Bright child, low average achievement 'cos specific learning diffs, role of school?

[dillonmck]

Hi, Im confused about what I can expect at my daughter's school. She's just started yr 3 (rising 8yrs). She's average to low average for reading and maths, has had an IEP previously but no real extra help. Shes made progress in reading because we've done synthetic phonics programme at home (hence the average achievement now). She has specific learning diffs in phonic awareness and working memory. School aren't bothered because shes bumbling along, but should they be giving her the help to meet her potential, or is average all we can expect and therefore no extra help. Any info or experience would be really welcome, I just dont know where I go from here.

[vjg13]

Has she been seen by any other educational professionals eg an EP because if not that could be a good place to start. The schhol would then have to take on board any recommendations.

[Marney]

I have had a child who is in high school now who would never have had any help if i hadnt pushed and pushed when necessary for the EP TO DO AN ASSESSMENT.If the school wont help you need to phone the education department yourself to ask for an EP REPORT .Iwas told it could take 18 months by the school but it didnt it was just a few weeks!!
Fortunately my child is now getting the extra time in gcses .The schools seem to be afraid of dyslexic pupils i dont know if its down to money.
The first assessment was clear specific learning difficulty at age 8 or 9 but little information was passed from one school to another
Ive found im afraid you have to check the recommendations the ep makes do happen !!! and
you shold join a local dislexia support group it can help a lot

[cornsilk]

Who assessed her?

[christywhisty]

My son is very bright with a spld. Thankfully he was taught synthetic phonics so he reads well, but can't spell. I was told he got help because he was bright as his writing is only slightly below average but is well below his capabilities. If he was average in everything else they would not have given him the extra one to one.
At secondary school he doesn't get any extra help although he can go to an after school homework club for those on the SEN register and allowed to do all his homework on pc and is coping very well in top set.

[SaintRiven]

does she have a statement? Mind you, my dd's statement says all sorts of wondrous stuff but it doesn't happen. She needs large print books cos of her visual impairment - we're still waiting...

[dillonmck]

Thanks for replies. My youngest been sick so been away from the computer. All well now. Cornsilk she was assessed by a psychologist privately because I was so concerned about her lack of reading (before we did the synthetic phonics at home). She did the WISC test but I don't think she's well connected with what schools do because it raised more questions than it answered for us and didnt really clarify what we can expect. School now saying give her two months in small group work in class and see if improvement. They say her spelling has tested at age 5.4, her maths not yet meeting yr 1 objectives (she's yr 3) and reading fine. If no improvement after two months then I suppose I need to start pushing for more assessment/help. How much I get Christywhisty seems to depend then on what they think she might be able to do.

[silvercat]

Hi Dillonmck, i have a daughter of the same age with SLD and can really relate to your concerns. Like yours, my DD is really bright - certainly in the way she thinks and talks - but finds it really hard to learn at school. We were aware of her problems even in Reception as we could see she wasn't learning at the same rate as her friends and it didn't make sense when she was so on a par with them in other ways. But because she's our first child we didn't have the experience or confidence to make a big fuss and kept getting fobbed off by the school saying it's developmental, she'll catch up, don't worry etc. By the start of Yr2 her confidence had plummetted, she was crying every night, unable to sleep properly and referring to herself as stupid all the time. We pestered the SENCO relentlessly but kept being told she didn't "fit the profile" for the special needs groups being run and that she was "only just below average" so no need to worry. In the end we asked for a meeting with the Headteacher and SENCO together and insisted on something be done. After that DD1 was taken out of class every day for a small group session where she did all her literacy and maths and that made a fantastic difference. No more feeling like an idiot in spelling tests and someone to help her get to grips with all the stuff that had gone over her head. We also started taking her to a tutor for an hour every week - a lovely woman who works as a SENCO in another school and has developed a really supportive relationship with my daughter. As a result her reading is now amazing and she's chomping her way happily hrough books for much older children. On the down side, handwriting, spelling and maths are still a huge struggle and we know that each new topic activity in school from now on will be a big challenge for her. She's just transferred to junior school so we're going through the same battle getting support put in place plus all the same misery and loss of confidence she went through last year. To make things worse she seems to be hanging around with girls who are mean to her in a way which is verging on bullying. This evening she told me she hates herself and that she's a rubbish person.

Sorry for going on so much and not really answering your question - as you can imagine i'm feeling really upset and worried about her so it's hard to think clearly. I guess what I'm trying to get across is that this type of child is the hardest to get help for as they are seen as a low priority but - exactly because they are bright with lots of potential - their confidence and self esteem is really likely to be affected if nothing is done. You don't mention your daughter being unhappy and i really hope she isn't but do follow your gut instincts and fight to get her the help she needs now. As a friend with an older child with SLD told me, if they don't get it, the gap between them and their friends just keeps on widening as they get older which is a really scary prospect. Good luck with it, hope this is of some help.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Silvercat,

Felt that you were all fobbed off for a long time and now that your DD is in Juniors the fight for support has to start all over again.

Here's a suggestion for you. I would look into applying for a Statement from your LEA for your DD asap. A Statement, unlike any other school plan, is legally binding and it will give her more support in school.

If you do apply you need to write to the Chief Education Officer of your LEA and give them 6 weeks to reply. Don't let school make the app (NO!), if you do it yourself you know its been done then. And you can appeal if the LEA say no, school actually cannot.

www.ipsea.org.uk are very good and have lots of information on their website.

[dillonmck]

Oh Silvercat Im sorry its taken me a while to get back to the thread. I was so upset when I read your message - I really related to the frustration and desperation. I'm really pleased the reading is so good - that was always my priority because it gives you access to so much else (and if nothing else at least stories can be an escape hatch). Can you encourage some activities away from school, like brownies for eg, where she can make friends on a level playing field away from school? Just a thought. It is so hard to get the school to give the help when you're not sure yourself what the problem is or how much fuss you should be making and they don't seem that bothered. My daughter does cry about going to school, always says she has tummy ache, been sick etc and I had to ignore it or it'd just get worse, but thankfully her school is small (80 kids infs & juns) and her friends are good. I can see it getting worse in the future though. Has your d had any formal IEPs? If Im no further on in the two months weve agreed I don't know what to push for - that's the hardest, if I knew what it was I wouldn't mind making a fuss. Anyway sorry this is not particularly well structured, but wanted to reply quickly. The one thing I did use when she was getting down about school was to keep reflecting back, do you remember when you found reading really difficult and couldn't even read little words and look at you now, sometimes it takes time (I tell her how I used to mess the gear stick up to when I was learning to drive and now I don't even think how to do it)....and also that everyone is good or finds different things difficult and some people don't find out what they're great at until they're grown up - anything to stop her getting a fixed view of her capabilities.

[silvercat]

So sorry i've only just seen this dillonmck, lovely to get your reply and know there are others out there struggling with similar problems. A small school does sound lovely, i'm actually trying to move my daughter at the moment as I feel being in a huge school definitely isn't helping. I know exactly what you mean about being unsure what to push for - i get easily put off when teachers act dismissive and say she's "only just below average" and treat me like a pushy parent. The only thing I've really learned so far is that just about anything that's going in terms of extra help is a good thing, especially if it involves being taken out of the classroom. The big disaster for my daughter is being left to fend for herself in a room of 33 kids as she will just start looking out of the window and not even try to join in. Anything that gets her into a small group (or one to one, better still) is great, almost regardless of the focus. Since i made loads of fuss a few weeks ago she's getting taken out of class daily for various things - motor skills, phonics, handwriting and spelling, all of which she's enjoying. She's still miserable at school because of the social side - came home again today with big scratches on her face from one of her "friends" so we've got a lot still to sort out. That's so right what you said about focusing on what has changed for the better and trying to build on their strengths. My daughter loves writing stories (hard to read but we manage!) and illustrating them so that's something which feels special and exciting to her, no matter what's gone on at school. Would love to get her into something like Brownies too but no go at the moment, she won't even think about doing anything outside of home. Lots of luck dealing with school, do keep in touch and let me know how you get on.

[dillonmck]

Good luck with the school move silvercat if that's what you decide to do. We have parents evening on 11 november so Im waiting to see what they say then, although I can already tell her confidence has improved as a result of the small group work in maths (came home saying she knew 10x table - kind of but that's better than nothing) and she's much better at going to school lately. I agree with what you say that for this kind of child (I'm thinking bright but with specific difficulties, and social but shy/sensitive) any kind of small group is a bonus. Take care.

[AJ2008]

You may like to check out this thread if you have not already done so. You might find it helpful.

Good luck everyone who is not happy with the way your child's school is handling things and I hope you all find the help and support that you need.

[Mendip]

Can anyone advise ? My 15 year old daughter still cannot spell or punctuate correctly despite our trying to tackle this problem down the years.
She is predicted A/A* for content.
She is at public school and we paid for a year's extra tuition from the Special Needs Department where she was tested for dyslexia and dyspraxia. Results - negative.
Her handwriting is also dire.
She is left handed and took ages to decide which hand she would use.
I am at my wits end ! All suggestions and advice very grtefully received.

[havenlady]

Hi Mendip
Can she use a laptop and /or have someone go through her exam papers with her (I think this can be done? )

Who tested her for dyslexia/dyspraxia? - by definition if there is such a mismatch between a high level for content and a low level for spelling etc then there is clearly a problem which should entitle her to extra time/IT support etc so that she has a chance to show what she knows.

Unfortunately in the private sector you may have find this all out and present it to her school.

[havenlady]

Hi Mendip
Can she use a laptop and /or have someone go through her exam papers with her (I think this can be done? )

Who tested her for dyslexia/dyspraxia? - by definition if there is such a mismatch between a high level for content and a low level for spelling etc then there is clearly a problem which should entitle her to extra time/IT support etc so that she has a chance to show what she knows.

Unfortunately in the private sector you may have find this all out and present it to her school.

[ohappydays]

If you can afford it go to the dyslexic institute / Helen Arkell Centre and have a full assessment. Only go to a centre that specialised in dyslexia . One key indicator of dyslexia is a disparity between understanding of a subject and the ability to record that information using the written word. What tests did they use. The school will not be able to argue with a report from a certified educational psychologist unless they can prove the results are incorrect - very hard to do as they are standarised test s used by all ed psy. Once your daughter gets a diagnosis the school has to accomodate her needs under the disablitiy discrimination act DDA. I know so many children fobbed off by the school and then found to have dyslexia when they have had formal assessments by educational psychologist. Even if she does not get a definition of dyslexia, if your daughter is below a certain level as assessed on specific tests she is entitled to access arrangements in exams, for example, extra time, word processor or even a scribe. Good luck