Memorandum submitted by Bristol Dyslexia
Centre
We are the Directors of the Bristol Dyslexia
Centre and would very much like to contribute to the Select Committee
inquiry into special educational needs. We both have a professional
and personal interest in the SEN field. Pat is a mother of two
dyslexic sons and founder of the Bristol Dyslexia Centre and Belgrave
School. Over the past 35 years she has taught and lectured widely.
Michael is dyslexic, a law graduate and has taught SpLD students
for 10 years.
The Bristol Dyslexia Centre has over 300 students
and 30 teaching staff. The Centre has been established since 1989
and during this period has firmly established a reputation for
excellence by successfully transforming thousands of struggling
students from academic failures into pass grade candidates, with
many attaining exceptional A grade results. The Centre incorporates
Belgrave School, providing full-time education for dyslexics and
school phobics for ages six to 12 years, an Assessment Centre
that caters for five independent chartered educational psychologists,
and three floors of the building are dedicated to part-time specialist
tuition for adults and school-age students. We have also developed
our own approach to learning which has been incorporated into
two software titles, the Nessy Learning Programme, a phonic-based
learning programme for dyslexics and BrainBooster, study skills
for the ages 13 to adult.
We would like you to consider the Nessy Learning
Programme when examining the need for SEN resources, expertise
and provision in mainstream schools. Nessy has achieved outstanding
results from a recent study of students using the programme (please
refer to supplementary materials). Following this success, the
school using the programme expanded use of the software to the
whole school.
The Nessy programme differs from
others in several key aspects. One key aspect of Nessy is the
structured game-based learning. We believe that learning should
be fun as we all learn best when we are enjoying ourselves and
that this approach should not be restricted to the Foundation
stages of education but become a general principle even at secondary
level. The Nessy game-based learning is effective because it is
set in the context of a structured programme of incremental and
cumulative learning. The Nessy programme advocates learning to
read, spell and write through games, both computer and paper based
card/board games, and the results of a recent survey demonstrate
that this multi-sensory approach is successful and inspiring.
Effective phonic-based learning is necessarily repetitive and
SEN students in particular need stimulation to become motivated
and engaged.
Another key difference is the extensive
range of ability covered by the Nessy programme. By addressing
abilities from five to 16 years this programme allows students
to maintain learning consistency during the transition from Primary
to Secondary education. Programs addressing SEN at secondary level
has often been poorly resourced.
The Nessy programme has been successfully
used by LSAs and NQTs who lack specialist experience. They have
found it an invaluable resource because Nessy includes all the
reading and spelling rules with supporting paper based activities
in 1,500 printable pages.
Experienced specialist teachers,
rather than academics have developed Nessy over many years. This
means it uses unique learning strategies that have already proved
effective in the classroom. These strategies capitalise upon dyslexic
learning strengths in areas of creativity and by associating concrete
meaning with intangible learning concepts that are otherwise difficult
to grasp eg the prefix-root-suffix becomes a head-body-tail of
a word.
Other aspects that we feel the Committee should
investigate are the inconsistencies in teacher training for the
recognition and addressing specific learning difficulties in the
classroom and the inadequacies of the assessment process. Many
teachers lack the training or ability to identify dyslexia let,
alone incorporate effective classroom strategies. In 90% of our
enquiries by email and telephone it is the parents who identify
their children as at risk and not the professionals. This is surely
a poor indictment of the current teacher-training curriculum and
many NQTs that we encounter still find that their courses include
only a token and arbitrary mention of dyslexia. In our experience
many teachers feel defensive and do not like to admit a lack of
knowledge when approached by concerned parents.
This is the situation in our LEA and I am sure
in many others. It can take anything up to two years to be assessed
by an educational psychologist and then the child needs to be
functioning at several years behind their actual age to qualify
for funding support. As reading assessments begin at a level of
five to six years in practice this means that only the most dyslexic
children are assisted and then not helped until nine to 10 years
when the secondary problems of low self-esteem, frustration and
disenchantment with school learning are entrenched, often with
lifelong detrimental consequences. The usual standard of proof
for identification of dyslexia is an assessment by an educational
psychologist. Parents desperate to halt this destruction to their
children's personality seek private help. The assessment process
takes about two and a half hours and costs in excess of £300.
The end result is a report which is often unintelligible to anyone
but the most experienced specialist teacher and must be renewed
after two years, yet this is the standard of proof required by
official bodies such as universities, tribunals, examination boards,
LEAs and schools etc Surely government could endorse an assessment
which was quick and cost effective but that focused upon practical
remediation and jargon-free language.
We hope that you will consider the points raised
in this submission and would be delighted to supplement these
comments if you consider they include areas of relevance to the
inquiry.
September 2005
READING AND SPELLING ASSESSMENT SCORES
Student |
Nov-04 Sp Age spelling |
June-05 |
progress 18 hours |
Nov-04 R Age reading |
June-05 (single) |
progress 18 hours |
Nov-04 R Age Reading |
June-05 (context) |
progress 18 hours |
Nov-03C A age |
June-05 CA |
A |
6y 5m |
6y 10m |
5m |
6y 4m |
7y 5m |
13m |
6y 6m |
7y 0m |
6m |
6y 5m |
7y 0m |
B | 6y 4m | 6y 10m
| 6m | 6y 8m | 8y 9m
| 2y 1m | 6y 9m | 8y 3m
| 1y 6m | 8y 3m | 8y 10m
|
C | 6y 10m | 7y 0m
| 2m | 6y 4m | 7y 3m
| 11m | 6y 9m | 9m
| 8y 4m | 8y 4m | 8y 10m
|
D | 7y 0m | 7y 8m
| 8m | 6y 9m | 7y 9m
| 12m | 7y 0m | 8y 0m
| 12m | 8y 5m | 9y 0m
|
E | 7y 7m | 8y 2m
| 7m | 7y 2m | 8y 0m
| 10m | 7y 0m | 8y 0m
| 12m | 8y 5m | 9y 0m
|
F | 7y 0m | 7y 5m
| 5m | 7y 5m | 8y 0m
| 7m | 7y 9m | 8y 0m
| 3m | 8y 6m | 9y 1m
|
G | 7y 7m | 8y 6m
| 11m | 8y 0m | 10y 0m
| 2y 0m | 8y 6m | 9y 3m
| 9m | 8y 7m | 9y 2m
|
H | 8y 2m | 9y 10m
| 1y 8m | 10y 0m | 9y 9m
| (3m | )9y 0m | 9y 9m
| 9m | 8y 8m | 9y 3m
|
I | 8y 6m | 9y 0m
| 6m | 9y 7m | 10y 3m
| 8m | 8y 8m | 9y 6m
| 12m | 9y 4m | 9y 10m
|
J | 8y 6m | 9y 4m
| 10m | 10y 7m | 11y 0m
| 5m | 9y 0m | 9y 6m
| 6m | 9y 5m | 10y 0m
|
K | 9y 2m | 10y 1m
| 11m | 9y 0m | 9y 9m
| 9m | 8y 6m | 9y 0m
| 6m | 9y 6m | 10y 1m
|
L | 11y 2m | 12y 1m
| 11m | 10y 6m | 12y 6m
| 2y 0m | 11y 0m | 12y 0m
| 12m | 9y 6m | 10y 1m
|
M | 7y 1m | 8y 8m
| 1y 7m | 8y 9m | 9y 7m
| 10m | 10y 3m | 11y 6m
| 1y 3m | 9y 10m | 10y 4m
|
N | 9y 8m | 11y 4m
| 1y 8m | 12y 6m | 16y 0m
| 3y 6m | 10y 4m | 11y 4m
| 12m | 9y 10m | 10y 3m
|
O | 9y 2m | 10y 5m
| 1y 3m | 10y 6m | 12y 6m
| 2y 0m | 8y 9m | 11y 3m
| 2y 6m | 9y 11m | 10y 6m
|
P | 8y 8m | 9y 6m
| 10m | 11y 0m | 15y 0m
| 5y 0m | 13y 0m | 14y 8m
| 1y 8m | 10y 2m | 10y 10m
|
Q | 7y 10m | 9y 4m
| 1y 6m | 9y 4m | 10y 6m
| 12m | 9y 6m | 9y 9m
| 3m | 10y 5m | 11y 0m
|
R | 8y 2m | 9y 6m
| 1y 4m | 8y 3m | 10y 6m
| 2y 3m | 10y 3m | 11y 3m
| 12m | 10y 7m | 11y 2m
|
S | 11y 2m | 12y 4m
| 1y 2m | 12y 6m | 14y 0m
| 2y 3m | 9y 9m | 10y 3m
| 6m | 11y 6m | 12y 1m
|
T | 11y 6m | 12y 4m
| 10m | 11y 0m | 13y 0m
| 6m | 12y 0m | 15y 4m
| 3y 4m | 11y 1m | 11y 8m
|
U | 8y 2m | 9y 8m
| 1y 6m | 12y 9m | 11y 0m
| 0m | 11y 3m | 11y 3m
| 0m | 11y 2m | 11y 8m
|
V | 10y 3m | 10y 8m
| 5m | 12y 9m | 16y 0m
| 3y 3m | 13y 0m | 15y 4m
| 2y 4m | 12y 2m | 12y 9m
|
W | 8y 10m | 9y 9m
| 11m | 11y 9m | 12y 9m
| 12m | 10y 6m | 10y 9m
| 3m | 12y 5m | 13y 0m
|
X | 11y 8m | 12y 4m
| 12y 10m | 12y 10m | 16y 0m
| 3y 2m | 13y 4m | 8m
| 12y 10m | 12y 10m | 13y 5m
|
Y | 11y 2m | 11y 8m
| 10y 9m | 10y 9m | 14y 8m
| 3y 11m | 12y 3m | 12m
| 13y 5m | 13y 5m | 14y 0m
|
Z | 11y 2m | 13y 0m
| 10y 0m | 10y 0m | 13y 0m
| 3y 0m | 13y 0m | 1y 8m
| 15y 10m | 15y 10m | 16y 5m
|
Average improvement |
|
|
1y 1m |
|
|
1y 9m |
|
| 10m | | |
|
| | |
| | | |
| | |
Assessment information
Vernon single word spelling, WRAT single word reading (decoding
skills), Holborn sentence reading (up to 13 years), *Kirkless
contextual reading and vocabulary
These assessments show results attained at the Bristol Dyslexia
Centre using an age range of students covered by the programme.
Results were taken before and after 18 hours of using the Nessy
Learning Programme over a period of six months from the end of
November 2004 to the beginning of June 2005. All students are
dyslexic.
READING AND SPELLING ASSESSMENT SCORES FOR FLAX BOURTON
PRIMARy SCHOOL YEAR 6 JUNE 2004
Student |
Reading Comprehension Age September 2003 |
Reading Age Comprehension June 2004 |
Increase in Reading Comprehension Age |
Spelling Age September 2003 |
Spelling Age June 2004 |
Increase in Spelling Age |
A |
8 yrs 6 mths |
9 yrs 3 mths | 9 mths | 8 yrs 3 mths
| 10 yrs 5 mths | 2 yrs 2 mths
|
B | 8 yrs 6 mths |
| | 9 yrs 7 mths | 10 yrs 2 mths
| 1yr 7 mths |
C | 7 yrs 9 mths |
| | 5 yrs 10 mths | 7 yrs 1 mths
| 2 yrs 0 mths |
D | 9 yrs 0 mths | 9 yrs 9 mths
| 9 mths | 12 yrs 0 mths | 12 yrs 4 mths
| 4 mths |
E | 9 yrs 6 mths | 12 yrs 0 mths
| 2 yrs 6 mths | 12 yrs 0 mths
| 12 yrs 9 mths | 9 mths |
F | 8 yrs 9 mths | 10 yrs 8 mths
| 1yr 11 mths | 9 yrs 2 mths |
11 yrs 2 mths | 2 yrs 0 mths |
G | 7 yrs 6 mths | 9 yrs 7 mths
| 2 yrs 1mth | 7 yrs 1 mths |
9 yrs 8 mths | 2 yrs 7 mths |
H | 8 yrs 0 mths | 9 yrs 3 mths
| 1yr 3 mths | 8 yrs 3 mths |
11 yrs 8 mths | 3 yrs 5 mths |
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June tests were administered by Backwell Comp. The June reading
Test was a different and more difficult test to that used in Setember.
The same spelling test was administerd in both September and June.
Tickenham Primary School PANDA report has shown improvement
since introducing Nessy.
During the trial Nessy has been used extensively in Jersey
as part of the curriculum rather than as an exclusive resource
with monitored results in a comparative study. Feedback from teachers
and children has been outstanding (see endorsements).
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