Teachers & Senco KS1 - advice please want to keep DS on intervention but now has to go to Council for decision

[Dungandbother]

Hi (sorry it's long)
I have posted before about DS and received some excellent help. other thread

He has completed book 1 of Write from the Start.
He has finally been given a wide writing slope and decent pencils- the posh stabilo. These are only because I have chased, asked and pushed firmly and politely NQT and un-qualified Senco. They have been great. But I am the one driving this.

He has done two concurrent interventions for Fine Motor skills. I want him to do another, to keep going but he has now reached an acceptable level of writing, so it seems the school need to apply to the council for continuance. I have given permission for them to discuss him by name, and I have the opportunity to put my view across. So I am after some useful, specific and well worded points for my statement.

Lots of severe dyslexia in my family. He didn't crawl. He has no dominant hand. He cannot sit still (absolutely not behavioral and had this confirmed by teacher). It's a physical symptom.

His levels have been entered on application form as
Reading Yr1W (to mean within expectation) however, he is reading Level 8 now (summer born). Is Within a fair assessment, 8 seems to be higher to me? He has gone level 3-8 in around 18 weeks, and I feel could go higher but I'm happy to consolidate.
Maths Yr1W
Writing Yr1B+ (to mean slightly below expectation)

I went through his books at Parents Eve. It seems to my untrained eye he is not achieving independent work on tasks which require writing. On a few occasions, a TA has scribed his words underneath. I had confirmed by teacher that he can't achieve Independent work or higher WALT objectives because his writing prevents him. But the scribed/translated - i.e 'what does your writing say' text is achieving of this. Everyone is in agreement he is smart.

I want him on the next intervention. He has managed to make the very bottom of what's deemed within, so I don't want the tick in the box and the help to disappear. There is no doubt he has motor skills issues and also that he isn't reaching his ability levels.

Boys and their handwriting! Such woes.

[Dungandbother]

A little bump

[WombatStewForTea]

he has now reached an acceptable level of writing, so it seems the school need to apply to the council for continuance.

Is this what school have told you? School based interventions like the ones you describe have absolutely nothing to do with the council! The only remote possibility is if they're discussing higher needs funding which your ds doesn't need.

I wonder whether they're telling you to back off and give him some space and stop pressuring him. I've little experience of teaching year 1 but I'm sure others with more ks1 experience will be along soon.

[PoshSlapper]

Leave him alone. He is 5. My DD was very bright, very ahead. It took my DS who was 2years younger until Y2 to be interested/handwriting etc and stuff she had been doing in reception. He is now Y3 and absolutely flown in the last 18months. Pushing him in Yr1 would have had no impact..apart from a very strong risk of turning him off completely.

The best you could do is try to to fretfir at least another year and work on his fine motor skills at home through play Lego, meccanno, hama beads.

[orangepudding]

By council intervention do you mean help from a specific learning difficulties base? If so I doubt he would be eligible for help as he has made progress.

I agree with posh work on his fine motor skills through play. If you do want more involment then perhaps look for an OT.

[Dungandbother]

Thanks
Yes this is what school have told me.
He has motor skills delay. It's fairly severe with no other presenting factors.

I'm just trying to do the best for him and keep the support he has already had put in place. Just because he worked really hard and reached the very bottom rung of a range of normal doesn't mean he doesn't still need help to reach his potential.

It's more than the physical. It's the emotional impact it has on him.

I'd like to know I tried my best to get him as much help as he was able to access. After this third intervention, he would be then assessed by the OT depending on the outcome. I hope it doesn't come to that.

[Dungandbother]

Posh. He does all those things. He has been for a long time.

He has signs of spld.

He's too young for them to look into it so to get this far is great progress and indicative they acknowledgement to a point he has difficulties. I just want to shove that point over a little bit more.

[PoshSlapper]

Just don't "push" in front of him - or surely your disappointment/frustration will have an emotional impact on him.

Children pick up on this stuff so easily - so whether your frustration/need to push/demand etc are directed at the school he will know it is all linked in with his performance in some way.

Schools have a lot of experience in this - surely if they say He's too young for them to look into it then..well... he is too young to look into it.

Would he not be best left to play a bit more consolidate what has been done thus far and see how he does. Children's progress is not linear.

And there is always, always more time for lego and meccano. Just because he has been doing it for a long time does not mean he cannot practice and fine-tune his motor skills through play.

[orangepudding]

If you can afford it get a private OT assesment. They will recommend exercises which you can do at home, they will probably involve Lego, Hama beads and theraputty.
You will have to provide a large amount of the help he needs at home. I had to buy my son various pencils and grips until we found what worked him him. He is now in year 3 and finally this term has been able to produce legible writing. It takes times even with interventions but you will need to do a lot of the work at home.