If your child was given these spellings at age 10.5, what would you think?

[MindReader]

Just that really, what would you think if your child was given these spellings at age 10.5:

live
back
most
after
our
over
only
work

and the spelling activities sent home included things like:
'draw the letter on the child's back and get them to guess' and 'clap out the syllables of the word'.

[BathshebaDarkstone]

OFFS. That's what I'd think. Especially if my DC was in a high group.

[Sirzy]

I would guess that they were having trouble with children getting the "basics" right and needed to reinforce things

[MrsKCastle]

Well, if my child needed those spellings at that age I would be aware of it and would be in frequent contact with the teacher.

If my child knew how to spell those words and was working at least at an average level, I'd assume a mistake had been made.

However, if those spellings were part of a much longer list, I'd assume that the school were just going back and checking that all children were secure in the basics.

[nipersvest]

i'd think they had the wrong spellings. ds is in yr5 and had 25 words to learn for today including nuisance, circulation and celebration.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

I'd think.the reception teacher had forgotten her glasses and walked into the wrong class

[Kewcumber]

Unless your child spelling is actually at that level, I would assume they had been given the wrong homework.

[GotToBeInItToWinIt]

Id assume they'd been given the wrong spelling sheet, unless I knew my child was having issues with spelling and getting extra support.

[MindReader]

Ok. Thanks.

Some more info (sorry to drip feed but wanted an honest reaction not clouded by this).

This child has had 2 terms of Learning support (30 mins per week).
We have now been told that child has made 'tremendous progress' and no longer needs this support but will be 'helped by class teacher'. These are the latest spellings supplied by that teacher (advised by LS).

child refuses to write at home, cries over homework and still transposes many letters and numbers (and is working on 3 times table at school). when doing tables yesterday, answered 0x9 = 9, 7x0 = 7 etc). drawing is also very very immature and cannot tie shoelaces, struggles with cutlery etc.

Child is also super bright and built own PC over Christmas and has had a vocabulary you wouldn't believe since very small. Age 3 could describe an engine in some detail. Age 5 could draw and describe a steam engine in full detail. Has very detailed imaginary worlds. Doesn't know how to 'play' in the playground though.

[ClaimedByMe]

I would think and did think why are you still not taking my worries about dyslexia seriously they are now

[steppeinginto2015]

dd2 is in year two.
their spellings are differentiated

last week hers were:
journey
stopped
really
across
happily
looking

even those she had right first time.

I would do them as a spelling test without him/her looking at them first and then send a note in saying he hasn't learned his spellings as he already knows them.

[steppeinginto2015]

sorry, your last post hadn't come up when I posted.

agree with claimed about dyslexia testing.

[ClaimedByMe]

Ah cross post with you MindReader

child refuses to write at home, cries over homework and still transposes many letters and numbers (and is working on 3 times table at school). when doing tables yesterday, answered 0x9 = 9, 7x0 = 7 etc). drawing is also very very immature

We also had the above too, she also has fantastic vocab and has done since very young.

[Wellwellwell3holesintheground]

Dyslexia testing, definitely. Have you also considered going to the optician and having a visual stress test done? DD has recently had one and now has a green overlay to use and it has transformed her school life for her. So much so that she will now be getting green glasses.

[youmakemydreams]

Dd is 11 has a great vocabulary has done since small, is a great reader fluent with good comprehension. Cannot spell for toffee if she is writing it but can read it, used to have constant tears and tantrums over homework and cannot retain the times tables at all. She is dyspraxic.
She gets support in school now we know this even before that her teachers were fab and found some great ways to help her.

[DeanKoontz]

Based on your additional info, these spellings seem more appropriate.

Could the child do them? Were they easy/hard?

I think there may be other issues here. Fwiw, my child can spell very hard words (onomatopoeia, for instance) but still kicks up a fuss over homework and can't tie his shoelaces. My other child is in top sets for everything, but can't spell for toffe, imo.

If you feel a diagnosis needs to be made you should push for this, or insist on an explanation why not.

[DeanKoontz]

Ha ha. Toffee

[MindReader]

child will get around 30% of these right at beginning of week and around 70% at end of week. Next week will be back to 30%.

These spellings are part of the 'evidence' that school is offering to LEA Ed Psy who is apparently going to 'judge' re dyslexia. This Ed Psy is the same once who has already told us we must think of the 'effect on child when child finds out he is not dyslexic'.

[AuntieStella]

My dyslexic DC could still muck up spellings of that level in year 6 (no reflection on extent of vocabulary, just dreadful spelling).

I'd grab the intervention with both hands and go for it, learning over and over, in different ways has been helpful for one of them.

Definitely worth a shot. It might help with the spellings. It also might open up a closer dialogue with learning support team - also a very good thing.

[ClaimedByMe]

The ed psych sounds ummm different although we have yet to meet ours so I am not sure what to expect, we have been told she is lovely, helpful and enthusiastic to get the best out of your child!

[Lonecatwithkitten]

My year 6 DD had some of those home last week, in general her English is very good as she reads a lot. Her spelling is awful as she has very poor visual processing, the spelling out loud and clapping would really help as she has great auditory processing memory.

[MindReader]

Kid is very possibly dyslexic (Dad is, Grandad is).
Possibly dyspraxic too (falls over pencils on floor, cant 'place' writing / picture on piece of paper - ie keeps writing at end of line off the paper and onto the table - every time....).
Whether it is 'enough' to show on a test, I don't know.

School assessed for dyslexia 3 years ago = No evidence.
About to do the same. We have already been told that they wont find him dyslexic prior to assessment and LS has already been stopped.

Now he may or may not be dyslexic/dyspraxic but what he certainly ISNT is stupid, which is how he refers to himself and how school will frame this.

It is really helpful to have an honest reaction to those spellings though - these are the ones school say prove his progress (he's been working on 1st 100 Hi Freq words for 12m now...)

[drivinmecrazy]

This child has had 2 terms of Learning support (30 mins per week).
We have now been told that child has made 'tremendous progress' and no longer needs this support but will be 'helped by class teacher'

this resonates so much with me. DD2 is yr5 and has Yo-yoed in and out of learning support all through her education. She does tremendously well during the small group work away from class, then begins to drown again when back in the main classroom, and so the cycle repeats.

This year her teacher has decided she doesn't need any supervision, which has frequently meant that she will sit, quite happily, at the table doodling instead of starting a task because she has no idea what it is she should be doing.

My greatest regret was just giving up the fight with the school last year. I am constantly being told she doesn't warrant the support. It is clearly evident she has a memory issue.

DD's spellings last week were 'tial' & 'cial' words, which DD just cannot differentiate. Annoyingly, despite all my DD's work, she scored less that 7/10 on Friday so is sitting the test again today at lunchtime. No doubt she will be doing the same tomorrow, and this is not through lack of work on her part

Other weeks she can Ace the test but has completely forgotten them by the following week so cannot use them in her written work.

My only saving grace is that DD2 is so happy at school, it completely flies over her head. In fact just before Christmas she came out of school beaming when I asked her how her spelling test went, she replied 'I got 2/10, no one has ever got 2/10 before!' She was over the moon at getting a class record

[MindReader]

drivemecrazy - that's really interesting, thanks!

Ds will have forgotten the words next week.
In fact, he will have forgotten them by teatime.
If he writes a paragraph, he will spell the same word - eg 'book' four different ways in the same para. Usually it is: boock, but it can be bok, or buk, or booke.

He does well in a 1:1 but not in class. Mostly in class he doesn't know what he is supposed to be doing, poor sod.

He ISNT happy though. Says he would 'rather die' than go to Secondary school, refers to himself as Stupid constantly and is so mortified by having 'rubbish spellings' that they are emailed home direct so not given out in front of class.

[MindReader]

Other issue is he HATES doing any work at home.

Will chuck his stuff around, cry, stamp etc.
Says: 'I've been hating doing all this baby stuff at school all day and failing and I don't want to do it at home as well. You cant make me!' etc.

We usually get a bit done but it is purgatory and I don't know how much it is helping, tbh.

[BirdintheWings]

I'd frankly give up on the primary by this point and start talking in depth to your secondary SENCO (do you know where he's going yet?) about what support they can put in place.