Thanks semb

And update... private assessment has yielded a report confirming high base ability, floor-level writing speed and definite evidence of SPLD/dyslexia. So copies to school asap and we will plough on and tick that SEN tickybox and just see how it goes.

Hi,
I'm glad you have been able to have her tested. Some LAs don't take private reports, so you may need to get the school to arrange for testing.

This happened to a friend who is dyslexic and has a son already diagnosed. When she suspected that her second son was dyslexic, the school had him tested, but the results were negative. They just said that he was an average to below average child. When she had him privately tested, they could see that in fact her son was extremely able and was compensating for his difficulty. She went back to the school and had another assessment in which they concluded, with apologies, that the independent assessment was correct. My friend never doubted her son as he was very good at other things including Maths. She knew, however that the independent assessment would not be accepted by the local authority.

Salsa

Thanks Salsa: I shall have to check with the LA but I'm hoping they will accept this one: we used a PATOSS registered, level 7 (I think) assessor and the info from the centre was that their assessments were specifically acceptable to major exam boards for the purposes of examinations. So I don't think it gets much more reputable than that.

In all honesty, the testing was done because we wanted it formally confirmed/diagnosed that she really DOES have dyslexia (or another explaination for the huge gap in her performance versus how otherwise bright she seems) , and our school EP has seen her but only offers "assessment/support reccomentations" and explicitally does NOT diagnose. This is a county wide thing apparently, so we were encouraged to seek private assessment if as parents we wanted an actual diagnosis, we were told the school could not arrange such an assessment.

If the LA do not accept adjustments then we shall try without and appeal, but this is just me trying to give my DD a fair chance. I'm happy with where we are now and we'll just keep going with our DIY prep and see.

Yes, I hope the LA accepts your report. Our school only gets 4 hours per year of the Educational Psychologist time and there are several children who go undiagnosed for higher priority conditions such as autism. Dyslexic children do not get much time from the EP as the four hours have to be prioritised. So, they get sent to another organisation called STEPS for diagnosis. The school is dyslexia friendly and would put in the support for anyone struggling, which is great, but which doesn't help when it comes to the 11+. In fact, in some LAs, it's easier to get extra time for SATs or GCSEs than for the 11+.

Which brings me to the point that those who could afford a diagnosis could at least appeal. However, the poor child whose parents cannot afford a private assessment doesn't have much supporting evidence of their learning difficulty.
Salsa

Yep, it's yet another social inequality filter for children who have the 11 plus exam in their area. Frustrating.