Posted by
missmuffet
17 yrs ago
My son is 5yrs and 6mts in yr1 in an ESF. I have been asked by the teachers to let him repeat yr 1 as he isn't at the same level as his classmates. I got him assessed by a speech therapist and was told that he can't process language fast enough. Compared to his classmates, he does have to work on letter formation and connecting sounds to read a word. I have been working hard on him since 2 months and he has improved considerably. I am in this dilema. I feel that if I work on him he will improve, at the same time I don't want to push him. He seems to be conscious of the fact and says if I repeat, my friends will make fun of me. I need some advice here. Thanks.
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Is your son having regular speech therapy? If yes, the Speech Therpaist should be able to give you professional advice re. what to expect in terms of how fast your son will improve and whether he actually needs to repeat.
If he's not having regular ST, I would recommend it for 2 reasons, first he will improve faster and better, and second if you don't want him to repeat the fact that he's having regular ST may help persuade the school that the problem is being dealt with & will soon be solved.
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No, he's not having regular ST. He just went for an assessment. She said that his language output is good but takes time to process info. She recommended for him to repeat. (After consulting the teacher). She saw him justt for 2 hrs.
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jdhk
17 yrs ago
In my experience it is rare for ESF schools to recommend children to repeat a year so they must think that it would be in your son's best interests to do so.
However, I would first go back to the school and request an appointment with the class teacher and ask for more details about what they think his problems are, assessment results etc. Ask what the school has been doing to help him (all ESF primaries should have an Individual Needs Department who would be involved in this kind of case. You could ask to meet with the IN teacher as well).
You can also show the school the results of the ST's assessment and her recommendations for treatment. That way you can see whether the school and the ST agree on the nature of his difficulties and hopefully show the school that you are committed to working with them to help him.
If you think your son has improved over the last 2 months then tell them! Ask them to reassess him to see where he is at now.
Basically I would want to find out more information before I made a decision. On the plus side, if in the end you do decide to repeat Year 1, bear in mind that due to the ESF admission and school year calendars your son is one of the younger kids in Year 1 (the eldest would have turned 6 in January). In the UK school system he would start Year 1 this coming Sept and in many other international systems it woudl be even later. So if he is a late developer then holding him back now is not too dramatic a move.
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Thanks a lot. Yes, he is young for his class. I have had 3 meetings with his teacher. He does spend 20 mins every day with an IN teacher. They said he should have a sound foundation of reading and writing skills beore starting yr2 otherwise he will find it difficult to cope. They said his classmates can already write sentences.
He can't read without help as of now. I feel what if he improves with help from me and ST.
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jdhk
17 yrs ago
In that case I would then try to buy some time and avoid making a final decision for as long as possible.
Set up regular ST sessions over the next 3 months. Tell the school that this is what you are doing and also ask them what else you should be doing to help him at home.
Ask the school to reassess your son in June to see if he has made sufficient progress to move up to Year 2.
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Thanks a lot. Yes, I think that sounds good.
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cd
17 yrs ago
My friends daughter repeated yr 1 (ESF) on advice of the school. She was also one of the younger ones of the year, and is now in her correct year by UK standards. None of her friends made fun of her. Just look on it as your sons reception year, in the UK you usually have at least a term or 2 in reception before starting yr1. And much better for his self esteem to repeat yr 1 rather than struggle all through primary and have to repeat in year 6.
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ltxhk
17 yrs ago
As stated by JDHK it is not common for ESF to suggest repeating a year. ESF does have immense experience, and only suggests repeating when they feel it will "positively" effect the child's learning. There are so many "wive's tales" surrounding the repetition of a year.... but very few of these bear out for any child, and especially for a P1 student.
I have children in upper secondary, and in "general" many boys are slower to get on the educational tracks than girls. If at the same time the boy is also struggling with academic issues, this can become an overwhelming burden and if pushed forward it may take years for them to find their grounding. Retention is more common for boys than girls due to the maturity gap (and your son is already young). Among my kid's friends that were retained in P1 or P2, not ONE of the kids or parents have a regret. Everyone of these kids are coping well in secondary school. The same can not be said for the kids that pushed forward rather than waiting one year; many continue to struggle through secondary.
Yes, kids mature at different rates, and the gap may close. But the gap will definitely close if the child is given more time. P1 is the perfect time for retention since it will have minimal social effects (quick to heal). In addition, there will be many others born at year end in the same level especially as he goes forward.
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