I would like to hear of your DC’s experiences in recent years of very large secondary schools (1500 pupils) where their DC has needed additional academic support (no EHCP etc) please.
DS(9) is in y4 and has extra support at school for spelling, writing, and reading fluency and as yet neither the school nor us can figure out why as he has an excellent memory for other things. A basic dyslexia screening test came back as low probability, however the school has said they can get an Ed Psych assessment done and we go from there as to what happens next, pay for a full dyslexia assessment etc.
My point is that DS has needed extra support for the past 3 years, is nowhere near eligible for an EHCP etc, and I am worried that in a huge school he will be left to drown academically. Of course we can get a tutor but it’s important that a school understands and supports him. DS could of course suddenly catch up by y6 but that’s not looking likely.
So, what are people’s experiences with large secondaries where your DC has needed extra academic support but does not have an EHCP or any diagnosed learning difficulty please?
We can’t afford a private school. There are 4 possible secondaries locally that we would get into but 2 we have discounted for various reasons, 1 is ok but would be a huge faff to get to, which leaves this huge secondary near us. I’ve also heard a lot of grumblings about disruptive behaviour in class (although the 2021 Ofsted comments on calm, good behaviour of pupils), academically the school is bang on average for Progress 8/Attainment 8, Ofsted Good etc.