good schools and help for dyslexic 6 year old

[wodey]

we are currently looking at our local primary schools Goodrich, Fairlawn etc. and non selective private for 7+. Does anyone have experience or recommendations of schools particularly good in helping kids with dyslexia. Also any tutoring outside school is something we would look at.

any advise welcome.

[Carrie]

Get in contact with the Bloomfield Learning Centre, they should be able to recommend local dyslexia tutors

[alice]

just wondering..who has told you your child had dyslexia

[Bellabeck]

Bloomfield a good place to start; dont know if they have a list of local freelance dyslexia teachers. We used Chris Barry but I think she has moved on from one to one teaching. Tutoring does help, especially with building a child's slef confidence but beware of how tired they get...Saturday mornings best.

Our dyslexic son was at DCPS and then we moved him to Hornsby House School in Balham which had v gd special needs support. Not sure there is such a thing as 'non selective private'? We eventually opted for boarding school at 13 as most London day schools are quite pressured.

[millymoll]

If you're looking for a State primary school then Lyndhurst has a specialist Dyslexia unit. However, as it is quite a small school you'd have to live very close to get a place...

[sillywoman]

Though I think if you have dyslexia diagnoses (gold dust), then you can make a good case for a place at Lyndhurst. It seems like a lovely school.

[wodey]

Many thanks for these tips. to Alice, we are looking for a second opinion following the educational psychologists report once he is in a school with a proper SENCO. We have suspected for a while but were reassured by his current school that he is young in the year and needed a little more time. Meanwhile he has slipped further and further behind his peers. He shows many classic signs of dyslexia guessing words, reading them backwards, missing lines. He has auditory skills above and beyond his age but poor reading, writing and short term memory...according to the EP, which i would go along with.

Goodrich would be our nearest school if anyone has experience of their SEN system?

We were going the private route but have not gained a place anywhere.

thanks

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Wodey,

I would suggest an assessment at Bloomfield as have other posters above.

http://www.blearning.biz/

They also have lessons there for dyslexic children. If your child is severely dyslexic, then they may get a statement of special educational needs. This would give you priority status in applying to schools ie you can choose the school, if there are places (or go to the top of the waiting list). I would suggest that the best path for you would be formal assessment then statement (if appropriate), primary with dyslexia support. In the meantime, armed with evidence from a formal dyslexia assessment (assuming positive), this should kick your child's current school into action for extra support. Be aware also, that summer birthday children (more so boys, as their wrist control develops later than girls), do tend to be behind their winter birthday classmates.

Renata

[bluesuperted]

Have you looked at Fairley House school in Pimlico? Not properly local but I know of several specialised speech and language therapists who work there and it sounds like a very effective school for children with specific learning difficulties (dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia). I don't know about entry deadlines and you may already have investigated it but thought I'd mention it just in case.

[bluesuperted]

Here's the link to Fairley House school:

http://www.fairleyhouse.org.uk/

[Jessie]

Ah, if only there was a state school such as Fairley House....

[bluesuperted]

Yes I absolutely agree Jessie! I think a large portion of pupils are LA funded but I think it's getting harder and harder to secure those places, and tribunals to prove your child's need are prohibitively expensive for most...

[Jessie]

Thanks for that bluespurted, i may just look into that

[bluesuperted]

Worth a try at least... I'm sure my friend who works there said some were still entering via tribunal and LA funding...

[wodey]

thanks to everyone for the suggestions, I have contacted Bloomfield and will go from there.

[jomac]

Wouldn't it be lovely if they grew out of dyslexia? It sounds like you agree with the Educational Psychologist and I would follow your hunches. If your son is missing lines when reading you may want to investigate Irlens Syndrome. It's often co-existent with dyslexia. It's a visual processing problem which is corrected with coloured lenses or overlays when reading. If he has it the remedial suport is truly life changing, I cannot stress this enough. You could try giving him coloured paper to write on (all colours and see which one he prefers)and see if there is any improvement. This can make a huge difference to hand writing. I would also add that you can't underestimate the effects of being a young child in the year plus dyslexics are often slightly immature or lacking in confidence. Sounds to me though that he is extremely well supported by you and will be fine. Well done. Good luck.