Dyslexia in the UK

Share the Vision

Jane Gallagher

Head of Marketing and Communications

7 June 2011

STV Mins 7 June 2011: Appendix 1

Core business

• Largest dyslexia charity In UK

• 400 employees mainly

specialist teachers

• In an average year we help

more than 30,000 children

and adults • Assessments

• Tuitions

• Specialist training

• Research

• Product Development

• Dyslexia Action Shop

• Government Policy

How important is reading really?

• Getting from A to B• Driving, trains, buses.

• Shopping• Prices, sizes, • Which department and

where’s the loo?• Maps• Cash machines• Working • It helps to be able to read to

function in today’s world.

Dyslexia: Picture in the UK

• Primarily affects reading, spelling,

organisation and sequencing.

• Often occurs with dyspraxia,

dyscalculia, Aspergers, ADD and

ADHD.

• 10% of the population has dyslexia

or a SpLD that affects literacy.

• Major impact on self esteem.

• Early intervention help children

achieve.

• Every teacher teaches children

with special educational needs.

• If you can’t learn to read, you

can’t read to learn.

There is still a lack of general awareness about dyslexia and the related issues arising from literacy difficulties.

One in five children is not meeting expected levels in literacy. In London a million people are functionally illiterate.

It is ‘a hidden disability’, Dyslexia Action is campaigning to stop it being a hidden cause.

Dyslexia Action Manifesto

• Ensure that every child that needs extra support has access to a specialist teacher

• Guarantee all qualified teachers are able to recognise and support children struggling with literacy

• Increase support for unemployed adults with a hidden disability

• Ensure all offenders and those who are at risk of offending have access to support for their hidden disabilities

• Fully implement the recommendations of the Rose Review (June 2009)

The Rose Review

The 7 key recommendations :• More specialist teachers

• Building on wave 1 systemic phonics teaching of reading 

• Improving schools’ use of effective interventions for

children with literacy or dyslexia difficulties 

• Developing and providing additional training for teachers

and support staff to provide interventions 

• Training Accreditation

• Improve support and advice to parents and carers

• Improve support to schools

The Rose Review

All recommendations

immediately accepted by

Secretary of State (DCSF), Ed

Balls and £10m allocated to

train 4,000 specialist dyslexia

teachers over 2009 – 2011.

As the biggest provider of

specialist Post Graduate

teaching in dyslexia we

were calling for the time to

be extended.

Political context June 2011

Support and Aspiration: The SEN

Green Paper

• Critically calls for up-skilling teachers

• Single early years assessment

• Multi agency approach

• Parental choice

The Importance of Teaching: Schools White

Paper

• Quality of teachers

• Reduction of bureaucracy

• Behaviour

• Parental choice

What it is like having dyslexia

Dyslexia Action Facebook response to asking if the Chronically Sick and Disabilities Act (1970), which first recognised dyslexia as a disability, has made a difference.

“My 8 year old son is Dyslexic, ….. I have always fought to make sure it doesn't stop him achieving in life, but the 'Education System' is still in the Dark Ages. They refused to even acknowledge there was a problem, let alone do anything about it. As his mental health began to suffer we had absolutely no choice but to take him out of school & home educate him. Its a tragedy that not much has changed from one generation to the next. Teachers still do not know what dyslexia looks like.”

“My son is dyslexic + is leaving school this year. Our experience of the education system hasnt been good. He was told at 9 that hel never pass any exams etc + it wasnt much better in secondary school with only a few teachers that cared + bothered about him. The system sucks!”

What it is like having dyslexia

"If i died and my sole went into someone elses body would i still be Dyslexic?" this is what my 8 year old son asked me one night when i was tucking him into bed if teachers could hear these terrible words they may feel that more could be done troughout the education system to massively improve things for these poor children! when is it going to get better?what can i tell my boy?

“My 39 year old brother is dyslexic as is my 8 year old son. As far as I can tell my frustrating experience of dealing with the education system in respect of dyslexia is not materially different to my mother's experience all those years ago.”

What it is like having dyslexia

Thef ox anb the bare

Therew asa tiwe mhen the aniwals coulb talk. They mere the desto ff rienbs. Ouly later, all these things changed.

What it is like having dyslexia

Take a piece of paper.Hold it on your forehead.Write your name in the bottom left hand corner.Write your telephone number in the centre.Fold it twice.

Adults and Offenders

• Long term unemployed and offenders need access to screening and support.• Evidence shows that

52% of offenders have low literacy skills and that 40% of this group has an unidentified hidden disability such as dyslexia

• It costs over £40,000 a year to keep someone in prison

• The cost in unfulfilled lives cannot be calculated.

Adults and Offenders

Dyslexia Action Facebook

"If I never talked to anyone with same problems as I do that's realy good if u can turn ur life around it's stop me doing so many things really gets me down I 42 now finding work so hard not slepping”

“i am 44 and life is hard all my job's was clening .ithis has take me a long time i envy all you that can just write thing down ,”

Summary

• Early and universal recognition and intervention

• Support at school and in the community

• Training for teachers

• Access to screening and support for:

• Adults who are struggling

• Long term unemployed

• Offenders

• Flexible access

• Dyslexia presents in different ways in different people and a range of different options are necessary to give people the choice.

Libraries

• Patchy access that lacks consistent national policy or strategy though willingness to engage

• Funding will get scarcer but pressure to provide added value to the community will increase

• Increasing support and services specifically for people with dyslexia are being extended

• Every town has a library and everyone knows where their library is

• Libraries are scary places for people with dyslexia – they are full of words

• Coherent national strategy to give consistent access to the print disabled