help (again)! got letter from school re NC levels and i smell a big rat

[bjkmummy]

further from my post yesterday about my daughter being made to redo her tests - i sent a letter in today and asked what her results were (didnt mention that i knew about the re testing) but did mention that daughter had said she was a 2B - she is in year 5 - this is what was said-

wanted to see what she was capable with no support and then supported in the tests. i used the year 4 QCA tests as the wording is less challenging for her to decipher. she achieved a level 2b unaided in reading assessments. then with aid of a scribe and someone to keep her concentration (prompting her to read the questions and the booklet when her concentration was waning) she achieved a 4c . i have teacher assessed her as a 3b as realistically she will not always have someone to prompt her in concentration also her speed of reading meant that she did not finish within the designated time although i allowed her extra time and assessed her on that.

she completed a math QCA test. again used year 4 tests as language is less challenging. she was allowed to ask for help on any questions she did not understand. she achieved a 2a in the test. i feel she should have achieved better than this but under pressure in the test and lacking in confidence in herself she did not complete correctly many of the sums she has knowledge of. for this reason i have assessed her as a 2a/3c

we are working on positive praise to bring up her self comfidence in this area. on many occasions recently she has been saying she cannot do things because she is dyslexic or blaming her dyslexia for things taht happen. at school we are trying very hard to improve her self confidence and remind her that some things are more difficult and challenging when you are dyslexic but never impossible'

why are they giving her year 4 tests? when she is year 5? i get the feeling that its only cos i said my daughter told me she was a 2b that the school have come clean and would have and probably will give the tribunal the higher marks and in reality what are the tribunal going to make of this - will they accept that shes making good progress? the reading test has shot through the roof in the sense that in the last term she has made 3 points progress if you take teh schools score - if you take the first score with no help then she has dropped 3 points - so which is it? the testing done by dyslexia action and her dyslexia teacher put her on the 2nd centile whereas school are now trying to say shes up there with her peers which clearly she isnt!

Personally, I'd submit it now. It might just stop the LA in their tracks.

As the Tribunal is supposed to be working in the best interests of the child (which we all now is a load of bullshit as far as LAs are concerned) it should be declared as soon as it came to light. You might have more of a chance of getting it allowed as late evidence if you show your hand immediately.

But wait until the school is on Easter hols.

yes think thats what i will do - wait until they are on holiday on friday. im also expecting a letter within the next week from the tribunal re a phone call checking where we are all are at - its a bit like de ja vu as last time when i was at this stage when they phone i had just submitted a change of school which the tribunal hadnt yet picked up and here we go again asking for orders at the last minute! the LA are still silent and not heard a peep now for quite a few weeks from them - i really thought they would try and get it adjourned due to the reports in the final evidence but nothing yet but still time yet i guess.

That is exactly why you do not use NC levels that are 'made up' by teachers to assess rate of progress. tbh I think schools cease to give accurate feedback and actually like the fact that progress is flat before applying for SA because this gives space for 'progress' as justification for refusal.

you are probably right keep - the issue now is that if you take the first test which is her normal level she has gone down not up - if you take the one with all the help where it sounds the TA basically sat the test for her she has made about 2 years progress in a term! thankfully I took your advice and got the dyslexia teacher to do standardised assessments with her - this showed no improvement on her reading whatsoever.

I just hope that the tribunal see straight through all of this rubbish - I am at a loss with the school now , I am so disappointed in what they have done but im stuck - even if I get the assessment then we have to now go through the assessment etc so im stuck with the school to the end of year 6 and all of the rubbish they will throw at us between now and then.

deep breath time I think - this is exactly the same stress I was put under last time once the final evidence deadline passed - I dealt with worse then so I can get through this as well

This is why schools/LAs focus on NC levels. As parents, despite being told that our child is not bad enough for years, we have confidence when applying for SA where progress is flat and has been for years. Once tribunal is around the corner, the school suddenly try to pull the rug from under your feet by announcing amazing progress. Parent's confidence collapses etc. It is a game. You have much better evidence - more appropriate than NC for a child with dyslexia, more sensitive to particular problems and more objective.

I didn't use NC levels at all during both Tribunals. In fact it was never mentioned. Both Tribunals was about DS's chronological age, how far below his chronological age he was, and his lack of progression/failure to close the gap with his peers and his chronological age. Also much discussed was his percentiles.

But not a single word was said about NC levels. In fact, it was only when I read MNSN that I realised most posters were talking about NC levels when it came to Tribunals.

With what's been going on at the school, you have a very strong case to argue during the Tribunal that NC should not be used to show her level because you have proof that they are fluctuating so much so aren't a true representation of DD's difficulties. Send the teacher's letter in as late evidence and then during the Tribunal, use it to show that the teachers have no idea what her real NC scores are - hence the need for SA.

During Tribunal, to prove her real difficulties, try to stick to the chronological age, the percentiles and that the gap is increasing between her and her peers.

It's always been the LA/ school that have quoted the NC levels. The dyslexia report is in centiles /ages which the LA have ignored and just gone for the NC levels. All of my reports are in centiles and all of them show how far behind she is. But again the LA have just ignored them. I need to chillax as my evidence is overwhelming and clearly shows she is behind. At the end of the day all I'm asking for is an assessment! What made me really angry is the LA response to tribunal where they said well no pint doing an assessment cos she won't get a statement anyway - how on earth would they know that until she had been assessed - that's how adamant they are that she won't be assessed and I will end up at tribunal, which I have known all along hence why I've pressed ahead to get the evidence.

Are schools allowed to offer scribes for English tests? I thought it wasn't allowed because it means that it's not an accurate test of spelling and grammar.

Scribe rules

Well, there is no writing test any more, and scribes can be used for reading and SPAG tests if this normally happens in the classroom or they break their arm or something.

In many ways, the run-up to the appeal for refusal to assess is much more stressful that the run-up to appealing parts of a Statement.

Least if you are "just" appealing the contents of Statement, you know that at worse, you still have a Statement. But with refusal to assess (and I suspect, a NIL), you are starting on the basis that you have nothing. So it is horrendous because receiving "nothing" is why your appealing in the first place. And "nothing" isn't an option.

I found refusal far more stressful and traumatic then appealing the contents. My LA was also at its devious and morally corrupt worse - although they managed to stay within the law that time (But only just - LGO refused to investigate my complaint about their incorrect dating of letters when the LA conceded refusal to assess because it was too long ago).

Keep on going bjk - we're all behind you

i guess im doing it back to front after doing a full blown part 2 3 and 4 last year for an indie placement and I agree that this is by far even more frustrating as the games about her levels etc are being played. my LA are dreadfully quiet given the games they played earlier on - its been a month I think now since I last heard a peep out of them - they've got to come out and play soon im guessing and im betting its going to be next week just before easter. theres been no offer of mediation yet or a little meeting. but even if I win this I would absolutely put money on a NIL and I will be back here by Christmas for the next tribunal

done a bit of digging and re the late evidence - my paperwork states that no late evidence without the permission of the tribunal so as long as I get permission and that the late evidence is relevant theni can give it a go getting it in now.

if the final bundle had been sent out then likely the tribunal would send my late evidence back to me - I have I reckon about 10 days before the bundle gets here so im mid way drafting my form to the tribunal and will email it to them either later today or first thing on Monday morning cc in the LA of course. my concern is with the tribunal is that they can be slow picking things up and if I email it, it may not get onto the file asap for a decision to be made.

my directions also said I would be contacted w/c 3/4 to discuss progression of the case but I haven't heard anything from them so may phone the tribunal tomorrow and just see if this is going to happen especially as its now half term here and things will be a bit manic with all of the children at home.