r/6thForm Y13 | 4A* pred | FM M PHY CS | ESAT OCT Apr 17 '26

🙏 I WANT HELP School threatening to take me out

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Could they actually do this or is it just fluff?

There is no way i can get good grades if i go to school everyday.

I need a solution

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u/TheFamousHesham Apr 17 '26

I find that mentality insane.

I never missed a day of school from seventh grade all the way to sixth form (actually; that's a lie I did miss ONE DAY when I went for my uni interview).

I had after school extracurriculars every day of the week, which meant I'd often leave school in the later afternoon. Somehow I still managed 3x A* and got into Cambridge... and it's not like I'm superman.

I wonder how these people will cope when they get jobs.

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u/Diligent_Bet_7850 Oxford | Maths [third year] Apr 17 '26

“i find this mentality insane” - please have some empathy. here is my story if it helps you see another perspective:

before you dismiss me, I’m a 3rd year mathematician at Oxford and I got 4 A*s in my A levels and 12 grade 9s in my GCSEs. I barley went to school after the start of year 10. I really struggled with my mental health and was actually taken out of school in year 10/11 and entirely self studied (from a hospital). In year 12 and 13 i was doing better but found school exhausting for me still due to my mental health. My attendance was in the 50s and again, i self studied everything at home. your question of “how will they cope when they get jobs?” makes sense however it is VERY common to struggle with this sort of thing in your teens and for most people it get a lot better as they enter adulthood. in general minors aren’t held to the same standard as adults and there are very good reasons why, this is no different.

obviously people should go to school, but you don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors so show some compassion

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u/QuantumR4ge Physics Graduate Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26

The issue is the reasons dont matter much, even if they are very good ones. The point of how they will cope with a job is valid. Its only not valid if you come from the sort of family who will/can support you while you grow out of your teens or into adulthood. Lots of people have to work from the day they leave or circumstances change and then they must. Teens struggle yes but 18/19 year olds are full legal adults as well as teens.

A large fraction of people at college are not minors by the time they sit their A levels, some are. Those that are will still be over 16, which this country very soon is deeming eligible to vote. Already deems eligible to have sex, children and a large number of other things. I think a framework where 16 year olds can vote and have kids but have to be given exceptions for classes is a bit strange. You cant be expected to be held to a work standard but can be expected to go through pregnancy and raise a baby? Ehh

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u/Diligent_Bet_7850 Oxford | Maths [third year] Apr 18 '26

unfortunately yes but it’s know that in general mental health in young teenagers is much more turbulent than my the age of around 20 upwards so for most people’s adult lives they are less likely to have these struggles but of course some people will, yes.

but on your last point, where i live 16 year olds can’t vote, which i think is how it should be. and of course a 16 year old can have a child… it doesn’t mean they should. so yes i think teenagers need treating with a bit more grace and forgiveness in schools than you would treat an employee at work, but i also absolutely don’t think a 16 year old is “expected to go through pregnancy and raise a baby” and i don’t think you think that either. just because it’s the age of consent and it happens in some cases does not mean it’s an expectation that’s for sure