Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

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

Original poster

Appealing being in the bottom class

80 replies

Stressmess · 27/08/2023 14:06

My DD is due to start secondary School shortly. She has dyslexia. The School she has got in to takes in to account scores from their primary School and then does their own test what she wasn't allowed extra time or assistance with. They then group them from class 1 to class 10. 10 classes which all get the same work then this bottom class. It seems all the ones going from her primary school have all ended up in higher classes. I don't know what this is going to do to her confidence and self esteem when she finds this out.

The 10 classes all do the same work and are eligible for mainstream GSCEs. While this bottom class will be doing differentiated work and will not be eligible for mainstream GCSEs. It just feels like she has been written off before she has even started. Although she has dyslexia, she is keen and a good worker. This will effect her whole life, if she doesn't get proper GCSEs, she isn't going to get in to a good job.

We are meeting with the SENCO shortly. Has anyone been in this situation? Can we appeal this or do we just have to go with the schools decision? I would be very happy for her to move one class to the lower average and work hard to prove herself.

OP posts:
Pumpkindoodles · 27/08/2023 15:23

Just wanted to say this happened to a friends DC. For them it wasn’t that they couldn’t sit GCSEs, but the class moved so slowly, and had so many disruptive children, that they couldn’t possibly learn enough to pass anything.
I absolutely would appeal this.

Cognitivedisonance · 27/08/2023 15:33

OP I understand your concerns. My daughter had to be moved into a PRU because she couldn’t cope socially in a big school. It felt awful for us both , but actually she ended up doing very very well and went on to begin a successful career.
if your daughter has been placed in a small class offering intense support at the beginning it may be exactly what she needs and should provide an opportunity to catch up and move into the mainstream classes later. And if they don’t do this, you can still encourage her to study hard on the core subjects and pay for her to sit them. All isn’t lost. On the level of her socially feeling isolated and the effect on her self esteem which I feel may be your primary concern, how you manage this and the language you use is key. Ensure that her twin and friends from primary are encouraged to continue to socialise with her at all breaks and outside school and explain that no one’s really supposed to chat in lessons anyway so it doesn’t matter who’s in the room then. Adopt a ‘see what it’s like , give it a chance, you’ll probably enjoy it’ attitude to her placement and make sure to check in with the SENCO and built rapport with them so that if she does manage to improve her scores she’ll be on the radar to get promoted to higher sets.

clary · 27/08/2023 15:39

So do you mean it is a private school OP Or are you not in England?

If a private school, I would certainly not be paying for that service. It's utterly ridiculous to make a GCSE decision like this before the child is even at the school.

If not in England, I'm less sure tbh, as I don't know so much about schooling systems in other countries.

Original poster
Stressmess · 27/08/2023 15:40

Pumpkindoodles · 27/08/2023 15:23

Just wanted to say this happened to a friends DC. For them it wasn’t that they couldn’t sit GCSEs, but the class moved so slowly, and had so many disruptive children, that they couldn’t possibly learn enough to pass anything.
I absolutely would appeal this.

That is my worry. I remember when I was at School, the bottom class. It was mostly males and ones that didn't want to learn and just messed about. I don't know, maybe things have changed in all these years?

Yes she has dyslexia but is keen and is a good worker when she puts her mind to it. I just worry that this could end up setting her back.

OP posts:
grass321 · 27/08/2023 15:45

While this bottom class will be doing differentiated work and will not be eligible for mainstream GCSEs.

Do you mean foundation only GCSEs? They're still 'mainstream' GCSEs, just that the maximum grade is a 5.

As PP have said, they'll be a lot of movement before GCSEs so I'd not worry.

Issummernearlyover · 27/08/2023 15:56

My DD who is severely dyslexic was put in the bottom form and bottom set for everything.

The school didn't recognise that she was really bright until KS4.

She has just gained her second degree and got the best A levels of all her siblings.

I had to fight for her academic abilities to be recognised though.

QuillBill · 27/08/2023 16:10

It sounds like a terribly inflexible school. And quite possibly just terrible.

My DD's secondary did the CATS before the summer holidays . They went for three days. Induction and CAT tests.

There was loads of movement though. People were moved up and down all of the time,

clary · 27/08/2023 16:41

@Stressmess is it a private school? Is it possible that the school stops weaker students taking GCSEs because they will bring the stats down? Tbh tho I don't know of any that do this. And especially not at this stage.

Is "mainstream GCSEss" the school's phrase or yours? Is it possible that foundation levels are meant as @grass321 suggests? Tho F is only available for maths, science and MFL - not English, for example.

Something about this is very odd and not adding up to me. I m hoping it is that the OP has massively misunderstood tbh.

ittakes2 · 27/08/2023 17:11

I think something is terribly wrong if your daughter's dyslexia is so bad they put her in this class....and yet she doesn't haven't have any special exam considerations.
Who decided she had dyslexia? If this was an education physiologist go back to them and ask what they recommend for her re special exam considerations - if she has not seen one worth paying for one privately if you can afford it.

cansu · 27/08/2023 17:21

Is it possible that you have got this wrong in some respects? I have never heard of any school that would stream children for every single subject and limit students access to GCSE at the start of year 7. What school is it?

CurlewKate · 27/08/2023 17:26

@Stressmess What sort of school is it? Did she do SATS?

Original poster
Stressmess · 27/08/2023 17:27

My DD was diagnosed with dyslexia around age 7. This is a formal diagnosis by an educational psychologist who came in to the School and assessed her.

This is not a private School and no I have not misunderstood anything. My DH queried with the Senco on the phone about why she didn't have extra time or adjustments made and they said there were no allowances. Every child going to the School has to take this test

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 27/08/2023 17:28

Did she sit SATs?

Original poster
Stressmess · 27/08/2023 17:30

Sorry I don't know what SATS are or CATS are. We don't do them here.

OP posts:
CurlewKate · 27/08/2023 17:33

@Stressmess "Sorry I don't know what SATS are or CATS are. We don't do them here"

Ah. I'm pretty sure you need to ignore everything anyone's said on here then, I'm sorry. It's all based on the UK school system.

jonglejingle · 27/08/2023 17:34

Whereabouts are you, OP?

itsgettingweird · 27/08/2023 17:41

Do you mean there are 300 students approx across 10 classes. And the. A separate class of students out with this?

If so are the other 10 ability streamed?

To me (just from how you've explained or though I may be wrong) it sounds like your DD has been put into a separate group of students who have send. So like an alternative resource base within the school year and these students follow a different curriculum?

Thing with dyslexia (as you'll know) is that following a gcse curriculum of study often is t the problem. It's the finding a way to deliver it to her and support her to answer the questions. So many people who are dyslexic are also higher than average IQ.

I would definitely meet with the sendco and find out. Then email to confirm what's been discussed.

And if you aren't happy with this schools approach I'd look into moving her asap when term starts.

PastTheGin · 27/08/2023 17:42

I used to work in a school with a similar system, I thought it was absolutely awful. Children were pigeon holed from day one and there was next to no movement between classes. Maybe your school manages this better, but I would not be happy with this situation and the determinism behind it at all.

waltzwithme · 27/08/2023 17:44

Are you in the UK?

Jenn3112 · 27/08/2023 17:47

Agree you need advice from some local parents of SEN kids as most people on here are in the UK.

Hellocatshome · 27/08/2023 17:48

So if you are in say class 1 do you stay in class 1 for every subject? The whole thing sounds bonkers.

Saschka · 27/08/2023 17:51

OP, it sounds like you might be in Northern Ireland? Based on your child sitting GCSEs but not KS2 SATS.

It would be useful to clarify, as the two education systems vary quite a bit.

Jackydaytona · 27/08/2023 17:51

Stressmess · 27/08/2023 15:40

That is my worry. I remember when I was at School, the bottom class. It was mostly males and ones that didn't want to learn and just messed about. I don't know, maybe things have changed in all these years?

Yes she has dyslexia but is keen and is a good worker when she puts her mind to it. I just worry that this could end up setting her back.

Show quote history

So, work at home with her?

Try www.engagingeyes.co.uk
Or apples and pears workbooks

My dc was also written off in y3...currently at an RG University

Some schools are just crap for spld

Iusedtoliveinsanfrancisco · 27/08/2023 17:54

If they won’t switch then take her out of that school.

12345change · 27/08/2023 17:55

Stressmess · 27/08/2023 17:27

My DD was diagnosed with dyslexia around age 7. This is a formal diagnosis by an educational psychologist who came in to the School and assessed her.

This is not a private School and no I have not misunderstood anything. My DH queried with the Senco on the phone about why she didn't have extra time or adjustments made and they said there were no allowances. Every child going to the School has to take this test

I would challenge that no adjustments were made for dyslexia - I have a dd who is dyslexic and asking her to do an assessment with adjustments is like asking someone who wears glasses not to wear them during the assessment!

It is simply unacceptable.