7 year old struggling in school - Help !!

[therealhyper]

hello,
Hope you guys are well

my 7 year old son is struggling in school and I feel terrible as feel like I am failing him :-(

He usually gets low marks in school tests and struggles with reading/spelling ...he is below average in his tests and I found out today he is in the lower class for some of his subjects in school.

He struggles with his spellings so I tend to usually spend 30mins most evenings going through his spellings with him (going through each word and spelling it, re-writing and testing) and then another 15mins encouraging him to read. I try not to push too hard as he is only 7.

His homework is usually medium/hard in difficulty and I spend a couple of hours with him everyweekend to ensure he gets it right (he usually gets 'points' and 'stars' for his home work which is good as it seems to encourage him.

I know he is not as clever as other children in his class /school (others his age), but what can I do to support him so he achives the best he can ?

I usually spent evenings with him where he does reading, spelling tests with homework activitys over the weekend.

Your advice and support is very much welcomed.

Thank You

Yr2 or Yr3? Has the teacher mentioned any gaps in knowledge or areas to work on? Did he do ok in phonics/ sats?

You mention that he has particular difficulty with spelling and reading, have you considered dyslexia? State primaries are often reluctant to test unless it is really obvious, and remember it's a spectrum disorder iyswim. It can also affect atitude, which would explain Maths

30 minutes most evenings and 2 hours every weekend sounds too much for 7 year old tbh. Is it effective?
If not I would speak with teacher and try to come up with more effective way for him.

Way too much doing 30 mins spelling a day. Test for dyslexia.

I agree with the others that it sounds like you're supporting him well at home. Is he happy to do as much as he's doing at home? It does sound like quite a lot, particularly with spellings.

Focus on his progress rather than attainment. If he is making a good level of progress year on year from when he started, the teachers won't be concerned and you should be pleased with him. Obviously some children in the class must be 'below average' so this in itself is not a problem (though of course we all want our children to do well!).

As you've been doing a great job at home and are still worried, it's worth asking for a chat with the teacher, who might reassure you that he's doing as well as should be expected - or help you to help him differently at home.

For spelling, I'd personally not stress that much. The rewriting/testing etc every day for 30 mins sounds really off putting. Focus on reading, and pleasure. Some people are not natural spellers, but it comes in time and more reading helps as the foundation to everything.

Have you tried any iPad apps or computer games for spelling etc? You can also make the process of practice more fun by using e.g. magnetic letters instead of writing, bath letters, and sticking the week's spellings up e.g. back of the seat in front of him in the car, or in the breakfast cereal box etc.

But generally, I would try to make it less of a focus for a while, and talk with the teachers about whether he needs testing for dyslexia.

He may not be as academically able as many children his age but there will be things he is good at. As well as supporting him academically, please spend a bit of time finding and nuturing these strengths, whatever they are - both for the sake of his self esteem and quite possibly his future long-term.

My dd has autism. She's seven and struggles a lot with spelling and maths and writing. She thankfully has a 1:1 but she still finds the former very hard but she's an awesome kid. She tries hard, is kind and funny. We read most nights and do a bit of spelling if she wants to. Have you tried apples and pears or stareway to spelling? I feel for the kids in education as they're pushed much too hard in my humble opinion that it destroys their love to learn.

One of mine was exactly the same, was diagnosed as dyslexic at 8yo, got proper help and is now flying academically.

Got as see the school.