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Secondary education

Getting an Education Psychologist report before starting Year 7? Sussex

7 replies

Drain68 · 27/04/2015 11:04

DS is 11 and in Year 6. He has adhd and dyslexia but is on track for 4's and maybe a 5 in his SATS.

I am started to worry about the change to senior school, where he will be much more left to it. He will struggle more than most kids about being in the right time, with the right stuff, keeping out of trouble etc. His difficulties with written language will hinder him in most subjects I reckon.

So, I was wondering, should we try to get an Education Psychologist report done on him so that the senior school have a really clear idea of his strengths and weaknesses. His primary have been great with him, but said he would never get a psychologist report while he was with them as he would be so low down on their priority list.

Should we ask the secondary if they can put him on their list in advance, as it were? Or what about private? How much would it cost? Would the senior school accept it? Any recommendations? East Sussex but happy to travel for a recommendation. Thank you.

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Drain68 · 27/04/2015 20:10

Evening bump for anyone that could offer an opinion? hopeful Smile

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Esko · 27/04/2015 20:25

Can you contact the senco at the new school? My daughter was diagnosed as dyslexic in year 3. We paid for an assessment and,specialist teaching. However at secondary the senco organized additional tests in school and never asked to see the Ed psych report. She or he can let your DS's teachers know and perhaps they can organize some extra support.

I found though that in the early years of secondary I had to tell them what I thought DD needed - use of a laptop; prints of the whiteboard rather than struggling to copy out everything in time etc. I also explained she was disorganized and the teachers would ensure that they put the homework up online so that it was accessible.

Our area has a Ed psych that visits schools. So they refer any kid they are worried about.

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mummytime · 27/04/2015 21:56

Contact the SENCO. In my experience secondary school has been far better at dealing with SEN than primary, by being bigger they need to have efficient systems in place.
A private educational psychologist report will not give you much help at this stage, it is too early for it to help with GCSEs. I would rather save the money to pay for tutors as and when necessary.
The only other thing I would suggest is not to cram for SATs, just failing to get the desired level can trigger more funding and help, which passing wouldn't.

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maryso · 28/04/2015 16:08

Perhaps my observations are very different from most... since your DS is not palpably failing to get his levels, I have yet to come across a school that will not treat his needs as very low priority. At the same time, I have never seen a parent willing to let their children fail, but also to suffer the very painful process of failing, until the point when they become a priority - when often it will be too late to recover, both self-esteem and academic progress.

You say he has ADHD and is dyslexic, which is very broad brush. A good EP report will pinpoint exactly how he is ADHD and dyslexic. With this, he can understand himself and that could help you and him respond better, whether by specialist teaching or learning to learn differently. It may also point you to the specific aspects which allow him access to materials, assistance and more time for the later exam years. The school will test for these in a few years, to verify why special access may be needed, but it helps to know what to look for. If you don't already know that, he could sadly miss out in the mass testing. So you could see the EP assessment now as a gift of added self-awareness for his future learning. It won't lessen the difficulties, but you will have a shared language to tackle them, and that could make your load lighter.

Definitely do not bother over-preparing for SATs. They should reflect what the school has been doing for the last 7 years, not the last 7 months or weeks. The results are ignored by independents and state schools alike, who all do their own CATs, for setting etc.

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Charis1 · 28/04/2015 23:08

Don't bother with a private assessment if going to a state school, they carry no weight what so ever. As Esko said, they will probably not even be read.

Speak to the SENCO at his new school

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eatyourveg · 29/04/2015 09:05

I got the area ed psych for both ds2 and ds3 in Y5. one was at mainstream primary, the other at a sn unit. Both had statements and I wanted a clear idea of what type of schools to consider for secondary. Found it really helpful and both the secondary sencos found it really useful for planning.

No harm in asking - however low down your ds is on the priority list

In the meantime I would ask the secondary senco at the school you are considering for Y7, to come and observe your ds in school and offer an opinion on how they can best support him

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Drain68 · 30/04/2015 19:29

Thank you again. I have re-asked at Primary - he has no chance of getting an education psychologist before he leaves.

So I guess I need to see if secondary will put him on their list (from now), and hope he gets seen soon after he starts? I will see what they say.

Or, I could investigate private assessment - but have no idea how much this would cost. Maybe I could ask the secondary SENCO if they know of anyone, but then they might not put DS on their list if they think we're prepared to go private. Argh!

What i have taken from your helpful comments though, is that an Education psychologist report is a definite good thing. Thank you for reinforcing that.

As for SATS, remarkably in MN world, DS's school seem quite chilled about it all. He probably won't hit the progress targets they need him to for their figures (his Year 2 teacher seem to overinflate his levels bizarrely), but he isn't being hassled, just being given the usual extra support he has had for the last few years. No extra before or after school booster lessons anyway. Which is good Smile.

So, I just need to speak to new school SENCO and get the ball rolling. I assume they will speak to me now, or is it too early?

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