My daughter was diagnosed with dyscalculia in 2022, at the very end of year 4. She is now in year 6 and passed all areas of the Kent Test except - surprise surprise - maths. Her Ed Psych report shows above average cognitive ability in all areas, and a specific problem with number (not shape, geometry, logic etc, which are all in the same range as her other abilities).
Going forward, for any appeal we may or may not lodge on her behalf to a grammar school, but also for SATS and general secondary school education, we know that there are particular adjustments that would enable her to access higher level maths questions. These are: a number line, a times table square, and a calculator that shows workings. If she had those, which would take away the problem of working memory which is a central feature of the condition, she is perfectly capable of understanding the calculations and the logic of any given maths problem. But these are not allowed in the UK (they are in parts of the US and in some other European countries).
I know some of you will say 'she just needs to learn her times tables' etc, 'and if she can't she just isn't good at maths'. But actually, without these things, she can't even try the higher level questions or begin to think about more complex reasoning. With them, she is capable of so much more. It's like she's just stuck behind this stupid barrier, which is actually meaningless (it is perfectly possible, even in a career that involves complex maths, to use a calculator and/or have a times table square on your desk - these are very low level skills to do with memory rather than actual maths. She understands the principles, but struggles to retain number facts). It feels to me as if understanding and resources for dyslexia are so much better than for dyscalculia, which is so poorly understood by the education system. And it also feels like this is a barrier to children actually being able to access large parts of the maths curriculum because of some needless ideological bullshit about calculators and dumbing down, or the current government's obsession with rote learning. Has anybody been in this position, and has anybody found a way around it?
I know that in the SATS, and even at GCSE, none of these accommodations are allowed as it is felt they would unfairly advantage children with dyscalculia. But I also feel like it is just straight up disability discrimination. I'm just looking for a sense of whether there are other people out there dealing with a similar issue, really ... as well as any potential solutions people might have.
Sorry for the essay, and TIA for any constructive advice!