Freddie, who has just started Year 5, displays behaviours that can challenge those around him. Although he is a native English speaker, his vocabulary is limited and he has difficulty with most areas of learning. He is often frustrated, rarely concentrates on tasks and is frequently disruptive in lessons.
Freddie doesn’t come from a particularly deprived background and he doesn’t have any social or emotional disorder; he also doesn’t display any SEND issues. But the fact that he can rarely finish a sentence without getting distracted suggests he is not used to listening and interacting with people. His home environment, for whatever reason, isn’t conducive to developing speaking skills.
Like many native speakers with poor oracy, extended talk or involved conversation isn’t a feature of home life and when it does happen, Freddie isn’t expected to contribute much. Instead, he spends a lot of time online, retreating into his computer games or mobile devices for stimulation or solace.
Freddie is one of an estimated 7% of children in the school population who have below average (Stanine 1-3) ability scores across each of the verbal, quantitative, non-verbal and spatial batteries in CAT4 – the equivalent of 56,000 children in each year group in the UK.
Freddie finds almost all academic work a struggle. His limited vocabulary means his verbal skills are particularly weak, and his reading age lags two or three years behind that of his peers. He has mastered a few ‘technical’ trigger words – which in class can give the appearance of understanding –but he doesn’t really comprehend what they mean and he would struggle to provide an explanation.
Freddie doesn’t like school and other people in school can find Freddie’s behaviour challenging. He gets noticed by playing up and by being disruptive – but it’s really an expression of frustration, because he can’t explain himself. He lacks confidence, doesn’t believe he’s as capable as the other children and is terrified of looking foolish in front of his peers.
Nevertheless, he is not without talents – even if they are well hidden. Hours spent online hint at the non-traditional, visual and gamification learning strategies that Freddie might respond to if they were employed in a classroom setting.
On CAT4, his spatial, quantitative and non-verbal reasoning abilities, while below average, are not as low as his verbal scores and could indicate unrealised potential if his basic oracy and literacy were improved and targeted interventions were put in place.
“Children like Freddie require a lot of support and demand a lot of attention,” says Ian Mooney, Strategic Lead on Partnerships and Assessment at the Northern Schools Trust. “But sometimes his obvious needs and challenging behaviour make it hard to discern the potential behind the problems. Taking CAT4 could not only identify his learning issues and the targeted interventions best suited to overcome them but also suggest what strategies could unlock abilities that may have gone unnoticed.”
Freddie is one of an estimated 7% of children in the school population who have below average (Stanine 1-3) ability scores across each of the verbal, quantitative, non-verbal and spatial batteries in CAT4 – the equivalent of 56,000 children in each year group in the UK.
Freddie’s verbal reasoning score is far below average – and as a result he has great difficulty accessing the curriculum. His learning profile, indicated by the black diamond on the chart at the bottom left, indicates he has low general ability with no obvious bias.
However, his slightly stronger spatial and non-verbal abilities suggest he could respond better in class if lessons contained more practical and visual elements. As things stand, without targeted interventions, Freddie will continue to find school challenging.
Sometimes Freddie’s obvious needs and challenging behaviour make it hard to discern the potential behind the problems.
Ian Mooney, Strategic Lead on Partnerships and Assessment at the Northern Schools Trust
Freddie’s teaching and learning needs
Freddie’s CAT4 profile suggests he will need help in most areas of learning and will require support from a variety of targeted and specific interventions.
To ensure his needs are properly identified and addressed, and any latent numerical and spatial abilities developed, his teachers should:
- Conduct a reading assessment (such as the New Group Reading Test) to find out Freddie's reading ability and areas where he may need targeted intervention;
- Immerse Freddie in an intensive phonics programme to address any issues with decoding;
- Assess his vocabulary to determine what additional one-to-one or group support he may need (this could be with the British Picture Vocabulary Scale);
- Encourage him in activities that will engage his interest, particularly those activities that involve gaming, visual or practical elements where his latent abilities could be triggered;
- Enlist one-to-one specialist support and work closely with the SENDCO;
- Suggest strategies that can be extended to support Freddie at home as well as in school.
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