How hard is it to get extra time or a scribe in Year 6 SATs?

[Aragaboneahankofhair]

I want to get extra time or a scribe for my son in is year 6 SATs. Does anyone have any experience of this? He does not have a Statement, but does have some specific difficulties regarding auditory attention and slow processing speed.

Thanks

No advice, but my son is the same age and has similar issues. Hes on the sen register school action +. Sorry to stowaway on this thread. Hope someone can advise.

Feel free to stowaway Abtc :)

Thanks. Come on people! !!!

DD got a scribe at the 11th hour because the school panicked, I suspect they bent every rule in the book to breaking point.

I wasn't complaining I'd spent 5years trying to get through to their thick heads that DD1is dyslexic and her literacy problems weren't going to vanish in a puff of smoke.

Take a look at this, don't know if it will help www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/assessment/keystage2/ks2tests/a00227500/additional-time

FWIW my Ds YR 4 has Asperger's and I have already been told he qualifies for additional time or a scribe for his SATS.

You will need some proof that his auditory memory or slow processing are hindering his performance in exams. Ask the school if they have access to a LUCID test which will test & record these through a series of computer based tasks. Alternatively an Educational Psychologist can test him and make that recommendation. My dd got extra time/scribe but we got evidence from the GP, which is not an option for you.

The school are fully aware of my sons isues. Who needs the proof school or LEA?

The school needs the proof. Extra time is fairly common but scribing should only be used if it is the child's usual way of working in the classroom. It can't just be done on the spur of the moment.

that was my reading of the rules too.

I guess I'm thinking from a GCSE point of view as my dd is in Yr 11. We needed a doctors note for the exam boards. She has the use of a scribe but this is NOT her normal mode of recording, it is as a precaution.
Maybe SAT's are different? The best source of advice for you would be the school/LEA.

Thanks you all for all the information. The article was very useful. We have an Ed Psych report which states slows processing but normal intelligence. I will ask the school about Lucid tests. From the sounds of that report I only have about a week to make things happen. I am a bit cross that I have to force this issue when the problems are known and evidenced. To be fair it has been the same story all along. You get nothing unless you fight for it. I don't want to artificially boost his scores merely offset some of his disadvantages. Working slowly to a narrow assessment should not mean that you should have to work at a lower intelligence level.

OP don't panic, you have a lot more than a week! The school can apply for extra time from the 3rd Feb, but the deadline is not until April. So plenty of time to get together any evidence etc. If I were you, I'd ask to meet with the teacher and/or SENCO next week and ask whether you can help in any way with the application. They should already be considering the issue. Remember that it is completely in the school's best interests to ensure that your son does as well in the tests as he is able to.

I have NINE in my class who are eligible for extra time and scribes ( only one of whom has a statement) How on earth I'm meant to scribe for 9 children every day is a mystery to me!

how on earth do you manage day to day scribing for 9 children every lesson?

I can't, its almost impossible! I run around the classroom scribing for as many as I can ( when not actually teaching the other 22!) I have a 1;1 for my statemented child who scribes for him and another who we are currently assessing for a statement. Others have to write what they can and then I transcribe it afterwards. I have a rota so that everybody who needs it is scribed for at least 3 times a week across literacy and topic/science work but the practicalities are impossible. Unfortunately the SENCO just shrugs her shoulders and says that is their entitlement, no practical ideas how! I'm trying to get dictation software in the hope that it might ease things a little but so far no luck!

Hi. My son dx ADHD and Dyslexic. EP assessment has certified him mild/modertae dyslexia and that allows him 25% extra in SATS. He will need to get re-assessed for his GCSE's to qualify again. He was offered a scriber, reader and a laptop for a recent 11+ entry exam.

Thanks MKC - note to self less speed more haste when reading ;). Se your experience as a teacher fits exactly with my experience in respect of resources in school. The teachers had little practical support from the Senco's. Indeed, the Senco's have ranged from Machiavellian to ineffectual to the point of disorder. The current Senco, however, is quite effective but stretched far too thinly. In my experience schools are not allowed to recommend external help, but often do not have the resources required to support the child well enough. That is not meant as a criticism. It is,however, a ridiculous situation and extremely frustrating for both teacher and parent alike. I was told my son needed an Educational Psychologists assessment but the LEA Learning Support Team after working with him. The Senco agreed, however stated there was not enough time available for the Educational Psychologist to see him on her next visit - other people were a higher priority. That makes sense. What did not make sense was being told the same thing each time she visited. Also they had 'no idea' when the Educational Psychologist would be back to the school because they are only allocated so many hours and she 'only came in where there was critical mass of children to assess'. I was told that they 'might' able to buy some more hours but it never happened because there were other budget constraints. When we said we would pay for a private assessment we were discouraged on the basis that it may not be respected because it was not an LEA employee report! We did so anyway, and still the Senco was not really interested. It has just been a constant battle.

Much as I would love my son to succeed in his SATS, he is going to do very badly in the literacy papers. Are they really important for the child? Nobody is going to ask him how his y6 SATS went when he leaves school. I don't want to worry him about them. I have wondered if he will be better off flunking badly and perhaps getting more support at secondary school?

Not important to him at all And that's said as a Year 6 teacher. There are some schools that set on the basis of SATs results and just as many that don't. If he does "flunk badly" he may possibly be in a lower set in secondary but that is not necessarily a bad thing. There will be more support available. But there are SOME schools where bottom sets CAN BE a behavioural nightmare ( one of our local secondary schools has a rather difficult reputation for behaviour in its lower sets) so parents are rather keen for their children to avoid them!! ( Please note, I've stressed some and can be , I'm perfectly aware that there are hundreds of children in lower sets who are immaculately well behaved and desperate to learn)

Thanks for that. The school I hope he will get a place at is very tight on discipline and they apparently don't tolerate any disruption. I have high hopes for their SEN support. They have a SEN prospectus as well as a main one.

Spanieleyes Do you have any i pads in your class? If so you may find an app called "Dragon Dictation" useful- It's free!

We've just got some, dragon dictation not on yet, but I keep asking