Year 5 age 10 dd needs a lap top, how to get school to let her use one we will provide

[Laptopneeded]

Just that really.
I've been on a long journey with my dd trying to work out why she's struggling etc and pretty much had to do it alone with outside help.
It's now clear she would benefit greatly from using a laptop because she's a fast typer and her hand is slow and tires.
Her special sen tutor outside school has said she needs this bit the school sneco sort of wasn't interested? Just looked and moved off topic.

Why wouldn't they let her use one we will pay??

Any idea or those who have one.

Would depend on the local authorised policy on using their internet as well. I can’t connect a personal laptop of my phone to my schools wifi as a teacher

DS has dysgraphia and the school supplied a laptop to use in lessons (although this was once he got to secondary). Primary didn't push or investigate his symptoms just gave suggestions to improve his handwriting. I did the research that made me think 'dysgraphia'. I asked for him to be official tested but the secondary school Senco agreed that he was showing all the symptoms from their internal tests and agreed to let him use a laptop for all lessons/exams. You need to make it official with school so that they apply for laptop use for future exams. They have to show that this is their normal way of working.

We had a laptop at home that he could use for homework and the IT Dept. signed him one out in subjects he needed it.

@Roundandnour.. Sorry I missed what you did for a living?

I worked with students, their families, schools, nhs and more, assessing, advising and training about various tech and software options available.

Also wrote some programs and stories available on some of the software used.

My DD has dysgraphia too. Primary School hadn’t heard of it until I took in a print out from internet and showed them! Teacher then agreed that seemed exactly what DD had. We paid for private assessment which confirmed it and dyslexia. I was so fed up explaining that her hand was sore and no amount of practice will improve her writing. She is in Year 8 and can use a computer (supplied by us) if she wants. Dysgraphia is so unheard of it’s hard getting teachers to understand!

My DS is 15 and recently diagnosed with dysgraphia.
He has always had issue with handwriting. Over the years we have tried: handwriting practise, OT weekly in term time over a period of 18 months, A handwriting Programme called Magic link with a tutor.
His handwriting is Legible if he has a text to copy and can work at his own pace. Otherwise it is terrible.
So we had a handwriting Assessment and he scored in the 6th percentile. EG if 100 kids had their handwriting assessed 94 of them would have better quality more legible handwriting. His mental processing speed is also much quicker than he can write - so words are left out from sentences. The assessor wrote an accommodation for him to have a lap top in class and in exams or extra time in exams for topics like math where a laptop does not really work.
I could not turn up at school with a lap top and ask for him to use it. A professional assessor eG educational psychologist has to work with my DS and do the assessments. Write a Report and discuss it with school.
You will need to do this with your daughter. Start with the OT - see if it helps. Find out how to get a diagnosis of dysgraphia in the Uk - the SENCO should be able to assist with that. Then after trying the Ot - they can tell you how many sessions are needed to see an improvement. Then you can discuss with the OT about a dysgraphia assessment. I cannot Stress how school listen to professionals in these matters. Of course parents know their children best. But Schools listen to professionals not parents in these matters- that’s my experience as a Mum if two neuro diverse DC.
Good luck. Keep persisting.

Depending on finances I'd engage n independent educational psychologist or get a referral to an occupational therapist (most health boards allow you to do this directly)

I was told by my Dds school to ask GP for and OT referral. That happened quickly and my DD was seen in October and assessed - currently on the DCD pathway
Her follow up comparison assessment is Monday which they'll be able to establish if there's any improvement and then potentially diagnose DCD
Meanwhile school have given DD a laptop (year 5) and she does most writing on there as her hand tired and her writing is so small they struggle to read it and on top of this she is unable to produce the quantity in the time given if left to write it. Her speed isn't there. I didn't ask for a laptop but I think OT must have suggested it to the school. I'm due to speak to her teacher to confirm this and her progress. I'm interested in finding out who this translations to secondary school as that's around the corner.
But SENCO should be more helpful, mine was amazing and told me to ring GP and get DD on waiting list as they're so long
Good luck

nothing helpful like the above posters, just bitter experience.

if she’s year 5, she isn’t a million miles away from secondary. With bitter experience dds school asked for laptops to be bought, they had to be a specific one and had to be wiped off anything from home.
what I’m trying to say is try and make sure it’s compatible with whatever the secondary use. Otherwise you’ll end up buying two.

Hi OP, there's a National Handwriting Organisation and this publication from them may be useful for you:

nha-handwriting.org.uk/shop/handwriting-are-you-concerned/

Schools vary a great deal. The primary my daughter goes to (private) provides all kids in years 3-6 with a laptop. My secondary (state comp) provides crappy (sorry) school laptops for students with EHCP but parents do sometimes buy them for their own kids and the school is happy for them to do so. I have one kid in the former position and two in the latter in my year 11 class.

The issue with a year 5, 6, 7 is keeping the thing charged and the weight of the thing, especially if the school doesn't have lockers. If it's being used just to type on, preparing special resources isn't really an issue. WiFi in schools is invariably crap though so best not to rely on cloud based software.

You appear to have jumped straight to a ‘solution’ (laptop) without really understanding the problem. A ‘tired hand’ isn’t a diagnosis. It might be a symptom, but on its own, it’s not enough for a school to need to make adjustments. It seems like a physiotherapist or OT might be a better next step.

I’m a secondary school teacher and I’d argue that laptops are helpful for some students in exam situations, but only helpful in lessons for a very small number of pupils. On the whole, they’re a hindrance. It’s harder to annotate a poem, match up terminology, draw a sketch, etc on a laptop than it is in an exercise book.

Her handwirting can be beautiful, when she really concentrates and its so much more legible.

However it's not consistent she forgets basics and sometimes starts in the middle of a line not the part by margin and her stamina is weak.

My primary school child was offered the use of a laptop to see if it would help as his handwriting is atrocious.

Didn’t help so he’s back on pen and paper. I can’t see why a secondary school wouldn’t help in the same way

@OutDamnedSpot

What I seem to be doing is try to navigate a system that isn't designed to help me or by dc to try and get her on an equal footing with her peers.

It's been suggested she use a lap top.. I'm working out the details of that and how it works.

She struggles to copy off the hosts take notes keep up write much by hand.

Who would be responsible for it? What if it gets lost, broken or damaged at school? Or if another child knocks it off the desk and breaks it? Would you expect the school to pay to replace it? What if somehow your child manages to access something inappropriate and other children see this? What if the work provided by the school corrupts it? Providing the class and homework in an online format for one child takes extra time and ergo extra money. Who will pay for that?
i can see how beneficial it would be to your daughter but it is just a huge headache for the school.