Nessy Programme - year 1

[Hitchyhero]

I got a message from the school the other day on their app and the teacher asked if my son could join the Nessy Programme for phonics learning as a booster session.

I havnt heard of the program before but a quick search says it's designed in mind for children with dyslexia. I asked the teacher if there were any concerns and whether she believes he has that but she said don't worry and it's just there as a booster session.

In regards to his reading when we are at home, it's not something he particularly enjoys but he gets on with it with encouragement and I believe he reads to a reasonable standard. We do spellings a few times a week (he gets 5 new words a week) and he seems to get lost of them.

When it comes to constructing sentences though, he seems to struggle. The spelling goes out the window and he gets bored writing anything more than a sentence. He's just not interested. I asked him today if there's anything that he doesn't like about it and he said his hand hurts after a while.

Do you think there's anything I can do to support him more.

There are lots of hand strength activities that you could do to support writing if that’s part of the issue- clay, Lego, beads all do so to some extent.

My dd does Nessy at school’s recommendation - not sure if it alone makes a massive difference or not, but dd enjoys it, so easy way to get in extra practice. Lots of children would benefit from a dyslexia friendly approach to reading who won’t ultimately be diagnosed with dyslexia. Our Senco mentioned that there is a movement to integrate dyslexia friendly approaches into the core curriculum as increasing evidence that it has broader benefits. A child cannot be assessed for dyslexia until they are 7yo anyways.

I Think the most important thing is to help dc find joy in reading and writing - something that is easier with some children than others. Dutifully doing reading or writing assignments is fine, but look for opportunities to encourage him to do it because he wants to rather than has to. Dd is a reluctant reader and writer. I make sure I read lots of really great books to her, and look for anything that she might pick upon her own - comics, magazines, special interest books. Some work, some don’t - just keep trying. For writing I have found she enjoys writing lists, letters or secret messages to friends / family, has recently started a diary. Other dd liked keeping a journal of flowers for each month, but it could be any special interest.