Help please - DS failing and not sure what to do

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Hello, first time on here, so looking for some advice perhaps please?
My 14 yo DS is in year 10 at a fairly well regarded but very large state school. He was diagnosed with dyslexia quite late, in year 6. This was partly due to the fact he could read fairly well, but just couldn’t spell, and had the associated memory issues. I pushed for years to have an assessment done and finally did it privately, where they found his non verbal reasoning to be excellent - about 8 years above his age at that time - but otherwise he was already a year behind his peers then. He has had a maths tutor ever since, a fabulous teacher who has stuck with him over the years. He finds English stressful and creative writing used to tip him over the edge when he was younger. He has moved through three schools in that time - once due to the fact his first school were completely ineffective at assisting him despite the dyslexia diagnosis, where he effectively failed his SATS, and he became miserable, so I moved him. The next school were better, but he would occasionally mess about and be disruptive and not engage as he should have. I supported his school when they would penalise him for it, rightly so IMO. The third time he moved was for transition to secondary from middle school, to the school he is currently at.
When he moved, it was like a light switched on. He decided he wants to join the Royal Marines and made the decision to put his head down, behave, and stop messing about, and just get through his GCSEs. He knows he isn’t academic, but he wants to work hard to get through and get on. The change in him was remarkable. He now rarely has issues with behaviour, hands all homework in on time and finished, and has a near perfect attendance record. He is polite and well liked among peers.
His report has just come home. He has either ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ for his attitude to learning and homework, but all 1’s and 2’s for his score. At this stage, he is projected to fail his GCSE’s.
He came home and sobbed, this normally stoic boy was gutted, because he couldn’t work out why he was doing so poorly despite his very best efforts. He was so disappointed in himself, and I was so upset for him.

I cannot for the life of me see the correlation between the scores and his attitude and work rate. I would expect that from a kid who sits at the back of the class asleep, not from a kid who does the work and hands it in, and asks questions if he isn’t sure.
He has 3 different maths teachers currently, due to his usual one being off long term, and they change topic every 3 days. His tutor has noticed this in his ability to pick up current concepts. I have already complained to the school about this lack of consistency in teaching kids who are already struggling, as this is the bottom set. I was told recruiting a replacement teacher would be too costly and difficult.
This school, in the meantime, pays for taxis for pupils from well outside of catchment to travel to school and back as they are excellent athletes on a school sports team. There appears to be no lack of funds for this. This annoys me no end, if I am honest, as this is not a private school, it’s state funded.
I am meeting with the head of year this week to come up with an action plan, but I feel that my DS has been utterly failed by this school and have half a mind to suggest this. How has a kid who is effectively innumerate and illiterate been left to just get on with it without me being advised there is an issue of this magnitude earlier in the term? They do offer reading support which he attends, but that’s it. Nothing else has been offered or suggested. I thought he was doing ok. Maybe not flying along, but ok.
Any advice on what to suggest or say to the head of year would be appreciated, as I am a bit lost myself to be honest as to what to do here to get him over the line with his GCSE’s. Sorry this is so long, but please go easy on me, I’m already anxious about this.

How are you off for time? Internet resources like BBC bitesize? Do the army have online educational resources for basic subjects? Videos may work better, because he can stop and replay each time he gets a bit stuck. How does he learn best? Does he have a block about tests and exams? A few sessions privately with an educational psychologist?

What grades is he getting for the homework he hands in? Does he need to be allocated more time in exams?

Are you certain it’s the school that funds the taxis for the out of catchment students?
I’m assuming that the exams were internal year exams. What is his tutor’s opinion on the results, particularly maths, since that’s what he’s being tutored in. It’s important to know whether there’s a discrepancy between the school and tutor view.

I’m sure you’ve asked, but perhaps clarify what support is in place, in class and for exams. Does he have extra time, a reader or scribe or rest breaks? Does he use technology for exams? It’s useful to know these things because the school may need to request access arrangements before the actual GCSEs.

Im assuming he doesn’t have an EHCP. Is that under consideration?

Honestly, if you can stretch to some form of tutoring or online maths/English lessons just do it.

Quite often with these rushed subject they go through things quickly and if a student only picks up 70% of it, the other 30% will make it harder for them to get the next lot, and they will then maybe only catch 65%, and on it goes.

Your DS may need to go back a few steps, get a solid grounding in some basics and then move forwards again.

My DNiece was found to have very poor spelling and grammar, after some tutoring where they drilled the rules into her and she spent time memorising spellings and grammar rules, they told her she would always struggle, and needed to aim to finish exams 10 minutes earlier to give herself time to correct these errors.

She is now a teacher and doing very well!

If he's doing AQA English, I can give you some pointers which might help him

No amount of hard work can erase a learning disability. You are correct the school have utterly failed him. Your son needs the actual accommodations he is entitled to. Action plan:

• Book in with an educational psychologist for a full dyslexia assessment that includes recommended accommodations tailored to his type of dyslexia.
• Ensure you and the school implements these recommendations.
• Some recommendations may be things like he gets copies of class notes from teachers instead of taking notes himself- many dyslexics cannot take notes AND listen in class
• For you a recommendation may be voice recognition software so he can write essays by talking to the computer instead of typing.
• Extra time on exams should be a given, and he may need to take his exam in a private room with a scribe that reads him the questions and he dictates the answers to.
• Consider him repeating Year 10 starting in next September. In extenuating circumstances this can be requested by parents for their DC.
• Consider him only doing the minimum core GCSEs- you don’t need to take any more than English Comp, English Lit, Maths, + double Science. I’d recommend he adds DT & PE to this as he wants to go into the Royal Marines and the Navy entry test covers:

The NSRT test has four different sections, which you’ll need to complete within a strict time limit. They measure your:

General reasoning- testing your mental agility with logic based questions
Verbal ability - assessing your understanding of language and ability to communicate
Numeracy - testing your numerical reasoning and basic mathematical ability
Mechanical comprehension - Assessing your understanding of basic mechanical principles

If you don’t pass the NSRT first time around, don’t worry – you can take it again. Your Careers Adviser will tell you what the timescales are likely to be.

The extra lesson time can be used for the school to give him tutoring in the core GCSEs or perhaps for him to independently work on practicing the NSRT test
www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers/joining/get-ready-to-join/royal-marines-commando/how-can-i-prepare

Your poor DS :(

He reminds me of a friend's DD, also in Year 10. Excellent behaviour at school and works hard both in class and on her homework, yet is predicted to fail most of her GCSEs including maths and English. She is mature and articulate and has been assessed (by the school) for learning disabilities, but none found. She desperately wants to be a primary school teacher, and it hurts my heart to think she may not be able to achieve this.

I've just seen @ClaryFairchild's post about her niece. That gives me hope for my friend's lovely DD.

He’s at the start of y10. Plenty of kids would be getting grades 1 and 2 at this point, Hed still got 18 months to go,

He shoukd progress to at least a level 4 or 5 by the time he sits his exams.

Having said that if he is bright as you say, then yes the school are failing him.

l had a Ds like this. Very dyslexic and in top 2% IQ wise. He got a lot of B’s. He’s s journalist now

No amount of hard work can erase a learning disability.

Some learning disabilities come with counterweight abilities. There are plenty of successful people with dyslexia around - they've just learnt to use their strengths to compensate for their weaknesses. Attitude is the winner in the long term, and your DS has that going for him big time. This is just a temporary setback.

No amount of hard work can erase a learning disability
Ot can’t physically affect it, but it can affect progress. The harder you work to overcome something the easier it is.

Dyslexia doesn’t come with counterweight abilities. No, people with dyslexia haven’t “just learnt to use their strengths to compensate for their weaknesses” this is utter rot. Dyslexia is a decoding issue and our brains have to use more energy just to read & write. We have limited capacity for this, after a certain amount of work/effort, our brains shut down and just saying, oh “work harder” doesn’t work and usually results in migraines and compete shut down.

Most work without the right accommodations or strategies is wasted work.

I know there are plenty of successful people with dyslexia, I’m one of them as is my DD and DH. But the fact is without the right tools, hard work gets you no where. And I think it is damaging myth to tell a person with dyslexia that hard work is the key to success when they are already working hard but getting nowhere because all that effort is being done without the support and tools and strategies they need. It is also damaging to pretend that this disability comes with bonuses that regular people do not have to compensate when it doesn’t. It’s a bona fide disability.

@Mammillaria - my niece is a wonderful Primary School teacher in Australia! She had tutoring through early secondary school - mainly online tutoring modules done at home with a few 1-1s as back up.

Once she got a grounding in the basics and was given the correct tools she flew!

Only if that work is done using the right tools and strategies for your type of dyslexia. Otherwise it’s wasted. It’s a bit like telling someone to chop a tree down with a herring and telling them, oh you’d make more progress felling that tree if your kept on whacking that fish against the bark just a bit harder. When really, you need the right tool, an axe to get anywhere. Otherwise you end up exhausted and with a bloody battered fish.

The OPs DS has been working hard but with no dyslexia tools, no support and no strategies. It’s not at all surprising to me that such hard work can still result in failing grades. It’s exactly what happens in this society that seems to think hard work is the answer to every problem, not realising that schools do not teach in a dyslexia friendly way and every tool and strategy taught to her DS thus far literally just has him running like a hamster on a wheel. He needs to be given the tools and strategies for a dyslexic person, not a regular abled person.

I agree attitude is everything and her DS has shown remarkable fortitude and dedication. But he has absolutely been failed by the school.

@Onnabugeisha

I disagree that hard work gets you nowhere. Take a wider view. I have various problems that made physical tasks more difficult. I could only function in certain areas by developing a laser like focus on my movement. I still have the physical difficulties, but now have the laser like focus too - and I can apply that to almost anything else.

I’m not sure what AQA English? Sorry for being clueless.

What are the 1s and 2s? Final predicted grade? Or currently working at? Because I wouldn't expect an average child to be "passing" GCSE's at this stage in Y10!
If you asked his maths tutor, would they give you a "currently working at" and "summer Y11" grades for maths? Do they agree with the report?

I would go too the head with the question that grades 1 and 2 will not get your child where he wants to go. How are you going to work together to get the 4s in Maths English and X that are required to access the Marines - and know what X is, rather than my guess!

Thank you for this input - much appreciated.

That made me well up a bit, that did. Thankyou.

Firstly please don't think nothing will change, with dyslexia things can click, almost overnight. My dd failed year 2&6 sats, was predicted a mix of fails and 4's in year 9, but something clicked late year 9, she passed all her GCSEs including top grades in 3 subjects, and got into the navy. The navy are really supportive too once in the programme, she gets extra time for tests and exams, can get coloured paper or work on a laptop etc.

Lots of good questions to ask about access arrangements and would also recommend that you look at functional skills in English and maths - these can be taken alongside GCSEs and even through companies that offer them online if the school won’t offer them. A level 2 in Functional skills English is measured as equivalent to a level 4 in English Languge gcse and has a different kind of focus that might suit your son better.

Well, it’s certainly relevant to ask the school what support they have in place for DS and if it’s been evaluated. I suspect the answer might be none, in which case you can insist on a meeting with the SENCo. Any arrangements for exams will need to be seen as his normal way of working and put in place promptly.

It’s unfortunate that dyslexic children are put in the lowest sets and have no expectations of success.

It’s wrong and should be questioned.

Currently working at - they are all 1’s. It is somewhat reassuring that this is just the start of the next two years but this is where it’s crucial I do something now. He is terribly worried by me meeting the head of year it will mean he has even more intervention and he doesn’t want to be marked out as different. He doesn’t want a scribe for exams as he can’t convey what he wants to say well orally. (This is actually pretty accurate actually) and he won’t have a reader. He will accept a laptop and get more time fortunately. I’ve tried explaining that dyslexia means his mind works differently and that just working harder won’t necessarily result in better grades, but he won’t have it.
Those are exactly the questions I will be asking, thank you.

But him an exam reader pen. If this is his normal way of working in class he will be able to use it in the exam even for the reading paper. They aren't cheap but are amazing and can boost grades because the student can hear the text albeit in a computerised voice.

You need to talk him round abort any exam concessions. If his verbal reasoning was high then he may be better with a scribe and just be nervous as it's something out of the ordinary.