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Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Secondary education

Dyslexia and exams

13 replies

St29 · 19/03/2015 11:27

My son has dyslexia and dyspraxia, and I was wondering if school can just give him a past exam paper to do without warning.
He is entitled to a scribe and extra time.He has finished a lot of work and has some spare time.
I just think he should be warned rather than them give him something to do

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TeenAndTween · 19/03/2015 12:00

Not entirely with you here.

Are you saying he has some 'free lessons' so they are finding him work?
Or that they've finished the syllabus so they 'sprung' an exam paper on them?
Is he y11?

My DD is y11 and entitled to extra time and laptop. I wouldn't mind if they 'sprung' an exam paper on them in class, though I wouldn't expect her to do very well on it without warning, and she wouldn't finish it.

DD also has some 'free' lessons as she has dropped a subject, but I set work for her in those.

I can see that providing a scribe for random in class tests could be hard to organise, so I can see why they wouldn't bother (provided they didn't expect it to be clearly written).

My dyspraxic DD isn't all that organised. Is it possible he was informed about the exam paper in advance, but forgot to tell you? (We've had that too).

Was he stressed/upset about this, and if so about what aspect in particular?

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BaronessEllaSaturday · 19/03/2015 12:04

Yes they can same as they can give him any other piece of appropriate work without warning. Past exam papers are given just as a practice piece and has no bearing on the actual exam.

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GraysAnalogy · 19/03/2015 12:06

Eh?

Being given a past paper is just a way of him to revise. It's just like setting homework surely?

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St29 · 19/03/2015 12:23

It's past papers they just said to him, do this paper. Problem is it's a Maths paper and he should have sat exam last November but teacher said she didn't know him well enough so didn't let him sit it. In his mocks he was highest in year group for exam. So now he gets very upset and reacts badly to being given a Maths past paper. In his eyes he should have been allowed to do it last year and so therefore shouldn't be doing an old paper.
He has dropped two subject so has free lessons, he's not in class then

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GraysAnalogy · 19/03/2015 12:32

I'm still confused at what the issue is. Being given past papers is for revision purposes not to get a grade from?

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TeenAndTween · 19/03/2015 12:34

OK, so he was given a maths paper to do in a 'free' lesson?
I don't think that is at all unreasonable.

He did well in the mock but wasn't allowed to early entry. I'm not convinced early entry is great plans anyway.

He "gets very upset and reacts badly to being given a Maths past paper". This doesn't sound usual/normal. He hasn't taken the GCSE yet, so needs to continue to practice. If it's easy for him then it shouldn't be upsetting. If it is hard, then maybe he'll benefit from the practice?

It sounds to me as if he may need some help managing his feelings towards all of this, because it all seems quite sensible to me?

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St29 · 19/03/2015 12:37

I think he gets upset because he knows he should have done paper, and a lot of his friends have dropped Maths because they got the pass but he never had a chance too.

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TeenAndTween · 19/03/2015 12:40

In that case, in the kindest terms, I think you/pastoral care need to help him move on from that. November was 4 months back. He needs to be philosophical and look forward not back. He is where he is. You need to help him manage that. Harping back to a teacher's decision last term won't help him now.
Maybe his friends got the pass, but he'll get the B with those extra few months teaching.

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GraysAnalogy · 19/03/2015 12:41

Well that's unfortunate for him but by giving him the past paper the teacher is allowing him to revise for when he does his actual exam.

If he really feels this upset over it then like teen says there's an emotional issue here because it simply isn't 'normal' to feel that upset over being given work to do.

What would he, and you, have liked to happen?

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St29 · 19/03/2015 12:45

I wish he'd been given chance to do it,and I have told him he has to move on from it now. It's foundation paper so highest he will get is c, they dont want to risk higher paper as he needs c for a levels. He finds it hard letting go of things.i think that is his ADHD and aspergers.I know he needs to do pass papers.

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St29 · 19/03/2015 12:49

I think he's apprehensive about forthcoming gcses, and at mo being given a Maths exam paper is like a red rag to a bull

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TeenAndTween · 19/03/2015 13:05

Oh OK, he's got ADHD and aspergers into the mix too. That makes much more sense. That's the issue more than dyslexia/dyspraxia I would think?

I don't have any experience of those, but definitely he needs support to help him move on and to get through the next 3 months. You could talk to the Senco/his support about the benefits/downsides of him doing random maths papers. Maybe it just needs to be predicable for him? eg Every Monday in one of your 'frees' you will do a maths paper this is so that ..... etc.

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St29 · 19/03/2015 13:14

Yes that's what I think too. He should have warning about them. Not oh he's not doing anything, let's give him a past paper to do. I feel for him he's being doing so well, but was so angry yesterday about it, especially as he was doing writing for 2 hrs before it.