To feel these parent are not understanding ( WhatsApp and Sats )

Just to reassure you, there are so many options at college for pupils who haven't shined in the gcse system. They are a bit forgotten at school - in many ways by design. They need a certain number to 'fail" in that system.

I won't pretend that a 4 in maths and English aren't a stumbling block. So scraping those is very important. But Once he is out, it will get better.

Access arrangements are to ‘remove any disadvantage’. They don’t give an advantage.

My son is NT but he certainly does not have it easy and neither do we as his parents. He has no SEN but is just not very clever. As a result he is dumped in the lower sets with badly behaving kids and is not entitled to any access arrangements or extra time. He is working so hard to scrape 4s in his GCSEs. He will never do A levels or go to university and it’s unclear what he’ll do as a career. I’m sure he’s not alone, there must be many others like him. But I find it very frustrating that people think he has an easy life simply because he has no diagnosable condition. I’m beginning to think that kids like him are the forgotten ones.

None of their damned business. If they focused on what their own children are doing, rather than other people's, they and everyone else would be a lot better off.

I have a DC with SEN, currently undergoing SATS. I would fight as much as necessary to get him the support he needs, and it can be an uphill battle to get this in place as every parent in similar circumstances will know.

What I wouldn't do is expend my time on any ignorant parent who, because their kid happens to attend the same school, thinks their opinion on other children's learning disabilities counts for anything. Don't even waste your energy trying to argue with stupid.

So the child with cerebral palsy who can’t hold a pen shouldn’t have a scribe?
the vision impaired child shouldn’t have a reader?
the dyslexic child shouldn’t have extra time?

seriously? The access arrangements are there to give equitable access. Not equal. Without access arrangements, those children would get false results, not with them.

These people are WT compassion

Oh dear 🤦‍♀️ The access arrangements are to make it equal and fair for everyone. For example, if a child has a physical handicap that means they can’t hold a pen then they are not on an equal footing with someone who has full use of their hand. That doesn’t mean they don’t know the information that the exam is asking for. As such, the access arrangements allow them to use a computer because they can just about manage a keyboard or they allow them a scribe. The scribe can’t correct the punctuation or grammar; they are just literally stepping into the role of a pen for the child. All forms of access arrangements work on this principle.

Fortunately when I was at school (00s) it was numbers not meets expectations, which sounds harsh to those not, and will make exceeds expectations children bigheaded. and we were allowed to work at our own pace. There was pressure for exams with schools but recognision children work at different paces. Shame it's gone backwards.

I’d have to leave the group. I dislike parent school WhatsApp groups anyway.

Beyond ignorant.

As someone dyslexic I can see the unfairness of having 2 categories, one a set time, handwriting the answers. Two, extra time and can type up answers. In an ideal world exams would be set up in a why that would benifit all children. Eg loads of time, regular breaks a broad range of questions and question styles. I don't think this would work practically.

I didn't want to be in the special needs category. For example I could get a high mark on a calculator test in year 6 but didn't know my times tables. But I think it's fair for those who are skilled at processing to have the opportunity to sit a test and get a high mark....

I personally don't see why intelligence as in IQ should be higher valued than fast processing and elequent writing. Honestly, I have high IQ dyslexia and high iq intelligence is not a fantastic life skill.

WT - working towards
WA - working at
GD - greater depth
100 is average so how far above or below that mark a child is will determine their banding and be looked at by secondary schools to gauge where they are within the year group

I think it's totally your choice not to look into this. Obviously. You're her parent.

But IF she's slow, getting extra time in an exam would give her the time and the space to be able to explore her ideas in more detail. Slowness of response is literally what extra time is for.

If neither you, nor she, are worried about it, fair enough. But lots of children would be upset by never being able to finish.

Yanbu OP. Equitable access does not give your child an advantage. It removes their disadvantage. Some people really are ignorant. Ignore them

Those of us old enough to remember when sats were introduced the intention was to find out in a subjective and controlled way where there were gaps in abilities and knowledge in the general population of 7, 11 and 14 year olds which could be addressed. SEN children were assessed differently.
Children were not really aware of the testing it was just special work and parents were not informed (our bastard of a headteacher never told parents anything).
Things change in year 7 - teachers soon get to know abilities and gaps.
It seems a big thing now but by September will all be forgotten.

Are you not involved in the assessments? Is the teacher not the person who will know best if a child is managing or if they need extra support?

I’m not an SEN mum but I couldn’t care less about SATs. It’s to show the school progression from foundation to year 6. There is hardly any benefit to the kids.

Quite how anyone can get annoyed about levelling the playing field is beyond me. Equality isn’t about making things equal it’s about everyone starting the race at the start line.

I voted YABU, because you are being unreasonable caring what a random bunch of school parents' think about anything! Don't give this any more headspace.

I am confident she doesn’t have a condition. She is just not academic. And that’s ok, she is wonderful in so many ways. But she will start 5m behind this metaphorical start line, rather than on it.

Anyone making these kinds of inflammatory statements on your Whatsapp should be asked to apologise. Adjustments are made through the proper channels for children with EHCPs. In addition, children who struggle with reading can have readers in maths only, extra time is given to children with some kind of neurodivergence. Scribes are only given to children with EHCPs for dyslexia. This all gives children the chance to show what they are capable of and not what they are incapable of.

Have you sought private assessments to see if she has an underlying condition? I'm ADHD and on the spectrum, but of course, when I was young, no testing and my parents knew no different so...

If she's a very slow reader, she could well have slow processing. Which would open up extra accommodations for her in assessments.

You can't rely on the school to pinpoint if she does need help/support. They will only ever support the neediest 1 or 2%.

If I was trying to be pissy about it, I'd comment on how nice it must be to have neurotypical children. How much less homework they have to do, how much less support their children need, how much EASIER for everyone.

Not paying tutors, paying thousands for assessments and diagnosis privately because the state doesn't want to help NT children.

How we'd ALL love to have have NT children but that it is what it is. And to just be bloody grateful, instead of wingeing. Bet they hate gay pride month too.

Of course, I'd try not to antagonise them, because we've got to all get on. But they don't seem to worry about upsetting/antagonising US.

This. My daughter is not particularly academic, struggles with maths and is a slow reader, but has no diagnosis or condition. She would really benefit from a quieter room or extra time, but won’t get it.
The children getting additional help obviously need it to bring equity, and people who question that are ill informed, but the disquiet is fed by overall systemic unfairness.

Some people are awful, I can't believe parents are moaning that some children with difficulties get extra help, when the alternative is just setting them up to fail.

Or mute the WhatsApp group.

I'd have lost a whole lot of respect for the mums in the group and I probably would have quietly left the group.

I might have said something sarcastic like yes let's take all the glasses of the kids with glasses too. It so unfair they get an aid that puts them in the exact same position as someone without glasses. It's such an advantage.