Will a private test be enough to get extra time in future exams?

[sulamaye]

I started home educating my daughter a year ago as school was turning an otherwise bright and interesting child dull and insecure. Working with her I quickly realised that despite being excellent at reading, she is probably dyslexic, her spelling, writing, memory etc all classic, even her reading she jumps lines etc but very very motivated and bright so has overcome by using context etc. She now goes to school one day a week, not for learning as such, and although I don't need any school input re: her special needs because home ed is the best decision we ever made, I am concerned that when she come to GCSE's she will need more time and to use a computer. So is it only an LA assessment that will get this in the future? Does anyone know how this works? I know getting a test done via school will be virtually impossible especially because her reading age is counter intuitive for dyslexia, but working with her I KNOW she is.

She is only 8 now, but what I don;t want is to leave this all to chance or that when she is nearer exams she has used her intelligence to strategise and therefore would not necessarily meet the criteria so clearly, but will still need more time and additional tools to have a level playing field for her exams. Any help/ advice/ experience gratefully received.

ps can't reccommend home ed enough if you can manage it time wise- out of the window goes all that education system tick box rubbish and in comes taking as much time as needed to really grasp concepts and go which way the child's interests flow. Fantastic.

[Hidden]

If you are only talking about arrangements for GCSEs then you are probably best to wait till Year 9 when assessments are usually performed and check the requirements then. At the moment a private assessor has to be accepted by the school and a particular form filled out by the assessor. A private assessor is more likely to have a good range of tests that will pin point, for instance if extra time will be beneficial and won't just look at reading and spelling but cognitive difficulties such as processing speed and working memory. Regarding SATs if you want further advice let me know if you are going to enter her for these. Hope this advice is useful.

[sulamaye]

Thanks for that. The problem is she won't b at school even part time by yr9. No she won't have sats inflicted on her. When it comes to gcses she will b entered independently as the gov won't pay for home ed kids to sit gcses.

[FlemmingAst]

In Denmark we have users at pre-school using CapturaTalk. It helps as they can hear anything and communicate by voice. It is like a pair of glasses that removes Dyslexia.

[sulamaye]

Tell me more about Captura Talk??? Just watching the latest Borgen - you scandinavians do education the best from what I can tell. Here the government thinks, children not learning Maths, test them more!!! Rather than hey maybe the children should just play for longer and the teachers need time to ensure concepts are truly bedded in. Crazy!

[Momaid in reply to sulamaye]

Couldn't agree more!

[AineMosh]

I wasn't diagnosed when I was at school. They suspected I had Irlen Syndrome and so I was given extra time and my questions printed on coloured paper to make it easier to read. It might be worth talking to the learning support people within the school she's attending once she's closer to GCSE age to find out what they can do to help.

[sulamaye]

She is home educated that's my point. She won't b in the system come gcses so how do I get her dyslexia recognised in a way that is acceptable to exam boards???

[AineMosh]

Would it be worth contacting the exam board then to find out what they suggest?