What do I do with this kid in England

[Culdesac7]

We are American, living in the us, but moving to England for a temp assignment.

We just found out our 7yo has at least one specific learning disability, dysgraphia--a quick search doesn't yield much on the subject here.

She also has low processing speed, which really impacts written expression, but also verbal expression. She is slow and spacy.

To complicate things she tests as gifted on the wisc v despite all this. She reads really well (we always knew this) and apparently she might be even better at math (quantitative reasoning and math in the 99.8 percentiles--we would never have thought). She writes like a 5yo, perhaps an English 4yo!

We were advised to start OT for "handwriting" and begin using assistive technology or scribes for all other "writing" tasks. She would also get extra time on tests. We were also encouraged to get her more individualized instruction, gifted if possible.

But we are moving to England. So what can we expect over there at a state school?

[Culdesac7]

That is what I'm gathering. Finding a house, that is near a great school THAT HAS A SPOT for a year four in September sound like quite a process.

Do state schools accept outside testing, or will they require their own testing and make their own reccomendations?

[Culdesac7]

In or around Cambridge.

[Saracen]

Since you're only here temporarily, if you cannot find a suitable school then maybe home education would be a good solution? Lots of people doing it around Cambridge.

[Culdesac7]

The plan is three years. This way our oldest would begin middle school back in the states. (6th grade/year 7)

That's good to hear about home educating. My concern would be getting her socialized, but maybe there are homeschool groups and co ops if it's pretty common around there.

Thank you for the kind replies.

[Ineedmorepatience]

The home ed community around me is fab and very busy, facebook is the place to find home edders. If you search home ed cambridge I feel certain you will find groups if you want to do some research.

Good luck :-)

[Culdesac7]

Primary school does offer the cultural experience we wish to have her enjoy.

This may be not true, but English schools seem more traditional than American schools. In any case, the school she is at now is surely way more progressive. No uniforms, teachers go by first name, project-based, outside a lot, they go camping as a class, very little worksheets.

So as much as I'd like the cultural experience, I am worried about culture shock! I need to make sure she will be taken under the care of the special education team, because she will shut down if she's expected to write a real sentence let alone a coherent paragraph.

I'm in good position to home educate, and it would also allow for more flexibility to travel, but truth be told I'd like to make a cute little state school work. But what if we are pushed into a school 10 miles away that is terrible at accommodating her? There seems to be no way of knowing until you have already committed to the house and school.

[ouryve]

Apart from the super competitive ones, English state primary schools often have comfy, practical uniforms with nice, soft polo shirts and sweatshirts for being a kid in, so that's not too much of a shock to the system. Plus it's an added bonus because all that stuff is really bombproof.

When you choose a school have a look at their "local offer" on their website - how they word it often gives you a bit of a clue about what to expect in attitude, as that page on some schools' sites almost comes across as if they're spiting the words out because they're obliged to do it! As you narrow it down, ask if you can have a word with the SENCO. The reaction here can also be pretty telling! The best school is likely to be one that is open and communicative with you from the start.

[yippeekiyay2]

Hi, I work with age 16+ students who have a range of difficulties and I would suggest bringing the paperwork regarding the assessments/testing and recommendations of scribe etc with you for school to see. It is more common to use support for writing at secondary age onwards but a primary will look at putting some support in and should put together a learning plan to support your dd with her writing etc. You may need to be assertive about this however depending on the school... Good luck with your move!