Underachieving in year 5

[CaptainHarville]

My son is in year 5 and behind in most areas of the curriculum. His handwriting is terrible and he just doesn't write anything like enough to achieve well because he finds writing so hard. His level of written work is apparently year 3 standard. Anyway year 6 is looming and I'm really concerned about KS2 tests. He will not meet the required target because of his SEN even with extra time. School is persisting with him handwriting work when to me it seems a lost cause. They insist it's improving but I'm struggling to see it. I want him typing or using speech recognition software. Is this a reasonable expectation?

School really don't seem to like this. Is handwriting part of the test? If I pull him from the tests what impact does this mean for the school?

What does the ed psyc recommend he use?

He last saw and ed psyc when he was diagnosed aged nearly 8. She thought typing was the answer. School have really pushed the writing and his latest report that they have had done says it is much improved and he is catching up his peers. Part of the issue is gross motor skills and when I see him with his younger bother on playground equipment its obvious that he is definitely physically quite awkward. Latest report recommends strengthening exercises which we will try and do over the summer.

I just find the whole thing a bit inconsistent. According to his school report his reading is around the level of a child in Year 4. But the tests run by an SEN teacher has his reading accuracy at age 15.9 and his comprehension in the average range for those texts. So he can read something much harder than your average 10 year old but not quite understand it which is to be expected.

He is difficult in that he will refuse to do work, if he gets to a question he can't do he won't skip it and do the next one he just stops working. He won't explain any of his thought processes so in maths just tells you the answer but can't or won't say how he got there. He will often not write down any working out because that involves writing.

So besides the dyslexia there are also other issues probably borderline ASD and dyspraxia but nothing severe enough that would get him an actual diagnosis and support but enough to make him really difficult to teach.

Have you had much to do with the Senco? I don't understand why school are pushing handwriting to this extent, when the effort of writing is making everything more difficult.
Has your DS ever seen an OT?

Yes he's seen OT and been given some help with both handwriting and other issues. But we were discharged from occupational therapy I suspect because there were other children with more severe issues.

There is a new headteacher and they are really pushing intervention for SEN children which is great but yet still handwriting is being pushed. I think it's in part because it's difficult for them if he's using a laptop. DS can also use it to distract himself but to be fair he does that anyway.

I've spoken to my son this evening and we've decided he's going to learn to type over the summer. Then in September I'm going to push them into getting him on a laptop in school. Its ridiculous really that this hasn't already happened.

I'm also going to pull him out of the KS2 tests. All they'll do is confirm in my son's eyes is that he's a failure and we need to build him up.