Can't cope in Y7

[FeelingSadInside]

I don't know what to do.

DS just started Y7 and can't read and write well enough to keep up and I have absolutely no idea what to do.

But it's worse than that. He thinks he's fine and doesn't understand why he keeps getting detentions because he hasn't done his hw.

Now obv I can talk to school and stop him getting a detention. But I can't get him to read and write well enough to cope.

School suggested he does toe by toe and RWI. Both of which he's done twice. So I can't see them being able to do anything useful to help him. Plus their SENCOs on long term sick leave.

I can't think of anything useful they could do.

I haven't slept all night. I'm so sick of it all.

Is his homework aimed at his ability? If so - he should be doing it. If not, the school are failing him.

Is he on free school meals? Ask how his pupil premium is being applied to him to help him make progress.

Ask who is acting SENCO in the absence of the sick teacher.

I'm sure others will come along and add more.

Thanks for replying.

If you can't read and write properly you can't really do any hw.

He did it. But he wrote one sentence. Very badly. And he doesn't understand why he got a detn for not doing it. He thinks the teacher is just mean.

I can speak to the new SENCO - but my q is how can they help? Giving him no hw that involves reading and writing doesn't help. It just turns school into free childcare.

He's not on FSM. But again I don't think this is a prob that can be solved with money.

What do you think the issue is? Has he ever been assessed e.g. for a statement of needs?

The issue is dyslexia. And (luckily) he's way way above the low level needed for a statement.

He can read and write. Just not well enough. His hw was to write about christenings. He can't read or write the word christening. Or Prince George. Or Buckingham palace......

But his reading age isn't actually all that low. It's that this hw requires you to be able to read properly. Which he can't do.

Poor wee man. If he keeps getting detention - let alone the proper support - the school is obviously failing him. And you. Who have you spoken to at the school?

Spoke to SENCO last year. But don't think she did anything cause she wanted to see how he settled.

And spoke to HoY yesterday about something else and we discussed this a bit. But at that stage I hadn't seen his hw and didn't realise how far off the mark he was. Because he keeps insisting he's fine and coping and his readings fine and his writings fine and he doesn't need any help.

I'll ring HoY again today. But I don't know what they can do to support him.

don't think she did anything cause she wanted to see how he settled.

Well now she has her answer. Ask for HoY to set up a meeting with you, the SENCO and his form tutor, bring his work and a list of his detentions, and then ask them how they can support him. That's for them to tell you.

Is he school action plus? Does he have an LSA assisting him in lessons?

What is it about the HW he can't do? Could it be differentiated, e.g use these words (with definitions) to describe xxx.

Just because something didn't work when he was younger (like toe to toe) doesn't mean he shouldn't try again.

And money will solve this, he needs lots of interventions (that all cost money) to raise his reading and writing skills.

Can he do the homework verbally?
ie If you (or someone) read the homework to him, could he then dictate an answer for you to write down?

I know this isn't a 'solution' to his writing skills, but it may be a way for him to show his willingness to try and to show what he can do.
In parallel to requesting appropriate intervention/support of course.

(I used sometimes this in upper primary with both my DDs).

I think you need to push, push and push again - there are all sorts of options out there, including technology, assistance in class, (perhaps with you assisting at home). Obviously that should include interventions to improve his reading and writing, but he shouldn't be missing out on other lesson content because of his disability.

To use an analogy, if he was partially sighted, but could see some text, saying 'but he can read it a bit' wouldn't cut it.

Thankfully dd's writing has more or less caught up now, but in the past at primary while they were working on that at school they were very happy for her to dictate her homework to one of us & then we either typed or wrote it out. From my experience, if you type it make sure it is clearly labelled that it's typed from dictation by you, so they don't get all enthusiastic about keyboard skills solving all his problems.

Similarly dd's friend has a mini-laptop that she takes into school to use in lessons, they have kindles for reading to allow dyslexic pupils to read with text in the best font for them / increase text size etc etc.

He is on school action plus (well was last year when it existed)

He did toe by toe and RWI last year. So he wasn't much younger.

He doesn't need an LSA in class.

He couldn't do this he verbally because it required research.

His writing is good enough that if he can do it verbally he can do it.

I can't see any solution. But am waiting a call back from school.

I have pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed. And that is why he's doing as well as he is.

I don't know what to push for now. He doesn't need a laptop or to dictate or a kindle or coloured overlays or an LSA.

His writing is good enough that he doesn't need to dictate. You can understand what he writes.

Sure he would produce better work if he dictated. But his writing wouldn't improve.

Nothing improves his reading.

Has he been tested for coloured lenses? My son had all sorts of issues and the common strategies (including toe to toe) didn't work. We found out in year 9 that coloured lenses helped control slightly the text movement he was seeing. He flew from that moment on.....

I do have a great deal of sympathy - been there and got the t-shirt - and fought against a quite unhelpful system.

My sons is lucky in that he is very bright which helped offset his issues just a little he managed to just cope.

He's been tested for coloured lenses. They don't help.

What were his year 6 SATS levels?

If he struggles as you say, he will be entitled to a reader/scribe in exams.

You need to be his reader/scribe for his homework. You need to help him with his homework just like every parent does when it's too hard.

You read the homework to him. You help him research Christenings. You write down his ideas. He copies your ideas into his book. He doesn't get a detention.

In Year 7 parents are supposed to supervise homework, make sure it is done properly, help and contact the school if it is too hard.

I don't want to sound harsh but from what you say you don't seem to be giving him any practical help with the homework, just letting him fail at it - "he wrote one sentence. Very badly. And he doesn't understand why he got a detn for not doing it." - and getting detentions, then wringing your hands. Help him with it! Or put a note in with it saying "DS tried but his literacy is not very good and this hwk was too hard for him - this is all he could manage."

4b in reading and in writing.

And he has a reading age of 10.11.

Which sounds like he should be able to cope. But he can't.

It requires way more skill to research 'christenings' then it does to read a passage given to you (which contains pics) and answer some qs about it. Some of which are multi choice.

A 4b doesn't tell you very much.

Balloon slayer - and will he get a reader / scribe when he gets a job?

Y7s are meant to be able to do their hw themselves. Doing it for them - which is what researching it and dictating it amounts to - won't help him.

I'm ringing school today to say he is too hard. But that still won't help. It'll stop him getting a detn. But the detn wasn't the problem.

The problem is he can't do age appropriate work.

I'm sorry to hear your son is struggling, that can't be easy for anyone involved.

What would you like for him? You say he's struggling to read and understand certain words, doesn't need an LSA but struggles to write more than a sentence. Something isn't adding up.

It sounds like the issue isn't the clarity of handwriting, is it about knowing the words to write?

As a secondary teacher, he definitely needs an LSA from the sound of it.

It doesn't matter if he won't get a reader/scribe in employment... He needs help now, and you need to give it to him, and force the school to do the same.

OK, something's going on here, because a 4b reading and writing he should be easily able to access the secondary curriculum.

So either something dodgy went on to get him a 4b, or it is other things coming in to play.

DD1 is now in y11. In y7 she had quite a lot of 'research' style homeworks and she struggled with all of them as she was unable to identify the 'important' information, and then unable to 'order' sensibly. I just had to help her with them.
Over time we also found that she was performing much better verbally that writing - it's as if physical writing takes up so much brain processing that there is nothing left over to actually think what to say. Since y10 she has used a laptop and will do so for her GCSEs and is much improved in some areas now.
Now in y11 we are awaiting a ?dyspraxia assessment.

Interestingly, DD1 got on OK in primary (finished on a high l3 for writing and a l5 for reading). Many of her difficulties were 'masked' at primary level. e.g. she struggles to sequentially follow instructions, but at primary that didn't matter as she could just look to see what her neighbour was doing. You can't do that with homework.

I know that his writing needs to improve, but we came to the conclusion in secondary (having battled throughout juniors) that writing should be treated as a separate skill, and not allowed to get in the way of showing her ability in responding to questions in History, RE or whatever.

What if he typed things? There is/was a good free program on the BBC website that DD1 used to learn with.

He can write more than a sentence.

He only wrote a sentence because he thought that was all he had to do.

And that was because instead of reading the hw assignment he's just listened to the teacher explain it.

I didn't help him because e did it when I wasn't home.

But if I was home he would have refused my help. And if I'd helped when he didn't want it it would have made the situation worse.

Maybe the situations so bad now because he got too much help in primary? And so has learned dependence.

I don't know then. My DD has always been (over) willing to ask for help.

If he's not willing to ask for help / take help then maybe he needs to learn the consequences of doing it wrong?