dyslexia and the elevenplus

Eleven Plus (11+) in Buckinghamshire (Bucks)

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KC mum
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2009 2:24 pm

dyslexia and the elevenplus

Post by KC mum »

My son has moderate dyslexia. He is bright and has excellent verbal vocabulary but I have been told his chances of getting to the 121 score are limited as he is unlikely to aquire enough speed. I would value any opinions on whether it is worthwhile coaching him for the exam and whether applying for extra time is worthwhile. I have heard that he is very unlikely to get through on appeal if he has already been allocated extra time.
Guest11
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 12:57 pm

Post by Guest11 »

My daughter also has moderate dyslexia and is very bright (gifted and talented). We did weekly practice papers at home for about 6 months before the 11+ test last year. At first she took 90 mins to complete a paper but she did speed up considerably and finished the real test in 50 mins, just! The school would not apply for extra time for us as her reading age was close to her real age. Her eventual score was 120, so we appealed with lots of evidence of her high academic ability, and were successful, thank goodness.

I think that only you know how bright your son is and whether you think a grammar school would be right for him. An appeal will take into account all the evidence, including whether extra time has been awarded, juding each case on its own merits.
KC mum
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2009 2:24 pm

Post by KC mum »

Thank you to Guest 11 for the very helpful reply. It is a difficult decision as both schools we have in mind seem to offer a very positive environment for dyslexic children. I think we will see how it goes for 1-2 months with practice sessions at home.
It all seems to be taking off in year 5 in the last few weeks and I was stunned to hear about the intensity of 11 plus tutoring and homework going on already. I can see how it becomes hard not to get caught up in this.
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Post by yoyo123 »

I would definitely do some coaching with her, as a way to familiarise her with the format of the questions. She will use less of the 50 minutes reading the introduction to each type and working out what she has to do, thereby leaving her extra minutes to spend actually answering the questions.

Also if she is then more confident she will be more relaxed in her reading.
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