dyslexia and independent school applications

[Polly83]

Looking for advice about children with dyslexia and their private school applications.

My son is 8 and his primary school thinks he may have ‘mild’ dyslexia. They have told us that if we want a formal diagnosis then we must get a private assessment. We are unsure whether to go down that route.

He is very able at maths, science and is verbally very confident. He is a good reader but struggles with writing and spelling. Our first choice Independent secondary school, where his older brother is, is a tier 2 traditional public school (think Charterhouse, Wellington and Rugby etc) but we are concerned about how to handle the application process with a dyslexia diagnosis.

Essentially, do we get a formal diagnosis or not?

The advantage is that he may get extra time in the entrance exams, however the fact of the diagnosis may count against him at the application stage.

Does anyone have any experience of dyslexia and applications to similar independent schools?

In my experience, if they discriminate against him at the application stage then that is the not the school you want for your child. Find a school that will welcome your son wholeheartedly. I would get a private EP assessment done if you think he may need extra support, because the demands on him will only increase as he goes through secondary school. It is then up to you whether you share the results of that assessment with anyone else.

Definitely look at Rugby - they have a really good SEN centre onsite and are dyslexia friendly.

We looked at it for DD and were very impressed. One of the other parents on our tour had a son in 6th form with severe dyslexia and said they had been absolutely brilliant with him.

Ultimately we ended up going state (we weren't at a prep so needed to move at Y7, and were in the Covid years from Y6-Y8) and the school we picked couldn't be more perfect for DD - but Rugby would have been the top choice of all the indies that we looked at (although the old style uniform was sooo much nicer for the girls!)

It sounds like a great time to get an Ed Psych report and find out what your DS struggles with and what support will help him. You can then make sure you get the right environment for him - which can save you a lot of headaches further down the academic path. A lot of DC start to be diagnosed around the 8-9 year old mark - this is when some start to find the change in pace challenging. Bruern Abbey is an excellent prep for dyslexic boys - it sends many on to mainstream senior choices.

If you don't get him assessed, that's extra months/years of him struggling and not getting the help he needs. You would be choosing to disadvantage him.

DS2 is dyslexic and has ADHD, he's doing just in fine in an independent school, was awarded a generous scholarship based on his entrance exam and is flying academically.

If the school would discriminate against him for this, why on earth do you think it's a suitable place for him to attend.

We got DD assessed at a similar age, it has been so useful. We were able to take it to school admission registrars and SENCOs (state and private) and the reactions were very helpful in making a decision. One private (but lower tier) said no outright. Well we dodged a bullet there. The school we eventually chose (small private) welcomed her and her report with open arms, put in all the necessary support, it has made getting extra time for GCSEs and A levels easy too.

I am in the USA, but I think my experience sounds similar to that in the UK. My dd has dyslexia (not "mild" - if that's even a thing) and dyscalculia. I got her privately assessed multiple times over the years as her needs changed as she got older. I highly recommend doing this. Her state elementary school and the private elementary school we switched her to, were both completely useless and did not give her any of the recommended accommodations (despite demanding the testing in the first place), her middle (private) and high schools (State) did. Her performance (and engagement in learning) was sooo much better when she got accommodations. As it happened, the testing also identified her as highly gifted, so we really knew how much she could achieve if properly accommodated. She is now doing a second senior year (different subject) at University and excelling in her classes to the point where she didn't even bother to ask for accommodations this quarter because she had figured out how to manage it herself.

As a PP mentioned, please DO NOT send your ds to a school that is not welcoming if he needs accommodations. It's a waste of time (and money) and traumatic for the child.

Definitely go for it - will help at the 11+ or 13+. Private schools are very on the ball with dyslexia these days and as others have said if the odd one isn't then you need to know so you don't send your child there.

For us if dyslexia was a turn off for the school then it was for us. Ds has ASD as well and ditto (one school said when I spoke to admissions ‘that type of boy won’t do well at all’…end of that avenue for sure). We have avoided hot house type schools but focused on ones where results remain very strong but there are some lower pass grades grades so that ds doesn’t feel a ‘failure’ for not achieving all 9s.

Dyslexia is very common so most schools can manage it without difficulty. DS is at a very academic prep school and looking at senior schools we mostly haven’t encountered any difficulties due to dyslexia. DS really benefited from typing/using iPad and then Chromebook earlier than most dc at the school, had some extra English input in yrs 3-5 and allowances made in the ghastly weekly spelling tests. School organised extra time for exams, not that ds ever uses it…

I would organise a private assessment.

Get an assesssment. The extra time he would be awarded may make such a difference to his grades. Schools are not biased against children with dyslexia any long unless they are rubbish old fashioned schools and in that case he would be better off not attending! If his struggle is great enough to get a diagnosis then he needs the help he is legally entitled to in extra time. And the understanding that he will gain about his own brain and learning.

I would echo what @RedPanda2022 said. All the schools will say they are supportive but they really aren’t.
Get the EHCP and then go to the open morning and speak to the SEN directly. Schools are a lot more honest when they are chatting 1 2 1 and not via email.
I actually appreciated the honesty of some schools who told me that if it was anything more than mild, he would struggle at that school. I don’t want my child to be in a school that won’t support his needs. There are lots of amazing indie schools out there that are truly inclusive and get great results

My child has dyslexia and is now at public school. My advice would be that you should get an Educational Psychologist report and go and see the SENCO at the schools you are interested in. You do not want your child to either a) not be supported if they start to find things difficult and b) you want to have an understanding of if they really want your child and that this is not going to be an "issue". My experience was it was a total spectrum of both experience of the SENCOs and attitude. You do not get that from the open days or glossy brochures or websites. Having the Ed Psych report will be useful information and will help guide.

I would echo all the above and get the private assessment. I have three children in private school now, one with dyslexia and dyspraxia. He is academic so with coping strategies was well able to pass the 7+ for the selective school he’s at. The school knew of the assessment, saw the reports, and were very confident he’d do well. That’s proved to be true and he has had amazing support from day one. The SEN team at the school are very used to dyslexia, screen every single child for dyslexia in their first term (apparently many bright 7/8 year olds will have successfully cooed / masked but will need support later) and overall the school think they have about 20% of pupils with some element of know neurodiversity. This is a pretty academic school (the most selective in our area, albeit nothing like as selective as London schools I think) but non boarding.

Before moving to the current school, he was at our local state primary. It was a nice school but they said they would not test for dyslexia / dyspraxia because he was successful in all the academic targets and therefore it was not their policy to test. I’m so glad I got him assessed privately! He then moved schools and got all the support described.

So overall, I’d say definitely get the assessment and be open about that when engaging with the school.

I’m not sure about dyslexia alone, but the combo of dyslexia and dyspraxia has definitely meant my son has been slower at his ability to self organise. He’s really not bad now, but I’d say that in terms of kit and organisation, that’s what he’s found hardest (not the school / academic work side). There’s an awful lot of kit and books in and out of lockers for his school, plus to and from the music Dept for music lessons (over on the senior school site), so essential for him was the school letting him have step by step plans for organisation (which the SEN teacher prepared with him) pinned inside his form room desk and locker when he joined in yr 3. I’d definitely be thinking carefully about that side of things and how the school will help if you are looking at boarding.