Year 9 parents evening, optons time and not done well in first GCSE module.

[EccentricaGallumbits]

DD is distraught. She got her first GCSE science result today and got a D.

Now my first thought is to go to parents evening, punch her science teacher and blame them entirely for this.

That is perhaps not the best plan on how should I tackle it?

I thought I'd ask if someone can go through the paper with her and tell he where she has fallen short.

Also it will be interesting to see f they are actually aware of her dyslexia. Not that this is an excuse but she wasn't offered any extra time for the exam and I have at each previous parents evening had to tell many of her teachers she is dyslexic and that is why she can't spell.

I also want to know why one of the 2 teachers only dictates from textbook and doesn't appear able to control rowdy pupils but he's stuck in Portugal. Would it be not the done thing to ask the teacher who will be there this?

And DD now thinks that not only can she not resit this module they may not let her do separate sciences and only the diploma (over my dead body).

You need to check with someone who knows at the school if she can resit, I'd be surprised if she couldn't.
My lad resat a maths module and he's Y10. He's ASD, no statement and gets extra time and a prompt. The school applied for it from the examination board and the permission covers him til July 2011. So you might need to get your stomping boots out and go in with an agenda to get them to set up necessary support tailored to her needs. Doesn't she have an IEP with a dx of dyslexia? If so, every teacher in contact with her should know and make provision for her.
Punching and blaming will be less effective.

Oh poor you.

I am probably not much help, but dd has just (last month) been diagnosed with dyslexia, and she is having an IEP written, which dictates that she is to have 25% extra time in exams.

The school seems to have a very good SEN dept (after me slagging the school off on a thread a couple of months ago) and they seem very thorough.

It does seem wierd that you have to tell teachers that she is dyslexic - seems that communiucation is not that hot.

Perhaps it is the school ethos? DD used to go to a very academic selective school - her dyslexia was not diagnosed until her new (bog standard crappy comp) school. She had just been considered a 'slow' reader. I think that because her new school has a higher % of kids with SEN, they are more 'on the ball' with dioagnosing, and working with kids with extra needs.

Poor dd though. If I were you I would push for a resit, and extra time in exams if

School is shite. Has been fine (apart from ignoring the dyslexia) for DD1 so far but utterly crap with DD2.

Will be having words.

If it is shite and disorganised, you can achieve a lot by being well-informed as to your daughter's rights and entitlements, and insisting that they do their job.
If they are unsure what that is, have a list of specifics that you expect them to put in place and stay calm and rational and focused on what you want to achieve. Record everything in writing, take notes in any meetings and rephrase things back to them "So what you are saying is..."
Look for assistance outside the school framework, the inclusion team for example.
If they are truly shite, can you move her?

As hard as it is perhaps your daughter needs to take some of the responsibility for HER exam result. It is very easy to blame the school but it is never that simple. You obviously need to tackle some questions with them such as extra time and they should go through the papers as a matter of course but she also needs to understand how to do better. If you make her belive the fault is all someone elses then what life lesson is that teaching her?

Agree with the words, maybe holding back on the punching?!

( When I first typed that I had written lunching)

I've told her that this is a sign that she needs to work differently/harder next time. she knows that too. She's a dear old thing and no trouble at all and does work hard so it's extra painful to see her all upset. Just that mums instinct is to automatically shift the blame and want to punch someone for making my baby cry.
She's OK this morning (it's her birthday) and we'll see what her options are tonight at parent's evening.

For your DD

thanks.

If you go in with " how can we all stop this happening again" attitude you will get further than with "what are you going to do about it" attitude. If you have concerns about the teacher then you need to raise that separately with thye head although they are probably already aware if there is a problem. If it is a Physics teacher then you will get nowhere. They are in such short supply that schools have no choice but to employ ones they would prefer not to as there is no choice.

The school ignore the dyslexia diagnosis from primary shool until I pointed it out, then they spent a while retesting her, came up with the same conclusion but she's not bad enough to need an IEP, however - if it is affecting the results she gets i will be requesting one.

teacher stuck in portugal isn't an issue - just wanted to drop it in following the 'rubbish excuses teachers use to get an extra day off when it isn't snowing' - type thread which made me smile.

Dd complaining that her class is rowdy and disruptive is an issue though.

I also think a permanent mark at yr 9 affecting grades expected at yr 11 is a bit crap.

and i sincerely hope getting a crap grade will be a bit of a wake-up call for her and she'll learn that she needs to work harder.

I would be very surprised if a school enters students in year 9 for an exam with no possibility of a resit.

Also extra time in exams is not automatic. When was she last tested?