Good textbooks for KS3

[Penguinsetpandas]

Son is ASD and doing some lessons alone for which he's just been given a list of questions to answer but no information to research from and its understandably beyond TA to be teaching range of subjects. Thought maybe I could buy some textbooks for key subjects like science, maths, english, french, geography, history. Are there any good ones? Or online I can pay for? He's very bright. Have asked school but no reply yet. Might get him some for home. Thanks.

BBC bitesize KS3 may be a good (and free) place to start.

I like the 'exploring history' textbooks for ks3...

Thanks very much - will look at those.

My kids used mostly Pearson Publishing textbooks, so Viva (1,2,3) for French in KS3, Mira (1,2,3) for Spanish, Exploring Science in Year 7, Year 8 etc. For maths, look online at cime.org.uk, and you can find all the maths resources for each year group. Most of the pearson textbooks are available from amazon - the pearson website is awful to order from directly.

You don't say which year your DS is in.
Be aware that many schools start GCSE work in Y9 (even if they don't actually start options until Y10) - especially core subjects like maths and sciences. If that is the case, you will need to make sure that any text books relate to the correct board and specific syllabus for the exam that your DS will be potentially sitting. The school web site may have information on this, or if not contact the individual departments for advice.

I know it’s not answering your question but you should speak to the school about what is happening. If your ds is being withdrawn from the main class lesson then the teacher needs to be providing all the resources needed for him to access the course.

Is he following essentially what is done in the lesson? If so then the teacher should share the PowerPoint and all textbooks etc with your ds and the TA should be properly briefed on the work to be done and how to deliver it. It’s totally unacceptable to just provide a list of questions! Who is marking his work/ providing feedback?

Sorry sent too soon! The teachers also need to ensure that the work is properly and appropriately differentiated to meet his needs.

Just echoing Kitty. It sounds like the school are not doing their bit.

I find the CGP books for maths and Science are pretty good (and also BBC bitesize website).

Thanks very much, he just started year 7. I ordered some CPG ones, will see how he gets on with those. Seem quite factual but he loves learning facts and were quite good value. Will try something else if doesn't work. I have told school and it is thankfully mainly subjects he won't take to GCSE in there but sometimes has to sit out of science lessons as they are using bunsen burners and they've assessed him high risk as ASD. Don't think he is but can understand it.

You'd have to know what the curriculum covers in his year in order to get the right text books.
Why don't you ask the school for recommendations of a book which will support what they are covering - the teachers may well be using one even if the kids don't all get issued with one. Be very clear that you understand not everyone will have it and it will just be for home use.
At the same time you can say that you find with some homework, it isn't clear where the info is supposed to come from - that is something for the school to sort out.

Penguinsetpandas sorry to bang on about this but the school can’t just exclude him from lessons like this. To exclude him from science practicals is denying him access to the curriculum. I have worked with many ASD students and also partially sighted students and they have all (sometimes with adjustments) done science practicals. What lessons are they removing him for? Was this agreed prior to him starting school / have they involved you / him in the decision making? ASD is a disability and by removing him they are discriminating against him.

Thanks very much. Kitty We moved areas in the summer and new secondary was told about his SEN in July but initially just started him with no support or adjustments. He struggled a lot and we got a couple of days of school refusal. School initially said they didn't have any budget to put any support in place. Called LEA - they are an academy though - and SEND team spoke to school and after that and him running off at school one day and spending an hour alone they put support in place. This was him going to learning hub for selected lessons, no homework unless voluntary, not allowed in science practicals, design tech and one other subject they class as having dangerous equipment. TA with him. This helped but after 4 days they withdrew it and he couldn't cope again.

Reinstated and got much better. Then got himself worked up in a science assessment other day, spent 1.5 hours in corridor, 6 staff came as regarded as dangerous equipment then loads of pupils appeared as changing lessons around 200 and he started screaming. He's been sent home unofficially around 8 times so far and was sent home then - always marked as unauthoritised but they call us demanding we get him. They are seeing Ed Psych today for him. I agreed to him doing some lessons in support hub - non-GCSE ones so not Maths, English, Science, French etc - more drama, dance, computing, art, music, PE. School have banned him from food tech, design and science practicals. I believe he does science practicals alone with a staff member. Head asked me to consider a special school for him - said no as he's bright - SATS are 118/115/108. SENCO has since said they very much want him at the school so don't know if Head was just having a bad day - tbf she said it nicely but clearly pressure to find another school. There is another school which has autism cabins which would be better but he doesn't have official diagnosis yet. He started it and pead said he would be likely to get it and both primary and secondary and previous Ed Psych believe he's ASD. Thanks for your help.

Just asked DS and he says he is not allowed to do science practicals at all. I know they are breaking quite a few rules but trouble is no-one does anything, LEA try but they have no power anymore. Also told to keep him off school on last day of term by Head, SENCO has said to send him in so will do.

I don’t often say this but I would complain to the school - I would also contact some ASD support groups for advice.

I assume from your post he doesn’t have an EHCP?

The school can’t arbitrarily decide to exclude him from essentially half the curriculum- does he want to do art, music, PE, dance, drama, food tech etc? GCSE science requires students to have completed certain core practicals.

I’m shocked at the school tbh they are failing your son and have essentially put him in isolation for a lot of the time where they sound like they are not providing anything meaningful for him to do.

I have worked in mainstream schools with some very challenging students all of whom have accessed all subjects. They are behaving appallingly OP and are discriminating against your ds because of his disability.

Has the school asked your ds what he finds problematic? Is it noise? Sensory overload? Instructions not being broken down into chunks? Etc etc.

How was he in primary? Were lessons differentiated?

How does he feel when put in isolation? How’s he getting on socially?

Thanks Kitty He doesn't have an ECHP, primary managed without anyone other than in y3 and y4 - y3 the Headteacher spent lots of time with him, year 4 full-time TA but improved for y5 and y6 and very little support needed. The school want us/them to apply for EHCP which is fine though I have spoken to area's Ed Pscyh and she thinks he will be under the threshold for getting one but we will see.

I did make one complaint to Head about things and got support reinstated - I also alerted Ofsted and they alerted LEA when he was lost for an hour as he was by a main road. School deny he was lost but DD is in y8 and said a teacher had his things and said they had lost him at 10.45am that day and they say he exited lesson at 9.45am and was found by a main road. They called us at 12 to collect him and he said to me he was alone for around an hour but can't be sure of precise time. Lots of other students were telling DD that school had lost him. Can't be certain but think he probably was lost. Thankfully he wouldn't go on a road but I want them to know where he is. Spoken to LEA SEND team and SENDIASS and they are all very helpful though seem not to have any power.

He wants to do science practicals and food tech but did say he wanted to be alone and wasn't keen on so many subjects so I agreed with them to cut those ones back but not science / food tech. I am concerned about science practicals as he may well take 3 science option - at least its only year 7. The SENCO is quite helpful now, after initially being a bit disinterested, but does seem the Head would prefer to get rid - they've got an outstanding Ofsted and hardly any SEN kids there. I was contacted by another SEN parent with similar and they were encouraged to leave. Most of the time he's just standing in the corner of the room, its far from ideal and can see its disruptive to other kids but just trying to find a solution. Thanks very much.

He won't communicate with school very much but will communicate with me so I can relay messages back to them - sometimes he will tell them what subjects he wants to go into lessons for but about it. I think it was basically too much change at once - so new area, new school, lots of new subjects. He adores our house and wanted to move.

He says its important not to rush friendships but now has a best friend, an Asian very sensible boy, and says he will only work with him and girls as they are more sensible. He sometimes mentions another boy who is friends with. He says he has friends there but to his birthday party he has asked me just to invite 3 friends from his old school. Used to be bothered by noise and has been set off several times by fire alarm at school which seems to go off weekly. He says he wants to be with friends at lunchtime and break and sometimes when he's in Learning Hub he's not allowed that but think normally he is. He watches other boys play football. He says all other kids are nice but says he can't be himself as at all schools kids make fun of you if you are different.

Lessons were differentiated in primary for him - the teacher used to do him versus rest of class too quite a bit and he won the cleverest child in the class award for y6 voted for by his classmates. This school have said he's doing some y11 maths but he reckons he isn't and its all very easy. He's very advanced in maths - did logs at aged 7 and does everything in his head and is getting marked down for not showing workings despite answers being correct. If that's the marking system though, school can't do much and told him he has to show workings.

Not to undermine any of the support being given to fight for your DS's rights to be properly schooled, but to help answer the original question, we really liked the KS3 Activate Oxford Press Science books - for a kid interested in Science, we found them very good (they are not cheap though, unless you can pick them up second hand). Once he has mastered those, there is a natural progression to the Oxford Press GCSE texts (my DS is studying with the AQA board, so we have the AQA ones). There are fewer glossy pictures in the latter, but I have found with my DD (now Year 8), that when she has questions that went beyond the KS3 Activate texts, it can be very nice to be able to access DS's GCSE Oxford texts. A really bright kid like your DS might like having them as well

This is absolutely disgusting. This school is acting dreadfully. I would recommend getting the diagnosis. Then you have a stronger hand to insist on reasonable adjustments. Not that you should need it. Contact local charities for advice and write to your MP.
Do not be fobbed off.
One of the things I get cross about is the 'writing off' of students with autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia etc. I have taught students with a range of needs (also visual and hearing impairments). I teach in a school with much less funding and formalised provision for these things as our numbers with statements don't justify it. Grammar schools tend to be small anyway. Our SEN team is 3 full timers. The lack of support you're being offered shocks and disgusts me. There is nothing in the risk assessment for practicals that would suggest he shouldn't do them.
I would be kicking up a real stink about all of this.
Sorry, for stream of consciousness style of post but my 3 year old woke us up at 4 this morning.

Thanks very much - OP with Xmas name change. I will try and tackle the science practicals though trying to pick battles atm. The ed psych meeting went well and he's been much better past couple of days after senco and I reached a solution. Also very shattered with DD in hospital. I would like to say they get easier - well they do - but then they get harder again. Told DS about the books I ordered and said they are just facts and he was very happy with that.