Repeating Year 6 - from furious mum!

[Melzie7]

Hello
I need some advice and what better place to come (I hope). To cut a long story short, on Friday I was met at the school gate (I never usually get to the school gate as I'm always at work) by DDs head who casually said 'I've been talking to (DD) about repeating Year 6 as she's getting really anxious in tests'. I know DD struggles with tests but she is a bright girl (I'm a secondary teacher) who needs extra time as she is a slow processor (undiagnosed). Whilst the school has flagged up things in the past, I've been told she is dyspraxia, has ADHD, etc etc but when asked about intervention nothing has been done and another year passes. To be told on Friday that she should repeat the year left me gobsmacked and I didn't know what to say other than 'we should meet after half term to discuss'. When I got home I was furious, and still am. My DD is an October birthday (today actually) and quite socially mature so this would be devastating for her confidence. I wouldn't mind (well I would actually) but she is really quite a clever girl and in terms of emotional intelligence she is streets ahead of many other kids in this respect. I really don't know what to say to the school without going off on one.......any advice out there? I think it probably comes down to lack of funding for extra support but surely having a child in the school for another year costs the school more?

ed Psych can identify dypraxia- we asked for it to be looked at for our son. Not sure about ADHD but I think we were told he was not suffering from ADHD. we had a long chat with the Ed Psych and filled out a questionaire before we made an appointment.
Ask around from your own SenCo colleague about local Ed Psych- my son's school gave us some names of people they had reports from and trusted.
Its worth it, believe me- especially as she has gone from borderline 11plus to repeating the year since year 4.
If you are in Essex PM me and I will give you the name of the woman we saw, and another we were recommended to.

Do see an EP, privately if you have to.

They may not diagnose developmental coordination disorder or ADHD (try and paediatrician for both), but they will advise about processing speed and other cognitive strengths and difficulties. They will also be able to tell you informally about motor and attention difficulties - which should inform you about where to go next.

Is DD in a Prep 3-18? I come from family of teachers and have never heard of this being proposed in an English state primary ( have no knowledge of Scotland,Wales or N Ireland)
As a Secondary Teacher you must know how outlandish this sounds?
I would want a meeting.

I've been in teaching 15 years and only know of one child ever who was kept back a year due to spending 5 of her school years in and out of hospital having chemo for a brain tumour.
It is incredibly rare. You should know that surely. Tell the school to support her, not let her just 'fail' Year 6.

Repeating Year 6 is an absolute cop-out by the school. They should have been meeting your DDs needs in the first place. What are they specifically going to do next school year, nothing but let DD do Year 6 .. again? Not good enough. It will affect her emotionally if nothing else - she is old in her Year and is likely to be be affected by being with the younger (smaller, less mature) children
The school are responsible for looking at DDs needs regardless of what they are... physical, emotional, cognitive etc...have they done referrals to Paediatrician?
Make sure you apply for your secondary school place regardless.

If your child did repeat a year there is no guarantee that a secondary school will keep DD a year down in Year 7. If they disagreed with the primary schools actions they could say your child goes into Year 8. The only time they must do it is if it's written into an EHCP.

You need to know what the school would do if DD repeated the year. Also what they would do for the rest of Year 6 and DD transfer to secondary. Arrange to see SENCos of your preferred secondary schools and see what they would put in place for children with similar needs to DD

To all of you saying how rare it is... a friend’s nephews were both kept back a year in year 7 and year 5 respectively, about five years ago now. But that was an extreme case - their mum had kept them out of school for a good six months as she was moving around the country and they were badly behind - youngest couldn’t read etc and it was a traumatic experience for both of them apparently at that age - having to lie about their age etc. Although they were at a new school.

It sounds a bit 0-60 in your case OP though can’t believe the head would go straight to that!

I doubt the OP is just making it up!
I would question this with the head though as desks massively unfair for her to have to almost start again with a new set of peers when all her friends will be going off to secondary school.

It is a ridiculous suggestion and I can't see the LA agreeing to it, even if you did / if you wanted it.
The school wouldn't be able to even consider it without an EHCP anyway, and the school won't get an EHCP if they haven't been putting any interventions in.
I realise it is half term, but you need to insist on an appointment with the SENCo, class teacher and HT asap, state clearly that it won't be happening, but ask them exactly what they are going to put in place to support her, if she is failing so terribly.
It is a ridiculous thing to suggest, let alone the appalling way they have done it (no warning, just at the school gate, etc.).

A deferred transition request to KS3 can only be initiated on parental request and needs to be done before the admission application window closes. The head can't initiate it and you can refuse. As the admission application window is about to close for the year he is not well informed.

It looks like desperation in regard to SATs result's to me. I would refuse to be drawn into the process and ask what the school is doing to support your daughter instead.

An ed psych can definately do tests which will determine speed of information processing. This gives up to 25% extra time in tests if the score is below a certain percentile.

to fail massively in Year 6 means something has gone wrong.

How can the school justify saying she is failing massively already, when she's only a couple of months into year 6? Your dd is old in the year. If she repeats a year, she will be 13 for most of year 7, while many of her classmates will still only be 11. That can't possibly be a good thing for her.

Ed Pysch diagnosed dyspraxia in conjunction with an occupational therapist and paediatrician. She then referred him for testing for ADHD at CAMHS.
The school can do it if they want to and it's shocking they've got to Yr 6 and not done anything. She can also have an IEP with no diagnosis.
Ed Psych also diagnosed sensory processing disorder and processing issues. The report was very detailed. I would be kicking up a shit storm to be honest OP.

I’m confused, as Donkey says above, she’s only one half term in to yr 6 so how on earth can they decide she’s failed it? Or, is she actually in yr 7 and they are suggesting she goes back to primary? Or is it an independent school and they’re suggesting that she drops back a yr whilst staying in the same school IYSWIM?

“I am in UK and in an 11Plus area which I'm wondering now if that's making a difference. “ none at all it’s almost unheard of for a child to repeat Y6. IMHE never for a child without a statement/ EHCP

School saying to get her on medication without diagnosis sound very wrong. (Can they actually suggest that? They are not doctors.)
Doing great at yr4 and failing at yr6 does sound like school should have done something earlier, or at least should have informed what's happening and called you in to talk about the plan to help her during last year.
This sound totally wrong to me. I would get her diagnosed asap.

I agree that repeating a year in the UK is practically unheard of. Ds broke up for the christmas holidays last year and didn't return to school until the end of September to illness and he is on a phased return. This week he has a teacher coming out at 3.30pm to do a bit of work and I'm hoping he will manage 1pm to 3pm Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. They've not even considered him repeating a year.

Ds has always been behind and on IEP, but just before his diagnosis he was starting to catch up and came off the IEP. Now we are awaiting a decision on application for EHCP and will be going for full statement in December to make sure it's in place for when he goes up to high school next year. He struggles to write now as he has left sided weakness from his surgery back in january and he happens to be left handed, so the school has also arranged for him to have an ICT assessment to see if there are any packages that will help him in the classroom. Once he is statement he will be allowed extra time for tests and if need be a laptop in exams so he won't have to write with his "wrong" hand.

Your school should be doing everything possible to help your dd.

I would ask for a meeting with the school and SENCO and if you get nowhere complain to the governors that your concerns are not being taken seriously. Also I would get a GP appt and ask for a referral to the paediatricians for help with diagnosis.

Good luck, hope you get the help you need.

Do you think there has been a misunderstanding and the HT was suggesting your dd went in with the year 5’s whilst her class were doing the prep for their tests, due to the tests stressing her out.
In England I have heard of kids being out of their year but without exception they have all had an EHCP/statement and serious consideration has occurred prior to this decision was made.
Hold tight and make an appointment with the HT as soon as possible.

She can't get ADHD meds without a diagnosis I wouldn't think! CAMHS prescribe them and they are not to be taken lightly as they have side affects.

As well as what other posters have said, I would be very cross at the Head having spoken to DD about this without having discussed it with me first.

Sendco has neglected your daughter. She is lying about the ed psych, as the ed psych is EXACTLY who needs to be involved. Sendco has fucked around for two years and not sorted ehcp or ed psych evals.

Now she wants your daughter to retreat to buy herself more time to fix her fuck up before secondary school sendco can assess and primary sendcos incompetence is revealed

Is this an independent school? It seems very unusual and dubious practice but not unknown in private sector.

Are you sure she didn't mean having another go at the practice tests, since she's getting anxious in them?

As others have pointed out, she doesn't have the power to make your dd repeat the year anyway. Someone has got the wrong end of the stick somewhere.

Thanks again for all the comments. Just to clarify, it's a female HT. DDs school is s state school but her class is (as I've been told before) full of high achieving boys - there are only a handful of girls. I do think it's got something to do with SATs but also there are several kids 'out of year' at the school (and also I've now heard of a couple that have left after year 6 to start Yr 6 again at other local schools so something isn't right?!) I will complete my school application for yr 7 entry as normal and she will go but I do need to sort this whole mess out. I'm thinking perhaps the Head was just saying things without really thinking them through - after all she was probably desperate for half term too. That doesn't make it any better but I can't come up with any other logical reason for why she said what she did. I'm hoping to see my EdPsych friend later this week in the hope that she can help me out.

As a secondary school teacher, I’ve never come across any child who has had to repeat year 6 as appropriate support, in whatever form that needs to take, will be given to any child at secondary school to support them; this is regardless of the level/ability of the child or the range of their needs. Every child has the right to be supported and catered for within their own age group (nb Primary School/Secondary School.

Lots of primary schools avoid paying an ed psych because of cost. Clearly your DD needs an assessment as the likelihood is that she will be entitled to more time in exams to counterbalance her slow processing. This will make a huge diffence in regards to gcse and a level exams.

I also smell something fishy! The school has remarkably high SATS but children repeating that last year 6.