What do you do if you want an independent school but your dc doesn't pass the entrance exams?

www.crested.org.uk/ is the organisation HG was referring to. It does have a useful list of dyslexic friendly schools and shows the degree of support each school gives. Some schools decide not to join/be assessed for a variety of reasons including not wanting to be seen as a school for dyslexics. EG IME Windlesham House School has a superb dyslexic support department but it has decided not to be included (I don't know why) on the CReSTeD list.
I agree with HG that being dyslexic shouldn't preclude you from a superselective as her DS shows. However, one must remember that dyslexics are not all the same and different schools can fulfil different needs for individual dyslexics.

Somewhere in the past I've seen the words "CRESTED approved/registered or something similar those indie schools with this have been deemed particularly suitable for dyslexics. They can be mainstream schools with dyslexic units where children go for extra help instead of attending some lessons often a modern foreign language.
I disagree about dyslexics in super selective fast moving schools my DS is dyslexic and requires extra time etc. but is managing exceedingly well in his super selective indie although the school has a reputation for being very dyslexic friendly.

I think one thing to remember is that independent schools are businesses so can only afford to be selective if they are over subscribed. in Scotland many day schools are struggling and are quietly making teachers redundant. There is also a growing problem of parents in arrears with their fees.

In my experience the selection process for the non academic schools is more about how the prospective parents and child will fit with the school ethos ( discipline, compulsory Saturday sports etc).

Any school should be able to tailor what it offers to meet the needs of a particular child. The state sector may have easier ( and free) access to external supports.

I think most indies would not have a major problem accepting dyslexic children (I seem to remember that the Good School's Guide gives specific advice for each school on this). You can gain marks on the English test for originality of thinking, structure, use of figurative language, etc. -- spelling, punctuation and grammar are only a proportion (and your DC should get extra time for dyslexia). The grammars are usually much earlier that the independent exams. I'd suggest sitting him for a school where they tell you the mark if your child doesn't pass (like Wilson's do). That gives you some idea about how your child will perform in the indie exams. If he is near the pass mark, he'd probably get in to an indie; if he passes the grammar, the chances are very good that he'll get in. But I agree with other posters. Dyslexia provision is often a lot better in state sector because they have higher volumes.

You can get a good idea how selective a school really is by looking at its results at 16 and 18. If it is in the top 100 you can assume it is meaningfully selective. The High Master at Manchester Grammar (who will not provide information to allow his school to be put in league tables) says that end results are largely an indicator of intake and a school is much more than that.

I would not want a dyslexic child in a fast paced selective school, either.

Gunznroses: as the school will mark the CE papers of all the candidates who have it as their first choice school, they can use the results as they wish. There is no inherent pass/fail; it is entirely up to the marking school.

A school can be non-selective and have entrance examinations.

One reason is because all the other schools do it and it gives kudos to them. A child at a prep school will be following the CE syllabus along with everyone else and so it is natural to sit for CE exams with everyone else. It would be awkward not to.

The results of assessments will help the senior school to get to know their new students, and understand how they all are relative to one another. They will undoubtably do baseline testing early in Y7 or Y9, but they will want a good idea where to place each pupil before these results can be digested.

ASN that should obviously say!

Grammar schools generally are not famous for their support for pupils with additional needs. There are usually very few in each school, and the pace of learning is generally so fast that it can be very dispiriting if you can't keep up. I would question very very closely any grammar school that claims to have good AEL support, to he honest.

This is so hard OP.

My dyslexic DS would not get into a selective secondary.

So we have the choice between a nice independent school, small classes, good pastoral care, but not a very academic school. or the local state Secondary, which is very good, but only the top few tiers are good, the bottom tiers are dreadful and not even shown on the open days. So if he would be put in a low tier due to dyslexia he would be stuffed.

Then again, it would be a bit silly to send him to a non-academic secondary private as well!!!!

My DS is great at maths/science, and at a very academic primary. The bl%%dy dyslexia means his writing is just so weak.

what to do?!

.....

In our area, the grammars also have an english exam (although at least one has dropped the VR).

Being bad at English isn't the be all and end all though. Thinking of our local schools, if you pass the 11+ you would probably pass the exam for the two main independents. DS2 scored twice as much in his maths as he did in his English paper for the independent he will be going to in September.

Phone the schools you are interested in and ask - I don't think the one DSs go to is overly worried about English as it can be taught and brought up to standard. They also interview all candidates and select on this basis rather than just the exam

I'd guess that if you are in a grammar school area, the indy schools may adust their policy to fit with the market available to them - ie knowing that the brightest children will probably be going to the grammars. The entrance "test" may just be an assessment.

OP of you live in Kent where of course there are loads of grammars Ive heard Bethany's has a good refutation for dyslexic support.

It can be sele give but not based on academic ability. Or it can be to asses what group a child should be in if they go. I think some private schools have entrance exams just to see if their face fits, or if they are severely struggling academically to the extent that the school feels that child would pull their results down.

Can someone explain please To me how a school can require common entrance exam and yet not be selective ? Our local indy has a rep for being non selective but it requires an entrance test into yr 7 consisting of verbal and non verbal reasoning, english and maths, and CE for entrance into yr 9.

Shiplake College near Henley has a good reputation for dyslexia.

I agree with MrsMeaner - not all independent schools are selective.

Our school has an entrance exam and there is a pass mark but I think you have to have pretty significant difficulties not to get through.The exam is used more for setting purposes. The school has tons of dyslexic pupils who opted out of the selection process for exactly the same reason as you

Contact the school and ask them

An entrance exam doesn't mean the school is selective.

The best thing to do is to visit the potential schools and have a candid discussion with the head. If he is borderline 11+, I'm sure you shouldn't have too much of a problem finding a good senior school.

Find out, op.
Some indeoendent schools have entrance tests pretty much for setting purposes.

Go and look at them and talk to them.

Lots of schools will offer a pre-test, to give you an honest idea of whether it's worth applying. If they don't do that they will probably still be able to give you a good idea of the level he needs to be.

If they are selective enough that you still think he won't pass, when you think he will scrape through the 11+, then they may well be just as pushy and wrong for him anyway.

I think you should go and look at the schools, with my brother (although) a while ago, (he's dyslexic) when he applied for independent secondaries my parents found a lot of schools will take the dyslexia into account, as dyslexic often excel in other areas, my brother got into the three schools he tried for and got offered a drama scholarship for one (he adored drama). There are independent schools that are so focussed on academic results and more about doing whats best for that child, you need to look at all the possible schools and explain your situation and some will be accomadating.

But find a school, indie or state, that is really supportive of dyslexia. He needs to get English under his belt for the arts and humanities.

Tbh, that's probably going to be the most important factor. If he's statemented he can express a preference within the state sector and it's hard for the school to ignore.

Go and talk to the schools. See whether you like them and think they would be right for your son. Be open with them about his strengths and weaknesses. Many independent schools have more flexibility in how they look at potential entrants than do grammars, which have to make decisions based on absolutely nothing except the scores on paper.

You won't really know what your options are until you have visited and found out about their criteria