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Deliberate ‘failure’ with Year 6 school work?

Alix

Hello!

My son is in Year 6. Up to the start of Year 6, he was consistently achieving very well in all aspects of his school work right from starting school. In the last few months, however, his scores in English have dipped considerably to this week not even an age expected score in SATS mocks. He is a capable student, and often achieves perfect scores in maths. He claims to not to be able to read, that he can’t spell, yet his prior achievement in school and when doing homework or reading with me, does not bear this out. He’ll go from using more complex language with a high degree of accuracy, such as ‘spherically’, to consistently writing ‘tabel’, even after I’ve corrected this.

His teacher, the SENCo and I all think that there’s an element of him deliberately trying to almost ‘fail’ in all other aspects of written school work apart from maths. 
None of us have come across this before - his dad and I are also both highly experienced teachers. We’re at a loss of how to support him.

I’ve been trying to find something online which discusses this but with no luck, so am wondering if anyone else has had this experience or can point me in the direction for support?

Thank you for reading this.

  • in reply to lostmyway

    Sorry, I forgot to add - any links to related threads would be great. Thank you so much!

  • in reply to Marianne72

    It’s an important point to make. He says he’s not being bullied but it’s certainly something to monitor.

    Thanks for reading and taking the time to reply.

  • in reply to lostmyway

    Thank you for taking time to replay and for giving such detail. I really appreciate your suggestions - I taught a PDA student years ago and hadn’t considered there might be some traits. 
    Thanks also for mentioning that someone else also had the ‘tabel’ - certainly helps me feel less alone to hear that someone else has experienced this.

    Great ideas to share with the SENDCo - thanks again!

  • in reply to Martin

    Thank you for taking the time to reply and for sharing your own experience. It’s something which has got me thinking about  him needing to see the relevance of certain subjects.

  • There is a tendency among autistic children to excel in subjects they find interesting and rewarding and to put little effort into, or actively reject, those that they have no interest in, or perceive as unimportant. I'm autistic and was amazed at a friend who got superb marks at all his school subjects at O-level. I could not really fathom that people just worked hard at things that did not interest them. My own O-level results were rather variable some very good, some just scraping through. It could be that this is what is behind your son's uneven attitude to English. His continuing excellence at maths suggests to me that it is not a global problem. 

  • This sounds really tough - and honestly, you're not alone. What you're seeing (sudden "I can't read/spell" at school, perfect at home, maths untouched) is a classic sign of autistic masking burnout mixed with demand avoidance (often PDA-style). High-achieving kids like him hold it together for years, then Year 6 hits - SATS pressure, secondary transition, "prove you're clever" - and the mask cracks. Writing/English feels most vulnerable: visible, judgmental, no "right" answer like maths. So the brain protects by declaring "can't do it" - strategic shutdown, not laziness.

    Parents on forums [removed by mod] call it "academic avoidance" or "perfectionism flip": he knows he's capable, but fear of "not perfect" makes him sabotage. [removed by mod] Year 6 son went from top English to "tabel" overnight - same pattern. Once pressure dropped (no corrections, optional writing), he bounced back.

    Quick supports to try now:

    • Zero-demand English phase: Tell him/school: "No marks, no expectations for 2–4 weeks - just read fun stuff, dictate if you want." Reduces anxiety loop.

    • Home-only proof: Do short, silly writing (e.g., "write a note to your favourite game character - no rules"). No school link. Builds confidence quietly.

    • Visual/choice framing: Use timers or pictures for steps, let him pick: "Type or say? No handwriting today."

    • SENCo push: Share this as "masking burnout" - not defiance. Ask for low-demand plan + dyslexia screen (to rule out). If PDA traits, look at PDA Society resources - they have school guides.
    • [removed by mod]

  • Alix said:
    deliberately trying to almost ‘fail’

    I read something, years ago, about a girl who deliberately dumbed herself down at school, making charts of how much she had to fail by. It was because she was being bullied. I'm not saying this is so in your case, but it's worth discussing with a psychologist.