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?

There is a particular code for children that are disapplied from SATS

A reader can’t help with comprehension

Haven’t read all your bits - I work in a primary. She is included in their data whether she sits them or not, so will not be removing her for that reason. Don’t ’go ballistic’ - ask to discuss further and ask them to be clear about whether the barrier is her writing / spelling or whether they assess her as not having the capability - she would need to be very low attaining to not have a go. If it is her writing rather than ability they can 100% have a scribe for her, she doesn’t need an EHCP or even SEND for a scribe so it’s very doable. They just need to officially record she has had one.

I would ignore SATs but I would be pressing for intervention work. I assume they have a learning plan for your DD

The OP doesn't say her DD cannot comprehend.

sorry posted too soon...

But as others have since said I'd be really unhappy that she isn't getting enough support. They NEED to have the resources to support her OR apply for an EHCP which if her needs are beyond those of universal provision, may attract funding.

Kick up a fuss. Loudly.

Good luck!

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

Because it'll cost the school 6 grand. They're waiting to pass it on to another school.

You don't need their permission to start an ehcp, you can self refer.

Ok, sounds like they haven't handled this very well at all but I'll try and answer a couple of things:

The KS2 SATS are end of Keystage tests. So they include learning from Y3 onwards. If your DD is working at a Y2 level, she won't have the coverage needed to access the tests.

However, this really shouldn't come as a shock and the school should have relayed this info to you a long time ago.

IMHO, if she's working way behind her peers, it probably would be upsetting and detrimental to her to sit them. We have had a few children working at Y1/ 2 and they had a go at old Y2 papers (this was in discussion with parents and the children so they didn't feel left out) and this was a level they could access.

• All children are included in the results data including those who don't sit the SATS so it's not the school wanting to adjust or fiddle their data.

The booster thing sounds unfair BUT, and I'm so sorry if this sounds brutal, they'll be trying to push the kids who will probably be able to get the scores by May. That's not to say your DD shouldn't have support - she absolutely should - but to support her making progress at her pace.

• a 1-2-1 member of staff really wouldn't be able to do much to support SATS. BUT if you think she can access the KS2 learning and should have a go, a staff member can help by scribing for your DD. We've done this for children with severe dyslexia for example. However, the question is, can she access any of the KS2 learning? If yes, the school should be putting support in place. If the answer is no, then I'm afraid it would be pointless and probably dent her confidence further to sit them.

The school should really have conveyed this in a much more sensitive way though. They really haven't handled it well!!

Your girl is being let down. Do not give consent for her to be excluded but put all your questions you have in your post in writing to the school for answering, include the school governers.
highlight with the education department
seek advice and support from a service such as IASS

this is awful and I'm sure dyslexia is a protected characteristic and the school have descrinibated against her and severely let her down

I'm flipping angry for you

They appear to be absolutely only focused on their results and not your DD. They want her removed for the same reason they are putting on extra classes for those they think they can push over into ‘greater depth’ - ie to get the best set of school results they can.

I would refuse and then request weekly meetings to understand what they are going to put in place to support your daughter. There is still 6 months until SATs, enough time to make a difference to your daughter’s experience and help prepare her for the next steps.

All the secondary schools I know have much better provision, here’s to a really positive future for your daughter, she sounds lovely.

My elder DD did not do SATS, similar issue to you as had to go private for severe dyslexia diagnosis at age 10. There are no grammar schools where we live so it would have been pointless and cruel to make her struggle and then get a score and then see how low it was.

I think the focus should be on getting her the EHCP and I would be looking for another school that isn’t actively trying to stop children with LDs from getting an education.

I did enroll my DD in a Montessori school where all the children work at their own pace so those with LDs feel included instead of excluded. They had two years per classroom so it was always a variety of capabilities. The teachers were trained as well on LDs so were able to support her to learn material in a way that best matched her brain.

I also, on the advice of the private education psychologist, engaged a cognitive tutor certified in the Linda MoodBell method to help the severely dyslexic learn tools and methods to aid in the decoding/encoding of reading and writing. This tutor also revitalised her self esteem and confidence as a smart girl as the school had left her dispirited and convinced she wasn’t any good at learning.

After a few years, she hit the targets for her age, by GCSEs she got mostly 6/7/8s. It was a constant battle to keep her accommodations and keep proving she had dyslexia once she exceeded the barely passing level. English schools tend to think children with LDs have no potential for high grades and want to pretend they have no LD once they are passing.

Your DD is included in the results whether she sits the sats or not.

It really really isn't about the results here.

She will be counted as not meeting the standard automatically if she doesn't sit them.

The KS2 SATS are end of Keystage tests. So they include learning from Y3 onwards. If your DD is working at a Y2 level, she won't have the coverage needed to access the tests.

Exactly, she’d be tested on things she hasn’t been taught yet and no one has a chance being tested on things they have not been taught!!

You are right in thinking she should be able to access support during the SATs..I have been a reader for dyslexic children for SATs, so I know it can happen. It means someone can read out the maths questions to help her process them. She can't have a reader for the Reading test, but she could have a scribe.
If she is as dyslexic as you think, I'm surprised the school is not providing any support at all.
Funding issues mean that she would probably not get a 1:1 even with an EHCP, but there are other options. Most schools will offer short sessions with a member of staff , eg during assembly, or use computer programmes to practice - once set up, she could access these independently. The problem is with severe staff shortages, they have decided that resources are better directed at other children, probably those who have a chance of moving up into the next category, or who could be taught as a group. I suspect they are thinking that whatever they do, they are not going to get your DD up to the required level in time, so they are focusing on those who may be able to improve enough to affect their figures. It is brutal, but pragmatic for the school.
I'd mention that even if she did get an ECHP, the school has to fund the first 6k of any support required, and that would be why they don;t want to have her assessed. It is a huge amount of paperwork, and would cost them time and money they haven't got.
Year 6 can be a difficult place for a child who is not going to do well in the SATs. It can be demoralising in the extreme, and the whole of the spring term will be spent focusing on the SATs. You could decide to agree not to enter her for the tests, but as you say, what will happen to her when everyone else is practicing? I'm not convinced that the school can just choose not to enter her.
I don't know if changing school would be an option for her at this point, or whether that would be more disruptive, but I do think it's pretty shocking that she's got to Y6 without being able to read fluently. Whatever her issues or diagnoses, I think the school have failed her.
In reality, it's going to be up to you to get her reading properly, and that's more important than the SATs. If you need pointers on that, I'm sure you'll get it on here, maybe start another thread for specialised help. I have found Toe-by-Toe helpful for very dyslexic children. If you are able to fund a specialist dyslexia teacher I would do so now - you shouldn't have to, but you really won't want to have DD starting secondary school not reading, and time is running out. The school have made their position clear. You can keep on challenging them to do better, as indeed they should, but in the meantime, as you have come to realise, it sounds unlikely that they will do anything differently now.

Try not to get too hung up on the SATS. They are irrelevant to your child’s long term (and even short term) future). However the fact they are saying she shouldn’t sit them is evidence they think she’s working at a lower key stage level. Find out what their evidence for this is. You need an EHCP. In our Local Authority to consider they want to see school has spent money on interventions from their (or the family of schools) SEN budget (around £6k) and that this hasn’t been sufficient to close the gap.

Ask in a minuted meeting (you take notes and email after if needed be) what they are putting in place to support. If an EHCP application goes to assessment stage that will be really useful in identifying your child’s issues and support needs. If awarded it will put her in a better position - although takes time and long process. First step - talk to school.

Honestly, as parent of a child who did SATS (working at lower key stage level and with scribe and 1-1 support) I wished I’d been assertive with school and said he wasn’t doing SATS. It upset him. They gave the results out at school and he came home crying that everyone did better than him. They were pointless, try and don’t let them become the main issue. Main issue is support for your child and EHCP

I would force them.to put it in writing that they are recommending that she doesn't sit the SATS. There's your evidence for an EHC Needs Assessment!

It sounds like they don't want her to sit the SATs incase it reflects on their score! They are being selfish. I actually don't know what SATs are as i don't think in Scotland they do this happens however I get the jist. My daughters 11 and If they were me I would be going off my rocker. My sister is dyslexic and all through primary they said she was lazy but when she hit her last year at primary the teachers spotted it a mile off. In high school she had a support assistant and all exams and test a reader and scribe. (Computers weren't really used then) she used to get a bit embarrassed but if it weren't for that then she wouldn't have gotten through her school year. She wanted to stay until 6th year but they openly admitted they had no support or faculties to support her at this stage in high school xxx

Refuse to have her removed from SATS.
Make it clear to her that it's totally ok for her to get whatever score she gets in the exam because it's a test of the school not of her. They have done a bad job of teaching her and let her diwn horribly. She should do the best she can in the trst in the full knowledge thatthis will be a relatively low score and that's the school's fault not hers. Her lower score will be helpful to let other families know how bad the school is.
Report their shitty behaviour to ofsted.

@StudioFocusTricky do you think it would be fair for a child to sit tests she probably won’t be able to access?

They absolutely don’t want the results on their record. Insist on entering her so they are forced to take more action. I would also be following the complaints procedure and then reporting to the DfE.

Forget about the SATS. They are not relevant for her.
Focus your energies into getting an EHCP ready for secondary school. That's where she will need so much support.

Go ballistic and get to work on an EHCP. The legislation is pretty robust but schools and local authorities do their best to put you off and are very economical about what they admit a child is entitled to. With proper support and understanding your child will be able to fulfil their educational potential - which is what an EHCP is intended to do. I have a very successful DC with dyslexia and various other SEND needs - all the way to a first at uni. It will take time and perseverance but don’t accept no. You can go above the school straight to the LA. Be that parent! And good luck.

Aside from this.
make a formal complaint in council website about assessment and ehcp. The have failed to make assessment and ehcp. Your SATs is evidence.

Then make an Ombudsmsn complaint online, it’s not hard.
it might feel like too little too late, but it is the correct process to punish them formally and hopefully get action.

you do not need to have an EHCP to get extra support such a scribe, reader and extra time for SATS. Have you reach out to the governors? Your school seems so callous and cruel.

School sound bad. You should complain. There is a programme called "Fresh start" to teach older children to read, some schools use it. Is moving schools an option?

Insist on her taking the sats. The only reason for sats is to grade the school. So absolutely send her in.

Get on a FB group called Not Fine In School - it has a lot.of support and resources.