AIBU to move schools - Reading levels

[FFS123]

My daughter is 7 and at a private school. She has just started purple reading books. She is in year 3. She has dyslexia so that has held her back as it was only diagnosed recently and not picked up by school. But her clever friends in class are only on reading level white.

When i google reading levels then purple is early year 2 and even white is year 2.

The ed psych was scathing about my daughters level of education and how far behind she is. School say she tracked green all through and thats why they never noticed the signs.

So does this mean that the school has low academic standards and purple in year 3 is green whereas in another school that would be deemed miles behind?

No comments on private v state. I am well aware i have paid alot of money for a school that appears crap at academics. I will be moving my daughter as soon as i sort out an alternative school. However i am struggling to get a straight answer from anyone on whether purple in year 3 is behind or normal for private school because they do so many other activities. When she was year 1 she was also behind when i googled levels of reading but i was told she was young, its normal level in private school etc etc.

Any parents of private school children in year 3 out there and if so what reading levels are your children and their class mates on and do you think that's normal?

I don't think its covid related. she was behind a year ago according to google.

It may be that she's not behind according to her baseline assessment done in reception. The book and info is based on average reading levels.

deflationexasperation you put me to shame you have done so much.

The interventions advised by the Ed Psych are numerous but standard dyslexia, daughter has poor short term memory so one command at a time, more time for processing etc etc. She has a ruler with coloured overlays so it highlights the line of text she is on. She has a wobble cushion and a v shaped pen to help her hold the pen right. Told to start her touch typing and using IT more. Minecraft is good as well apparently. If you PM me i will send you the list.

If you can afford it i would pay for the Ed PSych but ours was £900 and had a wait list.

The ed psych said my daughters brain works by attaching pictures to words and that's why she gets the, is, and etc mixed up, because she cant associate with a picture.

She can do the maths sums but power maths is loads of words so she cant figure out the sum from the words.

The local school we viewed last week has a great ethos and said dyslexia isnt what my daughter is, it just means readings a bit harder for her. Their A level results are the same for dyslexic and not dyslexic. My husband is more dyslexic than my daughter and he's a senior vice president of an IT company so it doesn't mean she is thick. He went all through school being told he was slow and stupid. He was even made to leave a private school because they didn't know how to deal with dyslexia.

I have to be honest and say i really thought she would be very limited by dyslexia but so many teachers have told me that she wont be limited at all if she has the right help, and that help should have been given earlier than year 3.

So in answer to someones question she should be able to achieve the same as her peer group once she has learned the coping techniques that are taught for dyslexia. She will have 2 x 30 min lessons a week with a dyslexia specialist and the rest of her work is mainstream. she wont hold any of her class mates back or require more time from her teacher.

I work in a (state) school. Most of our year 3 children are free readers.

I think it is very important that you speak to the school about their differentiated plans for your DD. No child with dyslexia should be 'written off', they may need extra support and intervention but they will be able to achieve with the right teaching.

At our school your DD would immediately be put on a support plan. That would mean a meeting where we would plan the support she would require (resources, interventions etc and whose responsibility it is, this includes from parents and your DD as well as school) and deadlines. We would assess whether she would need resources (eg those that respond to colours will get special exercise books with the right colour, some have iPads to support learning or may need a recording device so they can speak their ideas before writing etc). Your Ed psyche report should include lots of suggestions to help your DD. Support plan meetings are then reviewed with the parent and child every term.

If you aren't getting this kind of support I'd rethink schooling. However, before moving make sure you have a thorough discussion on how/what the school does to support children with SEN. You don't want to end up with another school that isn't good enough either.

As someone said there are private and private schools. Some private are particularly poor at supporting SEN.

Good luck OP.

OP
I have seen that you don't read with her outside school. I am sorry but you absolutely must do this daily.

Op, roblox has been my dds savour during lock down!

My initial instinct was it's bad but unfortunately as I and dh worked through lock down we couldn't do much with her.

However, I soon realised... It helped her to read! She has to read and spell to get what she wants eg fairy wings for the fashion show... It's also got lots of different aspects to it. So much so, buying her robux, literally has been another carrot 🥕 to get her to work with me and read!

Minecraft is a 7th wonder. I'm so impressed with it! She's so creative in it, builds with iron ore, wood uses the word, materials.. Has animals to feed. Can build a train, meadows... Again its endless and they have to read.

Inspite of my intital misgivings both have been wonderful for her.

Op my dd has gone from 0 to 6 since October. She knew no grammar at the beginning of lock down! I don't think she understood how to even learn it or why?
I've constantly repeated stuff too... Tried to layer the same things.

We were worried about her short term memory, but I think that's getting much better.

Do try the spelling board and white board and also I brought a mnemonics book for spelling.

Eg, could, would should... O u lucky duck words.

Big elephant can alway understand small elephants...

For because.

Dd has done remarkably well with those.
I also got the first 100 high frequency words... And went back through those during lock down.

Basically I just thought, she's starting from dot.... Go back to basics and try and give her good foundation going forward.

cansu - we read outside school but only school books. she gets 1 book a night. I cant get her to read more although i have bought her lots of series of books from the classic Enid Blyton to dotty detective and lots in between. She has a lot of school reading and its obvious now why she has been reluctant to read anything.

The school have put a plan in place and it includes all the actions advised by the Ed Psych so im comfortable with that. But i dont trust them to do what they say.

The school also dont have anyone qualified even to level 5 in dyslexia. They have trained teachers but not qualified. Does that matter?
The schools view is that they know enough from experience and the qualification is a tick box exercise.

• sorry the point about my roblox blurb was.... It got her typing... She's really fast now!

Cansu getting my dd to read anything is also massive problem. Dd was, is avid reader, we have a house stuffed full of children's classics new and old! Lemony snicket, how to train your dragon, spider wick, Enid, hodgeson Burnet, Wynne Jones, roald!! Books endless books were what we spent our money on mainly.. If from charity etc...

Dd2, NOT INTERESTED!!

I did well reading Mr gum to her for a while, they are hilarious books and written in a very unusual fun way but she got bored of that! She's never liked listening to story cds!

It's so frustrating to explain isn't it op.

Most schools (state or private) do not have teachers with specific qualifications in teaching children with a dyslexic profile. I wonder if you can help her be more positive about her reading by reading to her and asking questions about the story and vocabulary as you read. I have also seen it suggested that reading together is helpful as it takes some of the pressure off. With children who struggle to read in class, we have a signal so they might read three or four sentences before I take over and then I signal for them to take over etc. They can then build up their stamina for reading gradually. They usually go a little knock on the table as the signal.

Lots of kids dont get diagnosed until secondary or later as they mask it so it's not necessarily a school failure.

Do you read to her? I'd read at every bedtime a shared story that you both enjoy TO her. So important that she enjoys stories.

yes i read to her. One of the aids suggested by Ed Psych was i read a book first then we read together then she reads. She is much faster and more confident reading it after i have but she doesnt want me to read it first now and she wants to have a go.

The Ed Psych said she didnt have a clue about phonics, couldnt sound out a word at all. After 3 years of phonics at school she couldnt tell the ed psych which 2 words started the same out of click clop and duck or something along those lines. I hate phonics too though and i didnt understand why some sounds fitted in to the phonics chart where they did when we were covid home schooling so i thought it was just that and nothing more.

yes its super hard to explain why you haven't got them reading more. Imagine you have a broken leg and it hurts, i know - walk more and that will make it better :(

Due to.covid many schools have given pupils books that were lower then the standard age grading for example Oxford levels as they have not been in school for 6 months, so will need to check their reading and more importantly comprehension levels. If your daughter is dyslexic and on purple I would say she is not that far behind.

If it is only about the bookbands then I wouldn't worry too much, raise it with the teacher, but ultimately you can do reading at home with a higher level with your daughter.

If you or your daughter are unhappy with other aspects of the school then perhaps it is time to look around and see if there is a school that matches your child's needs.

My daughters' primary school doesn't push them through the levels... I feel like they have invested in the books so they are going to make sure each child reads every bloody one! DD1 had a reading and comprehension age (assessed by the school) a few years above her actual age, but she still brought books home which were more suited to a low/ average ability child of that age. She kept reading for pleasure and just did the school reading as a tick box exercise. We are doing the same with DD2 now. We are happy with other aspects of the school though and DDs have been happy there so it's not a deal breaker for us.

@FFS123

OP I sent you a PM I have a meeting with my school tomorrow I would be eternally grateful for any more tips I could give them to help my dd learning thank you!

Also ages ago I waS asking about book levels and in Year 3 the disparity is still quite between bands.

www.theguardian.com/news/2020/sep/17/battle-over-dyslexia-warwickshire-staffordshire?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB