Dyslexia and Spelling tests in mixed ability groups year 7

[TallulahMcFey]

My DD2 has recently started year 7. In her mixed ability English class, they have weekly spelling tests. They are going alphabetically through a list taken from the website. Words like conscious. I can't remember more but I know that my daughter, who is a v good speller, would mostly get some wrong if she didn't look at them a little. Not ridiculously hard but not particularly easy either. She gets 10/10 each week and only her and another girl to date have done this.
She sits next to a boy who appears to be dyslexic, but we don't know that for sure. My daughter says his spellings in all his work (sits next to him in science too) is terrible. The rule for their spelling test is that if they get 4/10 or less they get a conduct slip (i think about 3 make a detention), 9/10 is 1 housepoint and 10/10 is 2 housepoints. Each week this boy gets between 0/10 to 3/10. Each week he tells my daughter how he thinks he is going to do better this week and has really worked hard with his mum. My daughter says that you can see he has because he nearly gets them right, getting the right idea often but just missing out a letter. Then at the end, him and my daughter have to swap to mark each others. He passes back her 10/10 and she passes him back his, to see how disappointed he is. Then the teacher says "who got 4 or less?" and this boy has to put his hand up. This week, the English teacher to the boy in front of the whole class "and this time hopefully you will learn your spellings" and when he said that he had, she said "sure you did".
My question is, what do you think I should do? Something or nothing? And if so, what? I don't know he is dyslexic but it seems like he puts more effort into learning his spellings than my daughter does but just with v different results.

Poor boy. Whether or not he's dyslexic that's very insensitive if the teacher. I'm not sure what you can do though, could you encourage your daughter to stick up for him in class?

I'm not sure that she could really without appearing v rude. She couldn't really jump to his defence saying "he does learn them" because she doesn't know him v well and she is quite quiet and reserved generally. I was considering writing to the head generally about the principle of a conduct slip for those getting less than 4 right when it is a mixed ability class and some children will obviously find spelling near on impossible no matter how much they try.

That is shocking, writing to the Head may ruffle feathers though if no one has spoken to the teacher first to get their version of events. Can you not first talk / email the teacher in the context that your DD is upset? Or do you know the parent? As a mother of a dyslexic child I always welcomed hearing about instances where the teachers had not handled my DDs work appropriately in the light of their issues? You do sadly have to approach teachers on a fairly regular basis to remind them, hopefully gently and tactfully, of your child's needs. Sadly you cannot rely on understanding, some teachers may have had only very minimal training.

It is all about tact though, and as you say, you don't know the full circumstances, what the teacher knows about the family, the attitude of the parents etc. so I would approach it very gently.

By the way thank you for being so aware. It always takes me a couple of attempts at conscious, with the aid of spellcheck

I'm not sure that she could really without appearing v rude. She couldn't really jump to his defence saying "he does learn them" because she doesn't know him v well and she is quite quiet and reserved generally.

I was thinking more along the lines of 'and hopefully you won't be such a bitch next week' but no, your DD could not come out with that without appearing rude. There isn't a great deal you can do if it is not about your own child but you could, as Shooting suggests, approach it by saying your DD is upset by what comes so easily to her is so hard for this boy.

This sounds horrible. I wouldn't suggest having your daughter say anything. It sounds like an awful regime and you don't want her left to the "tender mercies" of this teacher/system.

I am not sure what I would do. I am pretty sure I would end up doing something because I wouldn't be able to restrain myself. Perhaps contacting the SENCO and asking for anonymity regarding your conversation? And if anyone seems to think you're dipping your oar in where it doesn't belong, I'd say it is your business. Seeing another child mistreated by a shared authority figure does negatively impact your own daughter. So, it is your business.

The odd bit is that this boy's mum is involved. She is helping him study and she knows the bad results. Not all parents are effective advocates.

Lol cecilyP. I think I would say that but not so sure about my daughter (yet).

My DD is I the top set for English (so quite competitive) but is dyslexic. What her teacher did was to ask her to write a sentence using each word instead of the spelling test.

If you know the Mum perhaps suggest this. Otherwise a phone call/email to the Senco would help the child I think. Teacher sounds incredibly ignorant.

This is disgusting. What an absolutely ignorant cow that teacher is. Please report her. I'd hate my dyslexic sons to be treated like that. :(

Aww thats sad.

I don't think there is anything wrong with a weekly spelling test to monitor progress, but it is incredibly unfair to punish a child who finds it difficult.

Instead they should be using these tests as indicators to show which pupils need extra support, and then provide support to those pupils.