Special Educational Needs: Dyscalculia

Lord Addington Excerpts

Tuesday 10th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I pay tribute to the noble Baroness for her consistent support across the piece, and often repeated in this Chamber, in highlighting the situation and spelling out clearly what dyscalculia is in the discussions she has had. I recognise that those involved in this have been getting organised and raising the profile, but the approach within schools is that access should not be dependent on a diagnosis. The national inclusion standard, with five core areas of development, should lead to evidence-based support. We need to have a holistic view of the strengths and needs of a child, which should determine that support. Raising awareness is of course an important issue, but this is the approach we are taking at present.

[Lord Addington (LD)]

My Lords, does the Minister agree that while you still have an entrance bar that is English and maths, a condition such as dyscalculia can stop somebody progressing through the entire system? If we agree on that, what are we going to do to make sure that all teachers have an understanding that the condition is there and they must listen to the experts when it comes up? More of the same will not work: it will probably just guarantee failure.

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

The noble Lord raises these points at every available opportunity, and I commend him for that. This is an exceptionally important issue, but there is no getting away from the fact that we need a holistic approach that covers the needs of all children and makes sure they can thrive. I welcome the attempt to ensure that young people are better supported to get through the barriers he outlines and to progress through the system.