Dyslexia and access arrangements

[LionAndEmperor13]

My daughter (y7) was diagnosed as having dyslexia 2 years ago.
Primary school were happy to give her 25% extra time for SATS. She definitely needs extra time, especially in English comprehension, as her reading is slow and needs more time to process.

I have just been told by new secondary school that she's been assessed with a dyslexia screener (no idea why, as he already had a formal diagnosis), and the results show that she is in the 'average' range for everything. While I'm extremely happy that she's progressing so well, I don't quite believe it. (especially the spelling - she can't even spell Mummy correctly.

I haven't been shown the actual test, just the results.
School are now saying that

1. they are unable to give her extra time for in-class assessments, due to practical considerations and staffing issues
2. she doesn't need extra time anyway, due to the recent results.

This means she definitely won't get any extra time in GCSE exams as no precedent will have been set for her 'normal way of working'.

I'm reluctant to believe that she's achieved these results, and I think school are doing this to avoid having to make any special arrangements for him.

Any idea what I can do please?

Have you spoken to the SENCO?

You can see the access arrangements for public exams such as GCSEs here. Secondary schools often use these rules for younger years in order to gather evidence/a picture of needs.

For those without an EHCP with dyslexia, having a diagnosis is not enough to get extra time. It is about the standardised scores for speeds of working. Hence why further testing is undertaken. Further testing after the beginning of Y9 would need doing again for GCSEs. If DD (or DS? You change between he and she) is in the average range for all the areas, extra time is unlikely to be granted. In ‘rare and very exceptional circumstances’ it can be given if there is a cluster just inside the average range (90-94) and there is a body of supportive evidence.

If you have asked the school for the tests and they have refused, you could make a subject access request to get the data if you wish.

Have other access arrangements been looked at? For example, spelling difficulties are more commonly supported via other access arrangements such as a word processor with spell check enabled.

BTW it is still possible to establish normal way of working even if EAA aren’t provided in Y7.

but not for extra time though, surely?

A picture of need and normal way of working can still be established for all EAA including extra time.

The Senco is saying that she wouldn't be eligible for any exam access arrangements now, based on the results of this latest screener.
I just don't see how a simple screener can cancel out a formal diagnosis.
It's as though they're saying she's been 'healed' and no longer has dyslexia!
It also infuriates me, as she's worked so hard, and now it seems there will be no provision for extra time at all. It worries me for GCSEs.

As I posted in my first post, JCQ’s guidance explains extra time is not about having a dyslexia diagnosis. A diagnosis of dyslexia alone does not automatically qualify someone for extra time. It is about the standardised scores. Someone can be dyslexic and not qualify for extra time. This is why new testing is undertaken. For extra time for GCSEs, testing would be undertaken again after the start of Y9 in order to complete a Form 8.

This doesn’t cancel out the diagnosis, though. Unless the school has said more than you have posted, they are not saying she is healed or not dyslexic. They are saying the standardised scores do not meet the criteria as per JCQ’s EAA guidance.

The threshold for extra time changed a few years ago.

DD has severe dyslexia and was diagnosed back in Y3 (now Y11). She can't spell at all, didn't read till she was 7 and still struggles now. She's also high IQ so it's been a massive problem for her.

She initially qualified for extra time due to having one score under 84. They then changed it to having two qualifying scores under 84 - which initially looked like it would be a real problem, especially as DD had had extra time for the previous 6 years.

School seemed to think they would have enough evidence and other low scores to back it up. Then she had the ADHD diagnosis confirmed so the combo ticked the box.

Worth talking to school about further testing.

May be worth asking them to have an extra 10/15 mins to finish off tests/end of term assessments etc that she does in another coloured pen so they can compare and see whether she is in need of it or not.
my school did this years ago when I did my GCSE’s and it really helped for evidence purposes