Choosing a school which will support your child’s dyslexia
What is dyslexia
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that affects reading, writing, and spelling. It is a neurological condition and is caused by differences in how the brain processes language, but it has nothing to do with intelligence—many people with dyslexia are highly creative and skilled in problem-solving.
Common Signs of Dyslexia:
- Difficulty recognising words or sounding them out
- Struggles with spelling and writing
- Mixing up letters or words
- Challenges with reading fluency and comprehension
- Strong verbal skills, creativity, or thinking outside the box
Children with dyslexia can be supported with strategies to help with decoding, which will enable them to learn to read and succeed academically. These skills will be lifelong as dyslexia does not go away at any point in a person’s life. It is often the case that as well as dyslexia, a child can often have other difficulties such as Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia. ADD, ADHD as well as Pragmatic and Semantic Language Difficulties. As a parent, it is important that the school your child attends is the right school for them and has the experience and provision to help your child achieve their very best.
Managing Dyslexia:
There’s lots of support available! Phonics-based learning, assistive technology, and personalized teaching strategies can help people with dyslexia thrive in school and work. Many famous individuals—including Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Richard Branson and Steven Spielberg—had dyslexia and achieved incredible things.
Choosing a school
Firstly, schools are inspected either through ISI or Ofsted who will give a detailed account of the SEND provision provided at that establishment and report on its findings. All reports are available for parents to read and make for a good first step in choosing a school. Here at isbi school search, we have links to all inspection reports on each individual school’s profile page and we also have a register for schools to communicate to parents their SEND provision and expertise helping children who require additional educational support.
Dyslexia-focused schools, also known as dyslexia-friendly or specialist schools, provide tailored educational support for students with dyslexia. These schools often utilise multisensory teaching approaches and structured literacy interventions and may offer individualised learning plans. While mainstream schools can provide support, some children with dyslexia may benefit from the specialized environment and resources of a dyslexia-focused school.
Key Features of Dyslexia-Focused Schools:
- Specialized Staff:
Dyslexia-focused schools often employ teachers who are trained in specific methods for supporting students with dyslexia, such as multisensory teaching and structured literacy.
- Individualized Learning Plans:
These schools often develop individualized learning plans to address the specific needs of each student.
- Multisensory Teaching:
Dyslexia-focused schools may utilize multisensory approaches to teaching, which involve engaging multiple senses (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) in the learning process.
- Structured Literacy Interventions:
Structured literacy interventions, such as those based on phonics, can help students develop decoding and sight reading skills.
- Focus on Strengths:
These schools often focus on a student's strengths and abilities, creating a positive and supportive learning environment.
- Technology Integration:
Dyslexia-focused schools may integrate technology to support learning, such as assistive technologies for reading and writing.
When choosing a school you may wish to ask about the training that teachers and support staff have undertaken in order to meet the needs of a child with dyslexia and whether the school has specially trained staff who will be able to give your child individualised interventions to practise specific skills that address areas of concern. When visiting a school, take note of the overall school environment and ensure that learning is inclusive and that teaching styles cater for a diverse range of learning styles.
Not sure if your child has Dyslexia.
If you think your child may have dyslexia, the first step is to speak to their teacher or their school's special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) about your concerns.
They may be able to offer additional support to help your child if necessary.
If your child continues to have problems despite extra support, you or the school may want to consider requesting an in-depth assessment from a specialist in assessing specific learning difficulties (SpLD), an educational psychologist or a speech and language therapist.
This can be arranged through the school, or you can request a private assessment by contacting:
Some organisations that can offer advice and support:
The British Dyslexia Association
The National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service
