How much support goes a TA give?

[jinglymum]

We are currently battling with the council over secondary provision for my brother we believe specialist education would be better for him, council disagree, we are going to tribunal. He is due to take his sats in the coming months, He has told us his TA reads the question and then explains what he has to do and helps him to do it, surely this is too much support? Should she be only reading the question to him and letting him get on with the rest himself? Also would it be possible for one of the family to sit in whilst he takes his sats, to ensure this isn't the case?

Thanks for any help

I can't imagine they will let a family member sit in during the testing. But I'm not sure about the TA's level of support (as our DS2 is only 5yo, so we haven't actually faced this issue yet). I'm sure someone will be along soon that can give you more info.

It sounds too much, but then what are his needs? Explaining how to do something doesn't sound right, but 'helping' him maybe means scribing or something like that?

Ok, I am a Y6 1:1 TA, about to see my charge do his SATs. In Maths you are allowed to read the questions to the child, but not help them in any other way, except to keep them on task, by reminding them to keep going. If he has a scribe, they can write what the child dictates.

In Literacy, I can keep him on task by prompting him to keep going. I can't read any of the reading booklet or questions to him. In writing I cannot read the questions or help at all, except for prompting him to remain on task. If he has a scribe, they can write what the child dictates. If a child has spellings that are very difficult to decipher, I can read through the work with the child at the end and transcribe any difficult to decipher words, such as baati for beauty, if it's not clear from the context.

Whoops sorry just noticed my mistake in the title, apologies.

He doesn't have any diagnosis, generally slow learner, school denied any problems up until last year, he now gets 20 hours one to one per week and one afternoon taken out to a specialist group in another school. He is certain he gets more help than reading the question, he said she tells him what to do, which will certainly give him a higher level on the sats than he would otherwise get.

No she doesn't scribe for him, he is able to do so himself.

Thank you for replies

It is def illegal for a family member to sit in.

It is also illegal for a TA to read the any part of reading paper (including the questions)

If he's working below a level 3 he shouldn't really be sitting the paper anyway.

She may well be helping him as you describe in class but as others have stated here she won't do so during the SATs.

I would hope she would make it quite clear to him well in advance exactly what she can help with and what she can't... or he will be not only unprepared, but possibly very upset

Well in March he was working at a level 2b, and they are putting him in for sats, we just really don't trust the school, I know it sounds silly but they have done so many things in the past that lead us not to trusting them.

I guess we will just have to ask him during the sats, how much support he is getting. Thank you for your help.

Why don't you just call the school and ask them how they intend to run the sats for him, so you can help him prepare and understand the expectations?

School should be able to state exactly as others have above, what help he is allowed to have. You should also (afaik, but our system is lastly different) have signed something to say/apply for the additional support during testing. (or is that schools in uk? Here the parent and the school have to apply for additionals support/ time is sats?)

I get that you don't trust them, but tbh you do need both sides of the story before you make your minds up.

There is no way you would be allowed to sit in as a monitor. You could be influencing the result in the opposite direction, all equally problematic.

I didn't even know that my ds was being given help in the SAT's until he mentioned it to us afterwards. No doubt it was just to help improve the schools results. They pulled his support for Science which didn't count for their figures

I'd warn any secondary school that this is happening so he can be retested at the start of year 7. One of my Mum's jobs was to retest the new secondary intake as local primaries were so creative with their SATS results when she was a sec teacher.

If you get legal aid for Tribunal you can also get an independant ed pysch - an independant view of his attainment levels may be VERY revealing to a Tribunal panel

If he's working at a level 2 I'd ask for h

If he's working at a level 2 I'd ask for him to not sit the tests.

Ask on the primary board, and they'll point you to the doc that says level 2 kids shouldn't sit the tests.

Google KS2 access arrangements for the doc clarifying what support he's allowed.

It's so complicated, the named secondary school in his statement wrote to the council saying he would not be able to cope in their school and placing him there would be "setting him up to fail". We have a letter from next county special school stating he would fit in lovely there, then we have current primary and la saying main stream. He is adopted and has a birth sibling at the local specialist school, we were happy for them to mix and be at school together, council not, so looking out of county.

We dont qualify for legal aid, but will look into a private one, any ideas how to find one?

Thanks for help really appreciate it.