EHCP and 11+ Exams

[eggsoncrumpets]

Has anyone's child sat 11+ exams with an EHCP in place? Can you tell me if any special adjustments were made / the EHCP helped with them gaining a place? My son has ADHD, likely autism and dyscalculia. He suffers with maths anxiety. He is however way above and beyond his age in literacy and all other subjects. There are two brilliant grammar schools near us that he would love to attend and many of his friends will be. What are his chances of getting in when his maths ability is so poor? He's currently year 5. Thank you

Access arrangements can be given. You will need to contact the school/test administrator for more information on their individual rules.

An EHCP can help with admissions. If the EHCP names the school then the school must admit. Whether DS would be admitted despite poorer maths ability depends on the school, the types of assessments they use and what you mean by poor.

They might be brilliant schools for NT pupils but are they brilliant for children with SEN. ds1 (had an EHCP for social, emotional and behavioural difficulties) did the 11-plus for one near us and they point-blank refused to put in any support for him despite him passing it with flying colours.

I would investigate very, very carefully before letting your ds sit the exam. We were very angry in our case because we had expressly asked whether they would be prepared to accept ds1 before letting him sit the exam. The truth was they assumed he would fail so we had to deal with the aftermath of telling a child who knew he had passed the exam that they did not want him at the school.

It depends a great deal on the school. We are in SE London near Kent and I used to teach in one of the super-selective girls' grammars in nearby West Kent. We didn't have much support for SEN (it may be better now) however, the general atmosphere was quite supportive and good for what used to be described as "high functioning" DC. The boys' grammar in the town has an ASD unit. So it will be a case of speaking to the SENCO at each school and also ideally you would find parents' groups for ASD for the area and ask their school experiences. Also get the past papers from the school websites and have someone expert (maths tutor or teacher) look them over in the light of what your son can manage from them.

I don't think they'd make exceptions other than extra time because everyone has to pass the 11+ at the required score to gain a place. So if there is a maths aspect to these particular 11+ tests then I think this is a non starter (how is he on those non verbal reasoning ones?) If everyone else in the school has passed the maths at the required score then they'd need to teach him one-to-one if he's at a totally different level and realistically, a grammar school's not going to be doing that. They have large classes and rely on DC being able to cope in those.

But the school admissions guidance for each school will answer your questions I think and if it doesn't, you should phone admissions and ask.

Other access arrangements as well or instead of extra time are possible, just like they are for SATS or GCSEs.