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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

School want to "test" dyslexic dd

15 replies

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 19/10/2015 22:00

She's in year ten. Was diagnosed by an ed psych in Year 4 as dyslexic. Primary school weren't bothered as she was doing ok. Level 5s in year 6 sats.

When she started secondary school I mentioned in the forms we had to fill out that she was dyslexic. Never heard anymore about it. At year 7 parents eve I went and found the senco and asked if dd was likely to get any help/did she need help?? Senco said only thing they offer is to remove did from some of her normal lessons for remedial lessons and did I want that. Got the strong impression that remedial lessons were for kids who were really struggling so said no.

Dd has come home today in tears. She reckons her dyslexia is getting worse and that she can't write. Which has come out the blue. She says the senco came up to her today and mentioned that she knew dd was dyslexic and told dd to ask me if dd could be "tested". Why would they need to test her? I already know she's dyslexic. School haven't given a shit for three years.

OP posts:

TeenAndTween · 19/10/2015 22:03

Could it be to check for possible exam concessions such as use of a computer and possible extra time?

LIZS · 19/10/2015 22:03

If she is to have access arrangements for GCSE ie. Extra time or scribe , she would need to have been assessed no earlier than y9. Perhaps this is a step towards this.

TeenAndTween · 19/10/2015 22:04

Or that her difficulties are becoming more apparent now she is starting on GCSE work?

(DD's dyspraxia only became evident during the GCSE years)

Original poster

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 19/10/2015 22:12

If it's for extra time in exams, that's good. Ive told dd to tell the senco yes. Will the senco do the test?

OP posts:

NinkyNonky · 19/10/2015 22:14

It's probably a 'needs assessment' rather than to test if she's dyslexic.

It's recommended to redo the full test every 10 years as you tend to develop coping strategies over time - that's for adults though so it may be more often at her age.

I think it's a positive sign that they're doing this, don't worry!

MrSlant · 19/10/2015 22:16

My DS1 has been tested a couple of times by his secondary school, normally so that he can have special arrangements for his exams/laptop for lessons. It's been fantastic for him because it means he now has a good file together and a case was made and accepted by the exam board for unlimited breaks in his GCSE's which is must be holy grail for a child who has a learning difficulty.

Can you sell it to her as a really positive thing? It's what I've done, the label helps him get what he needs.

RalphSteadmansEye · 20/10/2015 08:09

Well if they wanted to apply for extra time in exams for her or to use a laptop, they should have been using these as standard for all internal exams for a lot longer than the beginning of year 10. I think that's going to be hard to prove a history of need now?

Do you look at her exercise books? Does she struggle with writing quantity or quality? What level is she working at in English? Should have finished yr 9 at level 7 if she was 5 in yr 6.

ifonly4 · 20/10/2015 10:12

Can you email someone at the school to ask why they'd like to test DD, that way you know whether they're thinking about extra time in exams or whether she needs any extra support from them.

Ralph (not having a go here) - dyslexia doesn't always stand out, so maybe they want to be clear about how it affects her. My DH has generally been slow putting pen to paper and can be indecisive - I always thought it was just a personality trait. He's always kept up at work, got promotions etc, but a Manager at work suggested he be tested for dyslexia, so it took 48 years to come out!

smee · 20/10/2015 11:13

Well they don't sound like they've behaved v.well, but maybe that's changing. Definitely let them test her - it's important as others have said for evidence for extra time and other support and it's not too late for all of that.

If you can, could you find her an adult friend - preferably someone she adores - who's dyslexic and let them talk to her about it all. I know that's helped my son hugely.

TeenAndTween · 20/10/2015 12:05

Ralph - not necessarily. My DD was diagnosed dyspraxic y11, and the first time she actually got extra time was for her final GCSEs (ie not even for her mocks)! And this was only last year.

Original poster

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 20/10/2015 12:18

Ive emailed the head.

Sadly I don't know anyone with dyslexia. I keep telling her about Richard Branson!

OP posts:

1woozle · 20/10/2015 12:19

teenandtween is correct IME. DD had formal dyslexia diagnosis in December before her A2 and was found to be severely dyslexic (2nd percentile for phonological awareness). She was given extra time in her exams and allowed to do them in a separate room (she finds it helpful to read out loud and mutters as she writes) in the following May/June. She was also told she would be allowed to use a laptop and/or have a scribe (she declined these).

She was also a high achiever 10A/A* s at GCSE and As and Bs at A2 but worked much harder than her peers and teachers felt her written work did not match her oral contributions.

noblegiraffe · 20/10/2015 12:27

I agree it's probably for exam access arrangements. My school is starting to go down the list of Y10s with SEN and sorting the evidence for them.

Silvergran68 · 20/10/2015 12:46

One reason for using the arrangements in internal tests and exams is to have proof if demanded that the altered arrangements do make a difference. If speed of handwriting , for example, is significantly slower than is expected extra time can be given even without a formal diagnosis of dyslexia. Unfortunately for some students having extra time would make no difference to the results.

smee · 21/10/2015 09:04

Whothef, I'd bet you do know some dyslexics, but even they might not know they are. We realised once my son was diagnosed that my father must be. There are so many clues, from his spelling and writing to the fact he left school at 15 because he was deemed not academic.

I remembered this and thought it might help - Uni of Hull's guide to Dyslexia & Dyspraxia I'd bet you'll find lots in it that you'll recognise and your DD will too. If you scroll through there's a list of famous people who it's either known or thought were dyslexic.

One other thought is to maybe tell her to try and think of it in a different way. So if she had a sight problem she'd wear glasses to see and she probably wouldn't question that. Compare that with getting help for her dyslexia as it's just as important. Why wouldn't she basically?!

My friend who's been so brilliant with my DS was dismissed at school as being mentally sub normal. In later years he went on to get a first class degree and a doctorate. He uses computer software and voice recognition as he struggles to write by hand. He's profoundly dyslexic, so probably more affected than your DD, but his advice is always to take whatever you can as it will level the playing field and help you to reach your potential. Good luck!

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