Support with spelling y7

[HeyMacWey]

Since ds started y7 this September I've noticed that his spelling ability has gone down hill. Spellings have never come naturally to him but at primary he put the work in and generally got his weekly spellings correct, he also got 113 in his spag sats.

But his spelling has gone really downhill since starting secondary. He was screened (I think) at primary to double check if there was any dyslexia but no apparent issues reported. He's got a good grounding in phonics but seems to go blank on the rest of the rules when he's rushing his work in class or homework. For example last night one of the words he wrote was forbidun instead of forbidden etc.

Any ideas to help? Do secondary schools so eurgh the emphasis on spelling and just expect children to know the principles by age 11 or do they just encourage them to use a dictionary?

He's not a massive reader but I'm trying to encourage him - he rarely finds books that draw him in and he can't put down.

Any ideas of what I can do to support him at home? Or should I raise my concerns with his English teacher? I've noticed mistakes across all subjects in his school books.

Anyone?

This school has uploaded a list of useful KS3 words. We use it too

Could you just practise, practise, practise with him?

Whoops! Link www.pmghs.com/wp-content/uploads/Key-Stage-Three-Spelling-Lists.pdf

That's brilliant - thank you. It's just what I was looking for.

Yes I'll work through it with him. I've started getting him to print off his work and for him to identify where he thinks he's misspelled words and getting him to use a dictionary instead of spellcheck.

Your son is depending wholly on the sound of the word and not much else. To practise spellings with him you need to bring other techniques into play:

split the word up into syllables - for bid den (splitting the double letter helps to remember it)
write the word from memory, put it into a sentence. Do no more than 3 words at a time.
Check after 15 mins, 1 hr the next day.

The KS3 list is helpful but make sure you choose words that are directly relevant at the time e.g pick out key words from science topics, maths etc. If he doesn't use them they will just fall into the black abyss of words learned for spelling test then forgotten.

Yes - that's exactly how he remembered words for sats/ks2 tests.

I think I'll make a start with the 100 words from ks2 to see how many he can spell from that as a starting point too.

Was he given a proper dyslexia screening in primary or did they just test for visual stress? A lot of primary schools round here won't bother doing a proper dyslexia screening because they say they don't have any funding to offer any help. However, they will do a visual stress test because they are happy to pay for a coloured overlay. It might be worth asked his new school to do a proper screening. Don't be fobbed off with "well, there's nothing wrong with his reading ability or his handwriting" - dyslexia is much broader than most people realise. My DD has an unusual presentation of dyslexia so it was picked up very late, but she was then given extra time and a scribe for exams

I don't think it was a proper test, I just remembered that the sen reviewed him - no idea what that entailed. Tbh is only since he's been at secondary that I've noticed it being such a problem - I wonder if it's also the amount of work that they cover so constantly rushing rather than taking time to look at the detail. Previously, at primary, he was told he needed to hurry up with his work as he took so long over presentation etc. He handwriting is perfect and no real problems with reading that I can see. Sometimes he rushes reading and I'm wondering if this is because he can't read the words.
Who would I approach at secondary school? Pastoral, tutor or senco?

Wordshark programme - I think it's about £50, you can put any word lists in, I've used it with pupils right up to 6th year. It's got lots of different reinforcement games.