Joint Response from Dyslexia Organisations on DCSF Announcement

THE BRITISH DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION, DYSLEXIA ACTION, PATOSS (PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF STUDENTS WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES) AND XTRAORDINARY PEOPLE RESPONSE TO DCSF ANNOUNCEMENT ON DYSLEXIA REVIEW.

We welcome the very real interest the Government is taking in dyslexia. And we welcome this review, particularly headed by Jim Rose, whose 2006 report on the teaching of early reading has helped to focus on the need properly to address children’s reading skills.

It is important to note, however, that the evidence base for teaching of dyslexic students has been well established through longitudinal international research. We know how to support these children effectively.

Our organisations strongly believe that the country should be in implementing a simple system where each school would have one teacher trained as a dyslexia/SpLD specialist who can recognise and support children with dyslexia/SpLD. This expertise is already widely available from dyslexia centres, specialist teachers and a number of independent schools who have for many years been providing effective support for dyslexic children in reading, writing, maths, and concentration. Each review and pilot merely adds to the delay in implementing the solution. They have been getting it right for years. We want to see this in all schools in the public sector.

Lynn Greenwold, chief executive of Patoss, said: “Specialist teachers’ guidance and sound multi-sensory teaching combined with knowledge of how to identify and build on children’s strengths will stop children failing and help them reach their full potential. The sooner we bring these skills to all schools the better.”

The Secretary of State's full announcement is as follows:

DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

SIR JIM ROSE’S REVIEW OF THE PRIMARY CURRICULUM TO INCLUDE RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE IDENTIFICATION AND TEACHING OF CHILDREN WITH DYSLEXIA

The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (Ed Balls):

In a Written Statement on 9 January 2008, I summarised the remit of Sir Jim Rose’s independent review of the primary curriculum. Amongst other things, his remit includes making recommendations on introducing greater flexibility to help schools narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers.
In the Children’s Plan, the Government acknowledged that more needs to be done to improve outcomes and provision for children with special educational needs, to increase parental confidence that children’s educational needs are being met, including for children with dyslexia.

To encourage schools’ development of best practice in improving outcomes for children with dyslexia, my Department is:
• Providing funding of around £1m over three years to the No to Failure project. No to Failure is trailblazing and evaluating the impact of specialist training for teachers and specialist tuition for children with dyslexia in some schools in 3 local authority areas.
• Through the National Strategies, rolling out to all areas this year an Inclusion Development Programme (IDP) designed to increase knowledge and awareness of dyslexia and communication difficulties amongst the schools and early years workforce and improve learning outcomes for this particular group of children
• Providing £150K over two financial years to enable the British Dyslexia Association to develop their helpline, which provides advice about dyslexia – including to teachers and parents.
• Providing £250K over three financial years to enable Dyslexia Action to run further Partnership for Literacy pilots.

In this context, we have now additionally asked Sir Jim Rose, in the light of evidence, to make recommendations on the identification and teaching of children with dyslexia, and on how best to take forward the commitment in the Children’s Plan to establish a pilot scheme in which children with dyslexia will receive Reading Recovery support or one-to-one tuition from specialist dyslexia teachers.
We have asked Sir Jim Rose to include the following sources of evidence in developing his recommendations:

• a summary of published research on the impact of specialist dyslexia teaching and Reading Recovery on progression and outcomes for children with dyslexia, currently being prepared by Dr Chris Singleton of Hull University;

• evaluations of Every Child a Reader, including Reading Recovery, carried out by the Every Child a Chance Trust and the Institute of Education;

• a recently published interim evaluation of the No to Failure Project’s identification of children at risk of dyslexia/ specific learning difficulties;

• No to Failure Project’s final evaluation of the progress made by children identified as being at risk of dyslexia/ specific learning difficulties who have received specialist dyslexia teaching, which the Project expects to publish at the end of this year.

Sir Jim Rose will also consult with the No to Failure Project and other dyslexia organisations in considering his recommendations. He has agreed to prepare a report containing his recommendations early in 2009.