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How do I ask the school about my daughter's reading difficulties without assuming a diagnosis?

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My ten-year-old asked me to sign her reading log for three chapters. When I offered to read the last page together, she said, "I listened while Ella read it. Does that count?" I signed that she had listened, rather than saying she had read it herself.

We're in England. Her teacher says she has good ideas in class but needs more confidence reading aloud. At home she loses her place, guesses some words and asks me to take over. I have also made this worse: I used to say, 'You knew that word yesterday,' as though today's difficulty must be a choice. Now she hides the book before I sit down.

A relative has suggested dyslexia and sent details of a paid assessment. I don't know whether that explains what's happening. The [NHS guidance](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia-in-children/) points parents with concerns towards the school's special educational needs coordinator, so I've asked for a meeting.

I'd like to bring the unfinished reading and her teacher's observations, rather than arrive announcing a diagnosis. What would be useful to ask about the support she could try and how we would review it? I also need a way to repair the reading time at home without promising her that the meeting will produce a particular answer.

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1 community replies

Bring one or two ordinary examples, including what happened when you offered to share the last page. Ask what the teacher sees during independent reading and what support the school proposes, with a date to discuss how it is going. You don't need to stage a difficult reading session just to collect more evidence.

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