Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how her Department monitors how many teachers receive dyslexia awareness training as part of their continual professional development.

The Department for Education does not hold figures for the number of teachers receiving dyslexia awareness training. It is for schools to ensure they have an appropriately trained workforce to meet the needs of children with special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities.

The Department is enabling teachers to develop their ability to support children with SEN and disabilities through its National Scholarship Fund. This provides funding for staff to undertake postgraduate-level qualifications in specific impairments, including Masters-level training in Dyslexia. Since 2011, over 1,800 members of staff in schools have received support through the National Scholarship Fund.

The Department is also funding a range of voluntary and community organisations to support school teachers and local authorities to improve the support available to dyslexic pupils. This includes the Primary Literacy Project, aimed at improving the literacy levels of pupils most at risk of literacy difficulties and dyslexia. 736 teachers and teaching assistants have attended school training sessions over the two years of the project. The British Dyslexia Association training department also delivered around 380 courses to approximately 6,500 teachers during 2014.