Special Educational Needs: Dyscalculia

Lord Hampton Excerpts

Tuesday 10th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[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.

[Lord Hampton (CB)]

My Lord, I declare my interest as a teacher, as ever. There is no clear national definition of dyscalculia. However many national schools hubs you have and however much teacher training there is, it is not going to be very good if we do not have a definition of it. Do the Government have plans to change that?

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I think it fair to say that the Government do not have immediate plans to change this. We want to make sure that all special needs are recognised and given the same exposure and understanding, so that the needs of the whole child can be considered. Obviously, certain conditions run alongside others, and we must make sure that we are not too narrow in our approach, but that is not to underestimate the amount of support that we know these children and young people need.