sudden leap in attainment

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Ds ia in year 6 and hasn't been entered for SATS due to low ability (SEN) At the start of this academic year he was at Y2 levels. We just had an educational psychology report showing he is now at Y5 levels, except writing which remains at Y2. This seems strange.

Learning isn't linear, but that seems to be quite a big jump.

What does the school say?
Have you seen a big step forward?

Have you noticed a big improvement? As TeenandTween says, that is a big jump. It is possible, but I'd be wondering if one of the assessments was inaccurate. Has he been receiving a lot of support this year?

Was the report written to prove he'll cope in a mainstream secondary school and doesn't need an EHCP?

It seems very unlikely that he made that much progress in a year without you knowing about it.

I think Salty has hit the nail on the head. The Ed Psych sent by our local council has a repertoire of devious tricks all designed to save the council money.

It's very unusual for an Ed Psych to assess against National Curriculum expectation, normally reports give reading/spelling/maths ages and percentile rankings.

I am horrified reading Salty and Nenny's posts. Do school/council really do this?
But if this is true, I think OP needs lots of advice on how to counter this action by school/council for the sake of her dc.

In my experience, yes. We've had this twice, both from the same EP. Can include questions phrased in a way so as to get the answer she wants to hear, turning up 40 minutes early for what should have been an after-lunch assessment which completely threw him ( he has ASD) meaning that he had to do the assessments on an empty stomach so didn't perform as well as he should have, omitting responses in the report which weren't conducive to their case, and blatant untruths in a couple of cases.

The first time, when assessing DS1 for suitability for an EHCP, the section on the child's views were done by the EP. We were very surprised to read the first line saying that he said he didn't worry about his future as it really didn't sound like the sort of thing he would come out with. This was a child who frequently said he wished he was dead / didn't exist and cried almost every night. What we think happened is that she asked him directly " do you worry about your future?" And he replied no as he doesn't think about the future, just lives in the present. But answering no to a question you've never thought about isn't the same as making a bold statement about it.

He was reassessed by the same EP a couple of weeks ago, this time in conjunction with a tribunal case we are bringing against the council for failing to provide him with a suitable school ( he is currently home ed). This is when she turned up 40 mins early. Having learned from the last time, I stayed close by throughout the session and again, he is quoted as having said something he didn't say, and she omitted one of my responses to a question as it would portray the council in a negative light. The whole thing seems to be to paint a picture of us as difficult parents who have pulled our child out of mainstream school without good reason.

Having worked extensively with Ed Psychs in the past, I found them very much on the "side" of the child. Certainly not representing the LA regarding expenditure. It is up to negotiation about what help is given to individual children and some people do not get what they want for their children, but to say all Ed Psychs are underhand and not professional is actually insulting. An individual case is not representative of the professionalism of all Ed Psychs.

Regarding improvement of this DC, I would ask the school for detailed assessment of progress. The Ed Psych normally does not assess this in the same way as the school. Have you looked at his books, seen test results and spoken to the teacher about detailed assessments of progress? You do not have to agree with the Ed Psych if the school's records clearly show DC is not working at Y5. Normally a child is not assessed on the Y5 curriculum if they are in Y6, so what curriculum has DC been following in school? Is it the same as his classmates but differentiated?

It says a lot that he is not taking Sats. Did the school tell you why? The school should be able to explain his current level of attainment and progress and you need to think very carefully about what provision he needs at secondary. Talk about this with the Head of his current school first. He may be doing well now, of course, but the school didn't want to run the risk of poor Sats results.

I didn't generalise about all Ed Psychs, just the one who is employed by our council. We have also had two assessments by private ed psychs whose reports were far more accurate and as you say, very much on the side of the child.