Kip McGrath Tuition Peterborough North

I visited two more schools this morning to present 'Teacher of the Year' and 'Teaching Assistant of the Year' Awards to two more deserving winners. Along with Steven from Term Times.
Watch out for the photos and names in the next edition of Term Times Family Magazine .

The winner of our 'Headteacher of the Year' Award is.......
Watch this space!

To the parents, carers and guardians who guide, support and shape our lives every day – thank you. Happy Global Day of Parents.

Did you know that we tutor for 11+ exams?

#11+
Call us tomorrow: 01733 435286

Did you know that we are also an exam centre!

Functional skills maths and English
📱 01733 425186

Why bother getting a dyslexia diagnosis?

Diagnosing dyslexia isn’t like taking a quick medical test. It’s more like putting together a puzzle to see exactly how a person’s brain processes words and language.

What a diagnosis doesn't do - it doesn't fix the problem!

Here is how the diagnostic process works in everyday terms:

1. Looking at the Big Picture
Before doing any tests, assessor will look at the person's history. They want to make sure the reading difficulties aren't being caused by something else, like missing a lot of school, or needing glasses or a hearing aid.

2. The Practical Tests
The person doing the assessment will play some word games and carry out some tests. These tests look closely at three main things:

Sound Processing (The Core Issue)
Dyslexia is fundamentally a difficulty with processing the sounds in words. This is tested by asking the person to play with sounds, carry out activities testing short-term memory and speed naming of colours, letters and numbers.

Reading and Writing Skills
Next, they check where the person's literacy skills are right now:
* Reading real words
* Reading made-up words
* Speed and comprehension
* Spelling and writing

Thinking and Reasoning
The specialist will also do some puzzles and logic games that don't involve reading at all. This is to see the person's overall intelligence and problem-solving skills.

People with dyslexia are often highly intelligent, creative, and great at big-picture thinking—their brain just gets tripped up on the specific "wiring" needed for reading and writing.

What Happens Afterwards?
A report is produced specifying the difficulties in detail and can be used to help students apply for specific exam accommodations/concessions such as:
* using text-to-speech software or a laptop for writing.
* extra time in exams,
* a separate room
* a reader, prompt or scribe

All of which is great - but doesn't do anything to actually improve a person's difficulties with reading and writing.

What to do next:
* specialised tuition - Kip McGrath Tuition Peterborough has a long history (10+ years) of working with dyslexic students and making a real difference.
Book a free assessment at: www.kipmcgrath.co.uk/peterborough-north
* Cellfield - a two week, one hour a day, reading programme (only available in specialist centres such as Kip McGrath Tuition Peterborough) that can accelerate reading by an average of two years.
Go to: www.cellfieldpeterborough.co.uk or take our Reading Readiness Quiz https://gill-wsdex8vl.scoreapp.com

Happy half term everybody!
A quick reminder - both Peterborough Centres are closed until Monday 1st June.

Booking now!

Todays fun fact is about Mars!

What should you do if your child is unable to attend an exam (such as GCSE or A Level) because of illness?

If you are too ill to attend a GCSE exam, notify your school's exams officer immediately. You can still get a grade if you have completed at least one other paper in the same subject (JCQ requirements).

Obtain medical evidence, like a GP fit note, to support a "Special Consideration" application.

Missing an exam is highly stressful, but strict guidelines set by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) ensure that genuine illness does not automatically mean you fail.

Immediate Action Plan

* Contact your school immediately: Call your school’s reception or exams officer before the exam starts to let them know you are too unwell to attend.
* Get medical evidence: See your doctor or GP as soon as possible and request a medical certificate or fit note. This is crucial for proving your absence was genuine.
* School application: Your school or exam centre will submit a request for Special Consideration to the exam board (e.g., AQA, Pearson/Edexcel, OCR) on your behalf.

How Grading Works If You Miss a Paper

You can still be awarded a GCSE grade even if you miss an exam component, provided you meet the JCQ enhanced grading requirements:

The 25% Rule: You must have completed at least 25% of the total assessment for that GCSE subject.

Special Consideration: If your application is approved, the exam board will look at the papers you did sit and use a statistical method to estimate a grade for the missed paper.

Important: Your school's predicted grades are never used in these calculations; only your actual exam performance is used to scale your marks.

Key Rules to Keep in mind:

What counts as illness? Sudden medical emergencies, temporary illness, injuries (e.g., a broken writing hand), or contagious conditions (like COVID-19) are fully accepted.

What doesn't count? Non-medical emergencies (like family holidays, weddings, or oversleeping) do not qualify and will result in zero marks for that paper