Common entrance.

[getoffthattabletnow]

Can anyone give me some tips on passing Common Entrance with a Dyslexic DS.Revision tips,books and anything which may help.Or just the voice of experience!

As many past papers as possible. The style of questions rarely changes. You can get ISEB revision guides from Amazon or Galore Park, the only ones geared up to CE.

Also what marks is he currently getting in CE papers? What pass mark does he need for the school he is going to?

Nobody fails CE. Different schools demand different pass marks - so if your prep school has advised correctly then your DS should only be entered for schools that he is capable of entering. Your prep school should do all the preparation for the exam. That's what you are paying for.
If he is not at a prep school then don't bother with CE. Pretty much all schools offer an alternative exam for children coming from the state sector/abroad - so you will save a lot of time/energy.
Remember, all schools are looking for is evidence that prospective students will be able to access the curriculum and emerge with results which fit the schools brand. Levels will differ from school to school.
If your DS has severe dyslexia your prep should be advising on strategies/ extra time etc in CE. If he is not, then talk to prospective schools yourself And they will be able to advise on what is the best route for him. Good luck!

He needs a pass mark of 55%.The problem is he's in year 7 but is new to the Prep.He's been state educated and hence is totally new to all that common entrance requires( especially Latin and French).He has also not really been taught how to learn for tests and is finding languages very difficult( with virtually no experience).

Again though, I would not worry. Presumably the prep tested him before he joined them? Unless it is a financially precarious school they would not have taken him if they thought he was going to fail CE for the school you had entered him for. It would not look good on the Leavers destinations web page!
The language results are the least important in CE. Most if not all schools (certainly those with a 55% pass mark) will have beginners latin and probably also french sets to cater for students joining from the state sector and/or abroad. Some schools don't make Latin compulsory even in Y9. The vast majority drop it after Y9 anyway. If your DS has done two years Latin and French at prep - he will be fine. He will be practicing past papers ad nauseam at school in the second half of Y7 and throughout Y8, so don't inflict any more on him!
Is he the only child just starting Latin/French? If so are they teaching him on his own? They should be. Have they suggested you do extra work at home? If so, have you asked them for advice on books etc?
I would not focus too much on the reading and writing of French at this stage if your DS has dyslexia. If you really want to work on it focus on speaking and listening. One idea would be to employ a French student to come and play games with him in French once a week - the idea being to make it fun for him. If you do not live in the city, maybe try Skype. You can learn a lot of French through card games/board games, talking about football or whatever interests him. Once he is more confident hearing and understanding then the reading gets easier. It is actually really hard to read words you do not know even without the extra challenges of dylexia.
On Latin, I seem to remember there is a history/culture paper so perhaps you could do some work on that area - through watching films, talking about the Romans etc. The idea would be for him to learn through media where his dyslexia makes no difference.
The other strategy would be to focus on his strengths. Does he prefer maths and sciences? If so, strong marks in these fields will enable him to shine.

Really though, I would advise you not to agonise about it too much. He will be fine. And the bottom line is that - if he is not fine after two years at a decent prep then the public school you have chosen may not be the correct one for him.

What are the school doing to fill the gaps and provide learning support. Presumably they admitted him knowing the circumstances. Ds had 1:1 LS which during years 7 and 8 was more about study and exam skills than the curriculum. Does he need to do Latin and French ? Could he do just one (probably Latin easier as based on logic and no oral or listening element). It will be particularly hard to get up to speed in French when others have had 4years head start. Could Spanish be an alternative if he needs a mfl ? CE is not difficult but the problem you face is that teaching will largely end in y7 or Christmas y8 then the time is spent on practice papers and revision, so time is getting short to cover the curriculum.

getoffthattablet I am not an expert but your DS needs to work out how he best remembers for revision. Advice for dyslexics and others to help include using colour in languages for example blue for masculin pink for feminine when learning vocabulary, watching videos on topics rather than just reading, dictating notes out and then listening to the recording. It might be worth using memrise app for languages as well for aide memories.

We got through CE French with DS by going to Paris over half term and he (with his sister) having a 90 minute daily lesson at Accord. We stayed in a small two star family run hotel round the corner (Hôtel de la cité Rougemont) and in the afternoons visited things like the French equivalent of the science museum, and then stoped for crepes, pasta or whatever. Paris for children that age is really fun. More importantly he made a huge amount of progress with targetted lessons, despite having virtually not linguistic aptitude. When CE results came out I think what had been his weakest subject proved to be his best, he can still find his way around Paris, and we had a great time.

Thank you all for some brilliant suggestions.Needmoresleep that's a really good idea.I might investigate holidaying in France this year instead of Asia.
Lizs apparently he has to do Latin and French for Common Entrance.He actually really enjoys the sound of French but is completely daunted by the writing and spelling of it.I am trying to get Dd1 to help as she is brilliant at languages.But she gets cross and he ends up tearful ( this was doing 1-100 in French).
The school are doing their best to help and are providing in-class support and working memory classes.The teachers are not all up to speed regarding Dyslexia though.
He was tested before joining.The problem is that the School has asked me whether i want him entered for the 'easier' common entrance of the normal one.The schools they have suggested ( that don't need common entrance) have worse results than the local comprehensive.
So what is the point in sending him to those?( and spending bucket loads of money in the process).
His IQ has been tested and is in the top 14% of the population so surely he should be capable of achieving a reasonable good set of results if properly taught.Not consigned to schools with 'poor' results so early on on his school career.

Have you tried the DuoLingo app for French? DS loves it, and it does seem to be very good.

You don't need to enter Latin and French, if he has no experience there is not much point in forcing him. Can he do the lower level papers if they insist. Can you look at non CE schools which have their own 13+ exam? What brought about the move? normally preps are looking for year 7 and 8 pupils who will achieve scholarships or offer something like sport to enhance their reputation , if your Ds doesn't match this were they just looking for bums on seats . What promises did they make?

Do you not need French/Latin for the lower level papers?I'm from a Grammar school area so really know very little about Common Entrance.
The schools his teacher have suggested he will get in seem to have a GCSE pass rate of 37% ( dyslexia specialist and sporty schools).I've been phoning round and a couple of independent schools within an hours journey have their own entrance tests and one even has its own Dyslexia unit ( and brilliant results to boot).
We live in a very rural area - a long way from London and there isn't the same competition for places in preps here.I have my other children at the school ( 2 with scholarships) and maybe that's why they decided to take him.I really thought being Dyslexic ( very recently diagnosed ) he would be lost in the local Comp.
He's also very happy at the Prep,fits on really well and is being helped ( wasn't helped at all in the Juniors).He is very sporty and a competitive runner but I'm not sure that mattered at this particular Prep.

If he could do either at the lower level , he could still do higher level for other subjects. If you look at their entrance criteria even "top" schools will often waiver languages if the dc have no prior knowledge. I wouldn't be paying for a school to achieve 37% pass rate but you need to be aware that independent schools aren't obliged to declare results in league tables so it may not be the full picture.