Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of specialist teachers on the progress of dyslexic learners; if he will undertake a review of the provision of dyslexia specialists in England; and if he will make a statement.

Schools have a statutory duty to support all pupils who have special educational needs or a disability (SEND), including those with dyslexia. They should apply the graduated approach to support that is set out for schools in the SEND Code of Practice, paragraphs 6.36 to 6.56 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25) – assessing a child’s needs, planning and implementing appropriate support, and reviewing it regularly to ensure it continues to meet the child’s needs. The effectiveness of any interventions provided should therefore be reviewed by the school as part of this graduated approach. The framework of content for Initial Teacher Training also requires training providers to include modules on specific types of SEND, including dyslexia, to ensure that all new teachers understand the needs of such pupils and are well equipped to support them.

The availability of dyslexia support should be included in the Local Offer of services for children and young people with SEND. Where gaps in provision are identified, education partners should work together to ensure that the Local Offer responds to requirements.

From April 2016 to March 2018, the department funded the British Dyslexia Association to deliver training to teachers ‎to support early identification of learning difficulties, including dyslexia. Resources created under this funding are available, free of charge, on the SEND gateway. The department also has a contract with Nasen and University College London, on behalf of the Whole School SEND consortium, worth £3.4 million over two years to support schools to deliver high quality SEND provision.