The Dyslexia SpLD Trust Latest News

Support for 'See the Difference' Campaign

The National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) has embraced the 'See the Difference' campaign and the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust is very pleased to see this support from such a key group. See the link below to read the full article:

http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/resources/library/features/dyslexia-training/

Sentence Trouble Website Launched

At least 60% of young people in the youth justice system have communication needs.

In November 2009 The Communication Trust launched the booklet Sentence Trouble. The booklet was developed in partnership with the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust and the Autism Education Trust and is intended to help improve understanding and communication with children and young people, particularly those with communication needs. The booklet was written for everyone that works or volunteers in Youth Offending Teams (YOTs), Secure Children's Homes (SCHs), Secure Training Centres (STCs) and Youth Offending Institutions (YOIs) but is also a useful reference to anyone that works with young people in and around the youth justice system.

The Communication Trust has now launched the Sentence Trouble website to support the booklet. The website features information about what speech, language and communication needs are, provides examples of what these might look like, advice to support you in your work and a selection of resources. The website also features a forum to help the youth justice workforce to network, share ideas and share best practice related to communication needs.

Please visit the website: www.sentencetrouble.info

Sir Jim Rose's national report on Dyslexia-SpLD

Sir Jim Rose's report on the identification and teaching of children with dyslexia was published on 22 June 2009, alongside the 'No to Failure' project report and an important international research review written by Dr Chris Singleton, entitled "Intervention for Dyslexia".

The Government have now confirmed funding to enable the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust to work to take forward the recommendations of Sir Jim Rose's report. Dr John Rack who was a member of Sir Jim Rose's Expert Advisory group has been seconded from Dyslexia Action to Direct the Trust's programme of work. He comments:

'We know that specialist teachers play a crucial role in supporting children with specific learning difficulties and in overseeing interventions provided by others. The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust is working with the DCSF and the TDA to make teachers aware of the opportunities for training that have arisen as a result of the Rose Report. We are delighted that we have been able to work quickly over the summer so that teachers starting specialist training in September 2009 can access this training, giving us a good start towards the target of training 4000 specialist teachers over the next two years.'

Dr Rack continues:

'It should be remembered that the Rose Report also emphasised the need to review the content of initial teacher training and further develop the Inclusion Development materials to support continuing professional development so that all teachers are equipped to identify and support those with specific learning difficulties. The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust sees this work as the highest priority, since classroom and subject teachers are those in daily contact with pupils and have the greatest potential to make a positive difference to all.

He concludes:

'The Rose Report marks what I hope will be a start of a new era in the field of dyslexia: it places identification and support for those with specific learning difficulties firmly in the mainstream of educational practice - no longer something seen as distinct and separate requiring fundamentally different approaches from highly trained specialists. This inclusive will only work, however, if the level of understanding of specific learning difficulties can be raised across the board and only if teachers are given access to the information that will guide their use of appropriate strategies and resources. Specialist teachers and specialist training organisations have an important role within this approach and the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust has a challenge to build on the consensus reflected in the Rose Report and help turn it into a reality.'

Follow the link to read or download the full report from Teachernet.

www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/sen/

Alternatively, you can request a bound copy from the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust office, although there are only a limited number available.

Government funding for specialist teacher training in Dyslexia-SpLD

Following the publication in June of the "No to Failure" project Final Report and the Rose report entitled "Identifying and Teaching Children and Young People with Dyslexia and Literacy Difficulties", the Government is now implementing the recommendations made.

Over the next 2 years, the DCSF will be funding up to 4,000 places on specialist teacher training courses in Dyslexia-SpLD. These will be specifically aimed at teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) who are living in England only. Course providers must be accredited by the BDA or OCR in order to be eligible to bid for fully funded places on their courses.

In keeping with the Rose recommendations, the courses funded will be either at ATS level i.e., Post Graduate Certificate at M level or VQ Level 5 or at AMBDA level i.e., Postgraduate Diploma at M level or VQ Level 7

If you are an interested teacher, who would like to know more about applying for a place on a course, please go to our 'Course Applicant Information' page.

'No to Failure' Final Report is published

The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust has published the No to Failure project Final Report. This follows a 2-year campaign to demonstrate and communicate the impact of specialist teaching support for children and young people with Dyslexia or specific learning difficulties (SpLD).

The project ran in three Trailblazing local authorities; Calderdale, Cornwall and the London Borough of Southwark with a full programme of screening for Dyslexia-SpLD across entire year groups, followed by
one-to-one or small group specialist tuition for pupils.

The resulting improvements in pupils reading age are significant, but of equal importance was the noticeable increase in confidence and self-esteem reported by parents and teaching staff alike. This
willingness to learn and enthusiasm to have a go was evident at school and at home, with children feeling more able to tackle homework and looking forward to attending school.

The No to Failure project was also a catalyst, instrumental in the Government commissioning of Sir Jim Roses Review of Dyslexia Provision. This review is welcomed by The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust as an
important step towards understanding and improving national provision for pupils with Dyslexia-SpLD.

Both reports recognise that an inability to access the curriculum due to unrecognised and unsupported Dyslexia-SpLD hampers educational progress, the ability to gain qualifications and future life chances.

The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust welcome the Governments commitment to providing quality first teaching, personalised learning and specialist teaching support for all children and young people, including specialist support for those who most need it.

Lynn Greenwold, chief executive of Patoss and chair of The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust said:

No to Failure was the beginning of this campaign. No to Failure demonstrated good practice and what works with Dyslexic-SpLD pupils. The message is clear, Dyslexia-SpLD training is essential for quality
first teaching in the classroom and to provide specialist SpLD teachers to work with pupils with more complex Dyslexia-SpLD. The sooner we embed these skills in all schools the better.

With Jim Roses recommendations in place we can really make good progress.

Please download the PDF to read or print the full report. If for any reason, you experience difficulties or require the report in a different format, please contact us info@thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk

The report is available in hardcopy or DVD format on request.

For hardcopy: Please send a Stamped Self-Addressed Envelope, A4 size with postage to the value of £1.77

For a DVD: Please send a Stamped Self-Addressed Envelope, C5 size with postage to the value of 90p

Postal address: The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust, c/o BDA, Unit 8, Bracknell Beeches, Old Bracknell Lane, Bracknell, Berkshire. RG12 7BW

Review of International Research published by Dr Chris Singleton

Eminent Psychologist Dr Chris Singleton has published a body of international evidence on the impact of specialist teaching on progress and outcomes for children aged from five to eighteen with dyslexia or specific learning difficulties (SpLD).

Although much has been written on the subject in several countries and over many years, this is the first paper to draw this collection of research together in one review.

Research studies on interventions for dyslexia carried out in the UK, in the USA and other countries, are considered in separate chapters because of differences in schools systems and approaches to special educational needs
Over 100 research studies are covered by this review
In addition, eight high-quality studies of more intensive intervention programmes for pupils (with specialist support being given individually or in groups) are considered in greater detail

The overall findings are that children and young people with dyslexia or learning difficulties are able to benefit significantly and substantially from intensive support, provided by those who have undertaken high quality specialist teacher training.

The report is welcomed by The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust which was formed following the success of the No to Failure project. This project successfully demonstrated and communicated the effectiveness of specialist teacher support for pupils at risk of Dyslexia-SpLD.

Printed hardcopies of this report are available by sending a Stamped Self-Addressed Envelope to us with your request. Please note that, due to the report having spiral binding, your envelope needs to either be A4 size with a gusset, or larger than standard A4 if flat. Postage to the value of £1.77 is also required.

Postal address: The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust, c/o BDA, Unit 8, Bracknell Beeches, Old Bracknell Lane, Bracknell, Berkshire. RG12 7BW

Regional launch events of the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust

The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust has been formally launched at three Regional Roadshow events that took place in March 2009 in order to share and disseminate the results and findings of the No to Failure project.

The 'No to Failure' project is a collaborative work between Dyslexia Action, The British Dyslexia Association, PATOSS and Xtraordinary People to demonstrate and communicate the impact and effectiveness of specialist teaching support given to pupils at risk of Dyslexia or other SpLD.

Funded by the DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families) the project is the largest of its kind in this country to date and has contributed to the founding of the new Dyslexia-SpLD Trust by members of the above organisations together with The Helen Arkell Centre.

The formation of the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust has come about as a result of the work completed by the project.

Projects

First Year Projects

The DST is in its early stages, having been launched in March 2009 but some preliminary work is now taking place. The DST will provide exciting opportunities for a wide range of stakeholder groups to work
together. Over the first year the DST will pursue these projects:

1. Using Inclusion Development Programme (IDP) Materials to Identify & Augment Existing Good Practice

We want to encourage schools to identify ways to improve staff confidence in working with students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD). In particular we want to encourage schools and SpLD specialists to use the IDP materials to enhance or develop staff and parental confidence. To achieve this we will collect and report case studies to evidence existing good practice to help inform the work of the Rose Expert Advisory Group (click to that web site or info section on our web site) and identify how centres are using IDP materials to best effect. Some excellent examples of good practice have already been collected via the No to Failure project and this DST project will link with and build on that database.

The aims of this project are:

Schools will be encouraged to audit their existing practice and look at how they can use the IDP materials to augment their CPD.
Independent SpLD specialists will be encouraged to develop training and support opportunities based on IDP materials to work with schools in the maintained sector.
Independent sector schools will be encouraged to identify ways they might assist schools in the maintained sector to use the IDP materials to improve staff confidence in working with students with SpLD.
This project will collect case studies documenting the range of approaches, and promote these approaches so they may be adopted by other schools.
Share the good practice through this DST web site

2. DST Self-Assessment Tool

The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust is inviting those participating in IDP staff-development to complete a self assessment questionnaire. This questionnaire has been adapted from the National Strategies IDP self
assessment tool to help the Trust to evaluate the impact of this phase of the IDP.

The Inclusion Development Programme provides a self evaluation tool which will support participants in gathering base-line information on their skills and knowledge. This information, if gathered before and
after using the Programme, provides useful information for participants CPD portfolios. The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust has adapted these materials to develop an on-line questionnaire so that the Trust can
also assess the impact of this phase of the IDP and collect some further relevant information.

The DST Self-Assessment Tool, www.thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk/questionnaire/, incorporates all of the IDP questions that focus on Dyslexia but has an additional section which asks for information about specialists. Like the National Strategies self evaluation tool, participants will be able to save copies of their responses to add to their CPD files. Whilst retaining some of the questions (Q 1-23) the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust on-line tool has added a further 10 questions designed to elicit information about the range and spread of specialism in schools. It will also provide the opportunity to collect centrally data from a
number of schools and local authorities to assess the impact of this phase of the IDP.

If you prefer to use the National Strategies IDP self assessment tool follow this link

www.nationalstrategies.co.uk.

3. Mapping the IDP to Existing Teaching Standards

The DST will map the Inclusion Development Programme Dyslexia/SpLD strand to existing teaching standards. This will help teaching staff identify how pursuing this CPD can aid them in meeting QTS and Core teaching standards.

NB. This mapping has been complete. The guide can be found on this website under Resources: www.thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk/resource/8/idp-map-to-professional-standards

There is also a useful resource using this mapping alongside Notes for Effective IDP Staff Development to be found under IDP Resources

www.thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk/media/downloads/article/7-idp_notes_for_effective_staff_development_landscape4_sm.pdf

4. Trust Dissemination Events and Launch Activities

The Trust has held 4 dissemination events around the country to launch the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust and disseminate the full results of the No to Failure project. The No to Failure project produced some startling results in its interim report and the final report will be of great interest to anyone involved with children and young people with Dyslexia-SpLD. The venues for the launch and dissemination were London, Calderdale, Cornwall, and Manchester.

The 'No to Failure Final Report' is available in hard copy or DVD format from the project office. Please see under our articles section on the main menu for details or click on the link

www.thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk/article/20/no-to-failure-final-report-is-published

Future Projects:

Dyslexia-SpLD Qualifications Framework

The DST supports the pyramid structure of SpLD qualifications put forward by the No to Failure project. This pyramid demonstrates, in general terms, what level of knowledge and qualifications are needed by teachers and teaching assistants in schools to be able to properly support Dyslexic-SpLD pupils. . Further development of a much more detailed Dyslexia-SpLD Qualifications Framework will be one of the first major projects of The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust. This Qualifications Framework will enable those working with Dyslexic-SpLD pupils to identify what they should know and how they can gain requisite knowledge and understanding through various CPD activities. As the trust progresses the DST will further expand this Dyslexia-SpLD qualifications framework.

Response to Science and Technology Committee report on Government policy on dyslexia

Response to the Science and Technology Committee Evidence Check

Dr John Rack, Director of the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust and member of Sir Jim Roses Expert Advisory Group.

The Science and Technology Committee (STC), consisting of 13 Members of Parliament, under the chairmanship of Phil Willis (Liberal Democrat) published its first Evidence Check on December 18, focusing on The Governments policies on early literacy teaching and dyslexia. The committee report gives a mixed verdict, positive in terms of the evidence-base for policy on early literacy teaching, but negative about the evidence supporting the roll-out of Reading Recovery and negative about the focus on dyslexia, following the Rose Report. Here I focus on the conclusions in relation to dyslexia and argue that the committee have made some significant errors in their reasoning.

The STC Committee concluded: The Rose Reports definition of dyslexia is exceedingly broad and says that dyslexia is a continuum with no clear cut-off points. The definition is so broad and blurred at the edges that it is difficult to see how it could be useful in any diagnostic sense.

This conclusion demonstrates several misunderstandings. Many things are on a continuum from mild to severe but one may still make judgements about the point on the continuum when there is a need to take special notice, the point at which something may be seen as a problem or when some action must be taken. This applies not only to learning abilities and skills, including abilities in reading or maths, but also to qualities that are measured physically such as weight or blood pressure. The precise point when something is too high will be a matter of judgement and will take other factors into account but we would never say that a scale is useless just because it covers a spectrum or a continuum. If we followed the select committees advice and rejected all concepts, which are on a continuum, we would have very little left!

The STCs second conclusion is that that specialist dyslexia teachers could be renamed specialist literacy difficulty teachers. There is a good point being made here, but also an important point being missed. Yes indeed specialist dyslexia teachers will be very well placed to provide help for those with literacy difficulties; Jim Rose recognised this in his report which focused on dyslexia and literacy difficulties. The point being missed is that pupils with dyslexic difficulties have needs that are not confined to literacy often problems with attention, maths, memory and verbal expression for example.

Having criticised Roses definition as being too broad, it is ironic that the Select Committee go on to conclude that There are a range of reasons why people may struggle to learn to read and the Governments focus on dyslexia risks obscuring the broader problem yet they also say that educational interventions are the same for all poor readers, whether they have been diagnosed with dyslexia or not. Any skilled teacher will tell you that this is simply not true; good teaching is dynamic, adjusted and adapted to the responses of individual learners.

Most controversial is the conclusion that The Governments specific focus on specialist dyslexia teachers is not evidence-based. At the same time, the STC concluded that The Governments support for training teachers to become better at helping poor readers is welcome and to be supported. At this point, one begins to wonder whether there is perhaps something about the word dyslexia itself to which the committee object. The work done by Sir Jim Roses review showed that those trained as specialist dyslexic teachers were being well-used in schools to support pupils with a wide range of literacy and learning difficulties. That finding was one factor that contributed to the decision to provide more funding to train such teachers.

The penultimate conclusion of the STC is welcomed by the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust, namely that future research on the impact of literacy interventions on children with dyslexia should be well designed randomised controlled trials, using appropriate control groups and test a range of literacy interventions. Part of the problem with the conclusions of the select committee derive from the fact that there is a shortage of evidence, but some well-designed studies do exist which support the principles of teaching that covered in specialist dyslexia training courses. Open questions exist about the best and most efficient ways to put those principles into practice, but we know enough to be making a good start.

The final conclusion of the STC is welcomed in part, namely that the Government should prioritise its efforts on the basis of research, rather than commissioning on the basis of the priorities of lobby groups. These two approaches are not necessarily in conflict; many if not most lobby groups would claim that their priorities are supported by evidence. It is also nave to suggest that researchers are uninfluenced by their personal experiences and agendas for change. Even some of those on the Select Committee appear to have been influenced by their pre-existing views on the subject of dyslexia.

Forming a view on the basis of the evidence in order to inform practice is a complex process and the call for independent advisory groups to consider the evidence is welcomed. Indeed this is exactly what those of us on Sir Jim Roses group thought we had been asked to do. On the basis of its first report we would have to question whether the Science and Technology Select Committee are better able to do this job.