Pupils: Dyslexia

(asked on 30th October 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the findings in the Hide and Seek report published by the Driver Youth Trust on 13 October 2020, that 4 per cent of specialist teachers for pupils with dyslexia work in state schools and that 75 per cent of headteachers say they cannot access one to one support for their pupils.


Answered by
Vicky Ford Portrait
Vicky Ford
This question was answered on 6th November 2020

Our ambition is for every child, no matter what challenges they face, to have access to a world-class education that sets them up for life. We know that the quality of teaching is the most important in-school factor for improving outcomes for all children and that it is particularly important for pupils with special educational needs and disability (SEND), including dyslexia. We are creating an entitlement to at least three years of structured support and professional development for teachers as they train and at the start of their careers through the initial teacher training core content framework (2019) and Early Career Framework. Together, these set out for the first time the evidence-based body of knowledge and experience that all trainees and early career teachers need, including in relation to SEND.

Further information about initial teacher training core content framework is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-core-content-framework.

The Early Career Framework is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/913646/Early-Career_Framework.pdf.

We recognise that there is work to be done to improve the SEND system, including improving access to support services. This is why we are conducting a review of the SEND system. We are grateful to organisations like the Driver Youth Trust whose work supports the journey towards realising this aim.

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