Appealing being in the bottom class

Some of the online testing like CAT4 doesn’t allow for extra time for Dyslexia, tests take the kids in different directions based on their answers.

What areas of Maths is your DC struggling with? If it’s basic numeracy and number familiarity them consider Kumon which is excellent for underpinning the basics.

I mean this as gently as possible, but do you think that she may have been placed in this class because she needs it or would benefit from extra support?
I understand having a best friend and a twin, no less, who have been placed in a higher class than her would be very difficult for her but surely this is reflective of her experience in primary school? If she’s been placed in the lowest set, it is likely that, even though they could have been in the same class at primary level, she would have been being taken out for extra work, support or intervention anyway or had been doing different work which was supported by a teacher or TA.
I agree that it is absolutely horrible for her self esteem but this is a conversation I would definitely open up with the SENCO as this will be hugely relevant and not apparent just from data like test scores.
I would try not to be too panicked by the school saying that classes/sets are unlikely to change as this is often a tactic deployed to avoid parents complaining that their child has not been placed with their friends.

I hear you as a Mum.that had to fight for an often frustrated dyslexic son.

Separate from.the advice you've received on dealing with the school I recommend

• letting her try hobbies she loves and is good at

• sign up to listening books and let her listen to books that she can't access reading but that ate more typically interesting to her. It helps vocab too,

• look into.colorimerty glasses to see if they help, not all.opticians have this system, and

• let her play with computers and coding. My son loved coding and its actually his job now. He's mid 20s and doing fabulously. I believe dyslexics have gifts others don't so if you can identify them and give her access to use them it may help her in taking a path of least resistance

Good luck. I bet she's a smart cookie in a system that has a lack of resources.

I was listening to Melvyn Bragg being interviewed yesterday. He was in the bottom class at school and then he ended up with a scholarship to Oxford. She can prove them wrong.

Has she had help with dyslexia? GS has it, declined extra time in his GCSEs as he wanted to be the same as his friends. Did well, got a 7 in English language. It was lots of hard work for a few years.

Fwiw, my son (also diagnosed with dyslexia, with a sprinkling of autism and ADHD in the mix) has always been in lower sets throughout secondary. There is scope to move up sets throughout the years as they are constantly reassessed so don't lose hope there. I don't think avoiding GCSEs altogether is even an option in most mainstream school settings. Are you sure you're not thinking of foundation level papers for certain subjects? Those, absolutely, are legit GCSES and a pass at foundation level is still a pass.

I would challenge that no adjustments were made for dyslexia - I have a dd who is dyslexic and asking her to do an assessment with adjustments is like asking someone who wears glasses not to wear them during the assessment!

It is simply unacceptable.

If they won’t switch then take her out of that school.

So, work at home with her?

Try www.engagingeyes.co.uk
Or apples and pears workbooks

My dc was also written off in y3...currently at an RG University

Some schools are just crap for spld

OP, it sounds like you might be in Northern Ireland? Based on your child sitting GCSEs but not KS2 SATS.

It would be useful to clarify, as the two education systems vary quite a bit.

So if you are in say class 1 do you stay in class 1 for every subject? The whole thing sounds bonkers.

Agree you need advice from some local parents of SEN kids as most people on here are in the UK.

Are you in the UK?

I used to work in a school with a similar system, I thought it was absolutely awful. Children were pigeon holed from day one and there was next to no movement between classes. Maybe your school manages this better, but I would not be happy with this situation and the determinism behind it at all.

Do you mean there are 300 students approx across 10 classes. And the. A separate class of students out with this?

If so are the other 10 ability streamed?

To me (just from how you've explained or though I may be wrong) it sounds like your DD has been put into a separate group of students who have send. So like an alternative resource base within the school year and these students follow a different curriculum?

Thing with dyslexia (as you'll know) is that following a gcse curriculum of study often is t the problem. It's the finding a way to deliver it to her and support her to answer the questions. So many people who are dyslexic are also higher than average IQ.

I would definitely meet with the sendco and find out. Then email to confirm what's been discussed.

And if you aren't happy with this schools approach I'd look into moving her asap when term starts.

Whereabouts are you, OP?

@Stressmess "Sorry I don't know what SATS are or CATS are. We don't do them here"

Ah. I'm pretty sure you need to ignore everything anyone's said on here then, I'm sorry. It's all based on the UK school system.

Did she sit SATs?

@Stressmess What sort of school is it? Did she do SATS?

Is it possible that you have got this wrong in some respects? I have never heard of any school that would stream children for every single subject and limit students access to GCSE at the start of year 7. What school is it?

I think something is terribly wrong if your daughter's dyslexia is so bad they put her in this class....and yet she doesn't haven't have any special exam considerations.
Who decided she had dyslexia? If this was an education physiologist go back to them and ask what they recommend for her re special exam considerations - if she has not seen one worth paying for one privately if you can afford it.

@Stressmess is it a private school? Is it possible that the school stops weaker students taking GCSEs because they will bring the stats down? Tbh tho I don't know of any that do this. And especially not at this stage.

Is "mainstream GCSEss" the school's phrase or yours? Is it possible that foundation levels are meant as @grass321 suggests? Tho F is only available for maths, science and MFL - not English, for example.

Something about this is very odd and not adding up to me. I m hoping it is that the OP has massively misunderstood tbh.

It sounds like a terribly inflexible school. And quite possibly just terrible.

My DD's secondary did the CATS before the summer holidays . They went for three days. Induction and CAT tests.

There was loads of movement though. People were moved up and down all of the time,

My DD who is severely dyslexic was put in the bottom form and bottom set for everything.

The school didn't recognise that she was really bright until KS4.

She has just gained her second degree and got the best A levels of all her siblings.

I had to fight for her academic abilities to be recognised though.