Memorandum submitted by the British Dyslexia
Association
INTRODUCTION TO
THE BDA
The BDA is the umbrella membership organisation
representing those of any age who are affected by dyslexia. They
offer advice, guidance and support to parents, children and adults
indeed all those affected by dyslexia, including professionals.
Many of these calls highlight the difficulties some parents face
when trying to access suitable provision for their dyslexic child
within mainstream schools.
Working through specific projects we aim to
improve participation within life long learning opportunities
for dyslexic people through a variety of access points; schools,
colleges, universities, private and public sector employers, prisons
and young offender units etc.
The BDA identify and accredit suitable courses
for professionals working in the field of dyslexia and specific
learning difficulties. This service was developed at the request
of teachers themselves who identified the need for improved training
in dyslexia and SpLD but needed to know which courses were to
be recommended. A national network of local associations and support
groups themselves provide one-to-one support for families through
the process of statementing.
We run a dyslexia friendly quality marking project
where LEAs accredit their individual schools against a set of
standards. These standards have been agreed by a BDA steering
group comprised of exponents of good practice over recent years.
We run a comprehensive website with a unique
dyslexia/disability friendly accessibility tool aimed at better
informing those who are disadvantaged by their dyslexia. We also
publish a range of facts sheets, publications, regular newsletters
and an annual handbook.
We try to level the playing field for those
who struggle to receive the dyslexia friendly education they require
in order for them to reach their full potential at whatever level
that may be.
PROVISION FOR
SEN PUPILS IN
MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS
The BDA is a committed champion of inclusion
for those with special educational needs where ever possible.
However, this service needs to be adequately resourced and provided
uniformly across the country. We recognise that for some children
with specific care needs, for example those with degenerative
life limiting disorders, main stream schools, whilst still preferable
should not be the only option on offer.
Small class size and a higher ratio of specialist
trained teachers are the reason many parents select a specialist
school for their child with dyslexia. The same reasoning applies
to many parents of children with autistic spectrum disorders.
Until the resources for SEN within mainstream
better match the need, and efforts are made to get the right skill
mix amongst staff, SEN will continue to be seen as a "problem"
and children with SEN will still appear to be the ones that "do
not matter." These children should have their education needs
met as of right because they are children. In practice it is often
delivered almost grudgingly, frequently after a personal battle
by parents involving expensive solicitors and tribunals. These
families often only keep going because of the individual support
and advice received from charities.
TEACHER TRAINING
Good practice in SEN teaching has been shown
to be effective for all. Teacher training must change to reflect
this fact. This would move us towards true inclusion. Special
educational needs are no longer an exception. Only by changing
the starting point as per Every Child Matters will we truly
include those with SEN. By teaching to a multi sensory model that
is equally applicable to those more able students as well as those
with mild to moderate SEN we can be truly inclusive.
At present the BDA accredit courses that trained
teachers can undertake in order to achieve their specialist teacher
status. Many of these teachers fund these courses themselves having
recognised the benefits for their pupils but being unable to convince
their schools of the need. They cannot acquire the funding or
the time off from their full time posts to attend the course and
do this as distance learning or in evenings.
AVAILABILITY OF
RESOURCES AND
EXPERTISE
Two key problems need addressing if inclusion
within mainstream schooling is to succeed for pupils with SEN:
— SEN funding needs to be adequate
and ring fenced for that purpose alone. The SEN funding stream
needs to be transparent within the accounting system allowing
identification of the unit cost per child with SEN at a tiered
level with increases for those with higher needs. Parents should
be involved with the setting of these tiers.
— Parents are often told there are
"insufficient resources" with nothing to substantiate
that fact. This is exacerbated by the current obscurity of SEN
funding. Anecdotal statements such as "the entire SEN budget
for last year went on new fencing" cannot be disproved. Transparency
would help.
— Initial teacher training needs to
be changed urgently if Every Child Matters is to be seen
as more than just rhetoric. The number of children with SEN in
each class is now sufficient to warrant them being considered
less "special" and more mainstream. This needs to be
addressed urgently.
— SENCO posts (seen as key by parents)
are often part time with duties attached to the job description
of an already working teacher or even head teachers.
— Parent Partnership schemes, although
now provided across the country, vary in quality and staffing
due to variable commitment from LEAs.
PROVISION FOR
SEN PUPILS IN
SPECIAL SCHOOLS
We champion well resourced inclusion for pupils
with SEN in almost all cases. However we recognise that there
may be some special needs for example some life limiting and degenerative
disorders where special schools could provide better care facilities
than may be possible within mainstream.
RAISING STANDARDS
OF ACHIEVEMENT
FOR SEN
Improving the standards of achievement for those
with SEN is an important sign of a commitment to equality and
inclusion. P levels and the new Ofsted requirements to review
SEN in their inspection process are a positive start to the process
but will need strengthening if progress is to be made long term.
The BDA is seriously concerned that within the
current model unmet special educational needs lead some pupils
to act out their frustration at repetitive failure by increasing
disruptive behaviour and truancy.
We are equally concerned that unrecognised dyslexia
may account for some of the low literacy levels in young school
leavers reported by employers and also within the youth offending
teams.
THE SYSTEM
OF STATEMENTING
The Code of Practice and SENDA give some structure
and rights to the assessment of special educational needs. Parents
may not like this adversarial system but they do at least feel
they have some rights on behalf of their child.
Given the battles they describe even when these
"rights" legally exist, they will be hard to convince
that moving away from this model could actually improve the resources
for their child. Transparency and true partnership may be a catalyst.
ROLE OF
PARENTS IN
DECISIONS ABOUT
THEIR CHILD'S
EDUCATION
Many parents in touch with our helpline tell
us of "their constant battle" to get the best for their
children. This often starts after their first visit to school
when they first identify the concerns about their child. They
are too often dismissed as over anxious or over ambitious parents.
Parents do have unique knowledge about their child and a true
working partnership with parents requires an acknowledgement of
this fact and respect in their role.
The BDA recently funded an Action Research Project
at Exeter University, led by Professor Brahm Norwich looking at
these issues.
It covered five LEA areas in the South West
and is entitled "I am glad I did not take no for an answer."
The BDA commend this report to the committee
as part of this review.
HOW SPECIAL
NEEDS ARE
DEFINED
The current PLASC categories list dyslexia,
dyscalculia and dyspraxia as Specific Learning Difficulties. This
particular category is fairly tight but others are less defined.
We are concerned that a child with unmet special
educational needs within the schooling system could end up moving
to the EBSD category because of their deteriorating behaviour.
Here, behaviour modification may then take greater priority than
addressing their original and probably still unmet educational
needs.
PROVISION FOR
DIFFERENT TYPES
LEVELS OF
SEN INCLUDING EBSD
We feel the majority of levels of SEN including
EBSD can be addressed within mainstream. It would require adequate
resourcing, a wider skill mix amongst staff and possibly small
group work within the main stream setting.
SENDA
This legislation is seen generally by parents
as being an excellent piece of national legislation giving rights,
structures and timescales that allowing transparency for parents
as the assessment process moves on.
The problems start with local LEA variations
in interpreting national legislation and general lack of dyslexia/SEN
awareness and knowledge amongst the staff of some schools.
There is also no adequate policing of those
LEAs who pay lip service to SENDA exacerbating an adversarial
system that is expensive to administer in financial and emotional
terms for those families involved.
September 2005
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