission. Is this even legal?
Further Maths is the only 4th A-Level you can cope with easily. Because if you also take Physics then there is a massive overlap of topics with A-Level Further Maths FM1 and FM2.
Legally you don't have to do any A-Levels at all. You don't even have to be there, legally. So no.

However, does every college / sixth form / sixth form college have their own policies which you have to abide by if you want to attend that particular institution? Yes.

If you don't like that particular policy of having to take 4 A-Levels (and I agree it's a stupid policy), then you are free to leave and find somewhere else to attend.
Reply 10
Original post by PinkMobilePhone
Legally you don't have to do any A-Levels at all. You don't even have to be there, legally. So no.
However, does every college / sixth form / sixth form college have their own policies which you have to abide by if you want to attend that particular institution? Yes.
If you don't like that particular policy of having to take 4 A-Levels (and I agree it's a stupid policy), then you are free to leave and find somewhere else to attend.

I wish it was that easy. We’re so far into the year that if I left now I’d be significantly behind. Furthermore, there aren’t any other good sixth forms in my catchment.
Original post by lovegals08
So my school is a state funded secondary school which comes top in the area for A level results, however when starting in year 12 we are forced to do 4 a levels. I figured I'd try it out and then drop one before the winter mocks as why study something for a year just to drop it and gain no qualification from it. Aside from just the pointless study of a subject we will not be taking in Year 13, 4 a levels means limited frees. My school is a CofE school meaning that we are required to study Religious enrichment (in the place of a free period) fortnitely. Surely there is enough evidence that any student, regardless of prexisting anxiety and mental health problems, will become overly stressed in this environment? But my school makes it incredibly difficult to drop the fourth a level, they say its just a 'policy' but my friends who have tried dropping a levels have been increasingly blocked from doing so unless they have a mental health diagnosis and parental permission. Is this even legal?

Can’t you get parental permission?
Reply 12
Original post by lovegals08
So my school is a state funded secondary school which comes top in the area for A level results, however when starting in year 12 we are forced to do 4 a levels. I figured I'd try it out and then drop one before the winter mocks as why study something for a year just to drop it and gain no qualification from it. Aside from just the pointless study of a subject we will not be taking in Year 13, 4 a levels means limited frees. My school is a CofE school meaning that we are required to study Religious enrichment (in the place of a free period) fortnitely. Surely there is enough evidence that any student, regardless of prexisting anxiety and mental health problems, will become overly stressed in this environment? But my school makes it incredibly difficult to drop the fourth a level, they say its just a 'policy' but my friends who have tried dropping a levels have been increasingly blocked from doing so unless they have a mental health diagnosis and parental permission. Is this even legal?


My school is the exact same (had to take 4 A Levels in year 12) and we were allowed to drop one for year 13.
In fact it was encouraged. It's incredibly inappropriate for your school to force you to continue the fourth if you don’t want to and you think it will affect your other grades/subjects.
If you’re not going to continue the subject and wont have external examination then just half arse it and do the bare minimum and save your efforts for your other subjects.
Reply 14
Original post by DerDracologe
Can’t you get parental permission?

I do not have any diagnosed mental health disorders which is part of the criteria for dropping an A level, trust me most of my friends have tried to drop their fourth A level with parent permission but the school kept blocking it.
Reply 15
Original post by The….
My school is the exact same (had to take 4 A Levels in year 12) and we were allowed to drop one for year 13.
In fact it was encouraged. It's incredibly inappropriate for your school to force you to continue the fourth if you don’t want to and you think it will affect your other grades/subjects.

That's what I think, their reasoning is that doing four A levels helps to narrow down your choices to see which are your best subjects (IMO stupid because I've done all of my A levels at GCSE level and excelled in them)
Reply 16
Original post by lovegals08
No it was never mentioned and the funny thing is they encourage you to drop one in year 13. Bare in mind we get no qualifications for studying a subject for an entire year.

That's definitely something to look into in that case, especially if they were saying one thing before and then changing their mind on it now.

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