A disabled teenager from Wirral says he has been blocked from studying Spanish at A-level despite achieving a Grade 9 in the subject at GCSE. Finley Lamb, 17, was born with a rare brain abnormality and has defied expectations throughout his life.
Despite doctors initially fearing he may never walk or talk properly, Finley went on to walk to school every day. In addition to periventricular nodular heterotopia (PVNH), he also has autism and severe scoliosis.
College place withdrawn after Maths GCSE fail
Having secured a Grade 9 in Spanish, Finley was looking forward to studying the subject at A-level at Birkenhead Sixth Form College. However, his place at the Park Road West college was later withdrawn because he failed his GCSE Maths.
Birkenhead Sixth Form College states that young people must achieve a pass in Maths and English to continue their studies.
Mother calls for reasonable adjustments
Finley's mum, Sara O'Donnell, believes the college could provide reasonable adjustments to allow her son to study. She claims a 'one size fits all' policy on entry requirements creates a barrier for disabled students accessing further education.
She said: "Finley deserves the chance to build on his strengths rather than have his future defined by his weakest subject."
Ms O'Donnell added: "We don't want special treatment for Fin. We want the opportunity for him to demonstrate what he can do. If a young person can achieve a Grade 9 in the subject they want to study, should a single result in a completely different subject automatically prevent them from following that ambition?"
For Finley, Spanish is more than just a favoured school subject. His phone is set to Spanish, he reads the news in Spanish, and he hopes to study the language at university with the possibility of becoming a translator.
Wider questions about SEND support
Sara said the situation raises wider questions about how post-16 education works for young people with SEND. She explained that Fin, "through no fault of his own," has now become one of an estimated one million individuals aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET).
Responding to the concerns, Birkenhead Sixth Form College said: "We are unable to comment on individual applicants. However, we work closely with the local authority to ensure that young people are supported in identifying appropriate next steps in their education."
Finley's mum has also been critical of Wirral Council, saying it should direct the college to accept Finley as it is named on his Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) as his education provider.
A Wirral Council spokesperson said: "For understandable reasons, the local authority cannot comment on specific young people's circumstances or cases.
"It is always disappointing for young people where they do not achieve their expected grades, especially where that may affect the course, school or college they were expecting to attend.
"However, where this is the case Wirral Council works with young people and their families to consider the options available and ensure appropriate next steps are identified to support the young person to achieve their educational outcomes."
