|
|
|
Why you should choose Frewen College
Our location.... The school is based in peaceful surroundings in the Wealden countryside, on the borders of Kent and Sussex in the South East of England. Our pupils benefit from 60 acres of playing fields, gardens, and grounds, and we have access to another 100 acres of ancient parkland for cross-country runs, orienteering, nature rambles and building camps. Our history.... Although its predecessor school Brickwall House had welcomed dyslexics since the 1940s, Admiral Sir John Frewen KCB re-established Frewen College in 1972 as the first school specifically focused on helping children with dyslexia. Subsequently we have extended our welcome to chidren with dyspraxia and dyscalculia, together with a small number with Asperger's Syndrome. We are completely independent and a charity.... Frewen College is one of the few such schools which is a charity run by an independent educational trust. This means that unlike most other specialist independent schools, every penny of fee income is invested in the childrens' education or in maintaining and improving the facilities available to our pupils. It also means that the school's Governors have no personal financial interest, and are concerned only with using their wide-ranging expertise to provide the best educational environment possible for your children. Key information.... Our website is regularly updated, and detailed information can be found on a number of dedicated pages. Here is some of the key information:
We have extensive facilities....
Come and see us.... We welcome personal visits from parents, prospective pupils, and education professionals. For further information, please click on the appropriate linked page, e-mail us, or re-visit our website later.
Dyslexia Early Warning Signs Dyslexia can be difficult to identify as it affects everyone slightly differently, and ranges in its impact from mild to profound. Many dyslexics also have other problems such as Dyspraxia, Speech and Language difficulties, Asperger’s Syndrome, or ADHD, also to very varying degrees. This can further complicate both identification, and selection of the best educational approaches to adopt. All experts agree that the earlier dyslexia can be identified, and appropriate intervention provided, the better the outcome is likely to be. Although commonly regarded as a difficulty with reading or writing, there are many other symptoms which can help identify dyslexia much earlier. No child is likely to display all the following symptoms, but if you recognise even three or four as being typical of your child, you should seriously consider assessment by an Educational Psychologist. One very important point to remember is that most dyslexics are of slightly higher than average ‘intelligence’, and can have considerable strengths in a range of areas. This can further complicate the process of identification, but makes it much more important to do so if they are to achieve their full potential. Pre-school signs: · There is a strong genetic element to dyslexia, so if there is any family history of dyslexia or reading difficulties you should be particularly alert to other warning signs · Problems with speech, for example o Being slow to start talking. o When they do talk, having trouble pronouncing M’s and N’s, R’s and L’s. o Reversing or mixing up sounds in multi-syllable words (favourites include aminal for animal, hekalopter for helicopter, bisgetti for spaghetti). o Stuttering or other speech problems. o Problems with phonemic awareness (that is, differentiating between individual sounds within a word, e.g. cat versus mat). o Substituting similar words, mixing up phrases. · Physical symptoms o Trouble with tying shoe laces and getting dressed. o Slow to establish a dominant hand, i.e. right or left handed. o A lot of ear infections. o May have walked early but did not crawl. o Co-ordination problems (excessive tripping, falling over, bumping into things, difficulty with catching or kicking a ball). o Difficulty clapping a simple rhythm. · Organisational problems: o Difficulty with ‘sequencing’, e.g. ‘do this, then do that’, or undertaking any task that involves a sequence of actions, such as handwriting. o Extremely untidy bedroom. o Often forgetting or losing belongings. · Other developmental problems: o Difficulty identifying ‘directional’ opposites such as over/ under, right/ left, before/ after. o Likes listening to stories but shows no interest in trying to read the words. o Cannot identify simple rhymes. o Difficulty learning the names of letters or sounds, or learning the alphabet. o Memorising other abstract facts, such as days of the week, months of the year. o Telling the time by a clock with hands. Once a dyslexic child does start to learn to read and write, they make types of mistake that are very specific, and readily identified by a professional. These include: · Cannot or will not sound out the phonemes, or sounds, in an unknown word. · May read a word on one page but not recognise it on the next. · Can tire very quickly if reading out loud. · Struggles with isolated words, where there is no context to help them. · · Reading comprehension is often much lower than listening comprehension, due to the effort required to read. · The problems with directionality will often show through in individual letters, i.e. n/u; p/b/d; m/w · Spelling is usually much worse than reading, and can include very frequently used words (e.g. does, because, they, there, where). If you think a number of the above indicators are familiar and would like to talk to an educational psychologist, we would be happy to send you a list of those we have worked closely with in the past. |
