To feel upset about DD being removed from SATS?

[Risingmountains]

I don't know how to feel about this.
I'm upset about it, and I don't know if I am BU.
DD has a diagnosis of severe dyslexia. She is aged 11, in school year 6.
She is currently reading monster phonics books stage 10, which is for year 2 children.
So she is reading 4 school years behind her actual age.
It's been a long, fraught battle with the school to acknowledge her learning difficulties and a fight with them to accept she had a diagnosable condition. They point blank refused to refer her for any assessments. They all absolutely insisted she wasn't dyslexic when I kept telling all different teachers and the Senco that I thought she was. I eventually paid for private assessment at end of year 4 which diagnosed her as severely dyslexic, with very poor working memory, dysgraphia and likely dyscalculia.
Since then they've spent a year refusing to apply for an EHCP, telling me she won't meet the criteria. I've asked several times at several meetings to several different staff including 2 teachers and 2 different Sencos, and they're all refusing to apply for her.
I cant understand why.
Now she's in year 6, and her teacher and the deputy head have told me they don't want her to sit her SATS but have said they need my consent to remove her. They caught me off guard because I had actually asked for a meeting with them about something entirely different, which we discussed, and then once I thought we'd finished, right at the very end as I was putting my coat on, they suddenly said by the way they don't want her to sit her SATS. They said she won't be able to perform in them because of her reading, spelling and maths delay. The deputy head said "It would be cruel to make her sit them".
I wasn't prepared for this to be brought up at a meeting about something different, and felt like they sprung it on me.
I asked for a few days to think about it.
And now I'm full of questions.

1. How is it they refuse to apply for an EHCP for her because they say she doesn't meet the criteria, yet they want to remove her from the SATS because 'she won't be able to do them'.
2. Are they removing her because they don't want her poor results to bring down their overall results? I feel really sceptical about this, but am I right or am I wrong to be suspicious about this?
3. Is it true that it would be cruel if she sat them? Surely she would only answer what she knows? My DD is a very bright, intelligent girl. She is a brilliant learner. But her dyslexia locks her out of reading and spelling to the age she should be able to perform at.
4. Will it affect how she feels about herself being the only one in the class to not sit her SATS? Isn't this singling her out from the rest of the class? I don't want her to feel like she can't do them and everyone else is. I'm trying so hard to keep her self esteem intact. I'm really worried that this exclusion will make her feel a failure.
5. I know the school is running constant extra sessions several days a week that all the year 6 kids are going to, all for SATS practice. Extra sessions after school and at lunchtimes of Enhlish and maths. Even all the super bright/advanced kids are doing these. However, DD is not doing them. No extra sessions at all. She's completely excluded. But noone told me she wouldn't be included, I've had to figure this out for myself and have only pieced it together by hearing about these extra sessions from lots of othef parents that im friends with. Why would the school exclude my DD from these sessions and not tell me about it? I can't get my head around this. If anyone needs extra sessions, it's my DD.
6. School have spent years telling me they don't have the resources to give DD extra support to help her. Years. And yet here they are magically creating extra sessions several days a week for 40 kids. AIBU to be furious about this?
7. DD is suddenly asking me why all her friends are going to extra maths and English lessons at lunch and after school when they are already good at reading and maths. She's asking why can't she go so that she can get better. What do I say to her about this? I'm at a loss.
8. What on earth is she going to do at school during SATS week?
9. Why can't she have a 1-1 staff member supporting her in her SATS? Why are the school simply wanting to remove her?

I feel like my DD is being let down by the school. I have had to fight so hard to get them to acknowledge her learning difficulties, they failed her for years, and now I feel like they're falling her again. Like they just want to remove her from their system. Part of me wants her to sit the SATS so that it shows that the school have made no progress with her reading and maths. Which they haven't. But on the other hand, is the deputy head right - would it be cruel to make her sit them? I feel like they've given up on my DD, but I don't know if I'm BU. If you could meet my DD, you'd see that she's the brightest, cleverest, most imaginative, radiant little girl who is brilliant at learning, is interested in everything, is inquisitive, is insightful, kind, empathic, has a fantastic sense of humour, is loved by her friends, she's honestly wonderful, and she is so, so desperate to learnt to read well. She doesn't deserve to be removed from data like this. But AIBU?

Say no to having her removed from SATS and then request another meeting with the senco, with that information.

I’d go fucking ballistic. How stupid and hurtful, how lacking in empathy and joined up thinking are they?! I’m so sorry.
i have a friend who fought all through primary with a school that refused to help. As soon as her daughter got to secondary staff put support in place and she had a much better time.

Insist she sits them. They don't want her to affect their stats.

Then apply for an EHCP yourself. It seems that there is plenty of evidence to support it.

https://www.ipsea.org.uk/making-a-request-for-an-ehc-needs-assessment

Sorry I haven't read your message carefully so you may have mentioned this. But why on earth aren't they letting her sit the SATs with support such as a reader, scribe, rest breaks and extra time? does the dyslexia assessment identify access arrangements for tests/exams? I would be pushing strongly for her sitting the exams with this support.

Gosh, I don't have answers OP, but I would be exceptionally unhappy with the school in those instances.

I may be incorrect, but I think you can apply for an EHCP without the school's agreement. Which sounds like it could be a worthwhile endeavour, because I fear she's going to struggle even more at secondary school.

Children don’t usually sit SATS if they are working at the lower key stage level ie KS1, so if reading level is Y2 that would fit.

Use it as bargaining power. "I'll remove her from SATS if you actually support an EHCP for a child you obviously know is struggling."

My goodness. I would have lost my temper years ago.

Ask for another meeting and take someone no-bullshit with you. Look them dead in the eye and make the point about how she cannot be incapable of taking the SATs and too "good" to apply for an EHCP. How very dare they.

That school sounds awful. Do you have any options to move her to another school?

The extra classes for SATS seems very odd to me. DD did SATS earlier this year and they only did a couple of practice papers for it, in class. No revision, no homework, no extras. No pressure.

I would not be impressed with their total lack of support for your DD and her needs. However, if she is reading at a year two level, the year six sats are way out of her reach. It does not affect their results if she sits them or not, every child in the year group still counts towards the schools results. As a senco I would be recommending that she not sit them. But that’s a discussion for your and your daughter have.
my concern would be how badly they have let your DD down. The SATs are just one week, what are they doing to support her? And definitely apply for an ehcna yourself

No you are definitely not being unreasonable. With the exception of the reading SAT, a child with additional learning needs can have a 1-1 support adult with them for a SAT test. Questions can be read to the child and answers can be scribed if there are difficulties with writing. The school can also apply for extra time for a SAT test if there is a valid reason to do so e.g. diagnosed poor working memory where the time to process a question may take longer.
It is not cruel to make your daughter sit the tests unless she is particularly stressed about them. I would think withdrawing her from them seems a bit cruel if she is the only one to be withdrawn and she wants to be the same as her peers.
I honestly think the massive push that schools do with all the extra help and preparation in the run up to SATs is for the schools' benefit not the children who become saturated. The schools just want good results!

I agree with @MiraculousLadybug . The school doesn’t want your DD bringing their results down. It is unconscionable that they have not provided her an EHCP. Bargain hard. Very best wishes to your DD.

She needs access arrangements for her Sats. Reader, scribe, prompt, small room, coloured paper, large print are all options. Have a think about which would help her most and arrange another meeting. They sound terrible.

My daughter didn't do sats, but there was no way she would have been able.

My DD has severe dyslexia and is ASD and in Y6. She has an EHCP but I know school said it wasn't for the academic side but for her social emotional side and you can't get one just for dyslexia.

She is getting extra time, and apart from the comprehension paper (where they're testing reading and writing) she is getting a reader and scribe which she has in class usually.

She struggles massively with reading, writing, spelling and retaining numerical facts like times tables. But there's been no talk of keeping her out.

Even without an EHCP she would qualify for a reader and/or extra time (usually 25%) if the school has evidence of her needing support which they should do.
I’m really appalled they’re doing boosters for everyone except her; as a parent I’d read it as them writing her off and I’d hit the roof.
However, if she’s working at “pre-key stage” which she is, she doesn’t need to do them. At the same time though, this DOESNT mean that she doesn’t deserve all the support she needs. I would ask for a formal meeting with the SENCO and class teacher and ask how they plan to support her throughout year 6. Currently they seem to have been failing her.

I'd be refusing consent for them to remove her unless they apply for an EHCP. And quickly too - because the process will take a while and you will want to see if you can get it done in advance of transition to secondary.

You can apply for one on your own, but suspect it will more likely succeed in the initial stage of whether to do an EHC Needs Assessment if you have the backing of the school.

SATs are pointless anyway and I wouldn't be unhappy about her not doing them,

Oh yes I've asked about larger print as the comprehension paper looked squeezed and small. She has coloured glasses so doesn't need coloured papers.

I think your number one priority at this point is getting reading intervention. I would be pushing for 1:1 at least 4 times a week on a structured, evidence based intervention. I would buy yourself a copy of Toe by Toe and work with her on that. The Phonics readers cards are a nice playful way to support word recognition too. I would contact SENDIAS in your area and I would apply yourself for an EHCP now. I would also start looking at secondary schools and look for one that offers a good reading intervention program.

If they disapply her from SATs, they will automatically be down percentage points because she will be included on the school's results, so this can't be the reason.

Christ you need to complain and escalate. This school is failing your child

My DS was considered severely dyslexic. She just graduated with a masters having got a first class degree. She left school at 16 with nothing diagnosed. It was a later diagnosis and she went back to University once she had learnt strategies which helped her learn. Strategies referenced above like larger type, a reader etc. I'm not saying that your DD will be the same but I'd be outraged if school tried to do this to my DC.

And yes, it sounds like a hot housing pressure cooker nightmare at your DDs school. They clearly only care about their results.

I see no point in SATS. My kids got full marks and the SATS didn't benefit them either. Too much focus on an exam for the schools benefit rather than on educating the child. So they fail both extreme ends of the academic spectrum.

I understand that even if your daughter is working below the ks2 standard, she must still be registered as a pupil of that cohort. She may not sit the tests but her ‘below’ grade will be reflected in the school data. This is to prevent schools sidelining children with SEN in order to skew data. If she sits the tests, any support she is given must replicate her usual level of support through the year.

I don't have enough experience to comment on any of your other questions but they are absolutely excluding her from the SATS to bring up their score.

This is not education.
This is not support.
Your child is not a statistic.

Refuse to withdraw her, but also change schools because this is but a good environment for her.

When did education become about showing off as a good school by excluding children who don't fit the mainstream, rather than educating all children to become the best they can be?

She isn't included in the extra sessions because they will be focusing on year 6 work and getting kids up to their target sats result and if she is reading at year 2 level she will simply not be able to access it.

There is provision for children who are attaining at a low level (ks1 levels) to not do sats because it can be very stressful and upsetting for them to sit in what are effectively exams that they are completely unable to access.

It is possible to use access arrangements for the ks2 sats - including readers - but you need to consider the impact on your child.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-2-tests-access-arrangements

In general schools are set up to teach to the level of the majority of the children. She needs an EHCP and if school are not being helpful I would strongly recommend applying for one yourself. Once a child is this far behind it's very difficult for teachers to include them in regular lessons.

I don't know if you have it at your local council but we have something called Early Help which works with parents and school collectively (which goes on record) and makes assessments to meet your children's needs. They have meetings every 6 weeks to discuss what should be happening and help you fight your corner.

Check your local council website. Early help doesn't just mean for Early years and if school keeps pushing you back try going through your GP for a referral for CAMHS.
We had a massive battle with school and ended up getting a doctor to refer my son after school ignored a language and communication referral for possible ADHD 🙄

I would say you want her to sit the sats tests (maybe with the exception of reading if it would be stressful for her) and they need to put the appropriate access arrangements in place due to her diagnosed conditions. And that you want equitable support for her, so practice papers etc with the reader/scribe as the other children are also getting extra practices. She needs to be treated equitably and they are currently not facilitating that which isn’t acceptable at all