SEN0667
Written evidence submitted by Patoss, the Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties
Dyslexia poses a major challenge to the development of young children, impacting attainment across all subjects. Utilising the knowledge and skills of specialist teachers and assessors can make a tremendous difference in identifying and supporting children before they fail, providing support to mainstream teaching staff, and working with school leadership in reducing the demands on long term SEND support.
Teachers should know their pupils best – they also need to be ‘armed’ with the understanding of how to encourage and support them so they make good progress in their learning journey. We now know there are many supportive strategies that can help dyslexic learners and others with a neurodiverse profile which should be part of quality first teaching to make an inclusive classroom.
Free resources are available to help teachers develop inclusive practices in their neurodiverse classrooms.
- The Teaching for Neurodiversity, Engaging Learners with SEND was a DfE funded project, produced with partners Patoss, Helen Arkell, BDA and Dyslexia Action, developed resources and delivered a series of Train the Trainer: Teaching for Neurodiversity events at venues around England. These training sessions are available for free as webinars and downloadable resources to support cascade training for staff in schools – see Teaching for Neurodiversity on the Patoss website.
- The Literacy and Dyslexia Professional Development Framework is a ‘road map’ of the skills and knowledge required for teaching those who struggle with literacy and/or have dyslexia. It is an easy to use online tool that encompasses the levels of knowledge and skills required across the education workforce to support all learners with dyslexia/SpLD, developed by the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust with DfE funding https://framework.thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk/ . It is being used by schools and teachers across England for CPD and INSET.
Reading: A Necessary Foundation Skill
Children learning to read have a short developmental ‘window’ between five and nine years of age, where crucial learning usually takes place. The longer-term impact of even a short period of developmental delay during these years can be profound. The purpose of identification should always be focused on refining and improving effective interventions. The following criteria, [per the SASC Response to the SEN Green Paper 2022[i]] can inform when it could be appropriate to refer for assessment. The issues identified then are just as relevant today:
Relative to age-expectations, the child‘s difficulties in reading accuracy, fluency and/or reading comprehension have been persisting or worsening for at least six months, despite appropriate, sustained and monitored interventions put in place.
A child appears to be able to sustain progress in literacy acquisition or academic progress in subjects heavily dependent upon literacy acquisition only with a high level of support and intervention.
A child is showing signs of distress and/or behavioural difficulties that appear to be linked to difficulties in literacy attainment.
A child’s difficulties in literacy contrast markedly with other aspects of their achievement profile.
A range of co-occurring difficulties (developmental, psycho-social, medical) is contributing to a complex picture of need, requiring specialist recommendations for intervention.
Other (non-developmental) explanations for persisting difficulties have been considered e.g. frequent school moves, frequent school absence due to ill-health, trauma, the impact of learning loss during the COVID 19 pandemic, inappropriate or inconsistent instruction/intervention strategies etc.
To ensure continuity of provision, there also needs to be a clearly defined mechanism for the transfer of records of assessment and intervention to class teachers and support staff within and between schools, especially on transfer at Year 7. Regular, frequent review and re-assessment is useful and important. [It] is most effective when informed by previous records. [SASC Response to SEN Green Paper 2022, accessed 5/2/24]
The years between Year 2 and Year 7 are particularly key to assuring they get the right support or they will fall farther and farther behind, with terrible loss in self-esteem. As many of us have seen in our teaching experience, many dyslexic children by the age of 12 are avoidant readers who have experienced low self-esteem that appears to have impacted broader aspects of their lives.
Nearly 20% of adolescents are not able to read simple texts accurately and with understanding. If they are still struggling at that stage they need ‘a model of tiered support, which increases in line with need’ and ‘assessment should be used to match students to appropriate types of intervention with frequent monitoring (their) impact’ on progress. [EEF_KS3_KS4_LITERACY_GUIDANCE.pdf, p7 accessed 28/1/24]
It is important to note that
The range of reading abilities in years 5-9 are largely overlapping
(But the curriculum demands are not)
At transition, children need to be prepared for the increased challenge in their language and reading context, and expectations upon them
We can’t assume that children and adolescents have the reading skills needed to access the school curriculum and complete school assessments and exams
Teachers in all classrooms face a real challenge in supporting learning for students with such wide-ranging reading abilities [J Ricketts, 2023 Patoss Conference Keynote, ‘Reading in adolescence: What do we Know and What can we do?’]
Supporting students with dyslexia in mainstream schools involves a collaborative effort among teachers, parents, and specialists. Support must be well structured, and systematic with frequent opportunities to review to build a firm foundation.
All early literacy intervention schemes and policies need to incorporate assessment criteria and eligibility for access points to differential levels of support, because conceptualising all or most reading and learning difficulties as remediable with the same instructional programme, is unlikely to meet the needs of those with persistent and longer-term difficulties.
Specialists working for local authorities and schools could, as some already do, in the initial stages of working with children with literacy difficulties, formulate short, interim or formative assessments that identify need and suggested interventions without applying diagnostic labels. Summative, diagnostic assessment should not, as happens now in some areas of the UK, be seen as the pre-requisite to the allocation of resources. Specialist teachers can monitor interventions and recommend adjustments when review identifies difficulties persist. Consistent processes would be enhanced through the employment of specialist teachers in all schools, who can advise on decision-making processes, alongside best systems for recording and monitoring assessment processes to ensure consistency is achieved.
Appendix 1 gives an example of one specialist teachers’ role at a multi-academy trust and her involvement in identifying and supporting children early. Working together across her multi-academy trust this specialist teacher assessor helps to identify children early which will make such a difference to their support and development. But, as she has indicated, this can only go so far where the wait for onward necessary specialist support is so long. At least these children’s places in the queue are booked early through this assessor’s active role.
Teachers and schools want to do what is best for their pupils. Schools are held back by the lack of resources, including teaching staff.
There needs to be a clearer blueprint to applying the graduated response effectively.
Here are some suggestions on how to support those struggling with literacy acquisition.
More than just phonics
Supporting dyslexic children is not all about phonics! The Education Endowment Foundation strongly supports this, noting the importance of a varied approach: ‘The purpose of reading is to comprehend the written word so building vocabulary is also key.’ Where students haven’t mastered the phonics code by the time of the phonics check at the end of Key Stage 1, additional strategies must be to put in place as a matter of priority. We cannot afford for these children to leave primary education unable to read well enough to access the secondary curriculum.
Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2, Education Endowment Foundation [accessed 2-2-2024]
Learning to read exerts a reciprocal influence on cognitive abilities (Snowling, 2020[ii]). Learning to read at the expected age tends to drive positive orientations to reading and, very likely, to learning in general; these children step onto an ‘up’ escalator. For children who do not begin to learn to read at the expected age, the risk of a reverse motivational trajectory (a ‘down’ escalator’) is high. Looking at the underlying causes of individuals’ reading difficulties facilitates understanding why decoding requires so much more effort in dyslexic learners and inhibits the reciprocal ‘self-teaching’ process that occurs for typically developing readers.
When learners continue to struggle, they need more than to be taught the same content again. Here is a role for specialist SpLD teachers who can help these learners understand where they are struggling and why: help them in developing skills in how they learn to encourage the development of autonomy, resilience and self-esteem.
Dyslexic learners have particular weaknesses in phonological awareness and phonological processing. Learning the sounds letters and letter combinations make [phonics] is necessary but it is not enough for these struggling readers. So they must be provided with additional tools to help them with reading comprehension not based solely on phonics.
Research has demonstrated the importance of an integrated approach and an understanding of how language works in ensuring mastery of the English language. As Sue Hegland notes in her free webinar: ‘Understanding all aspects of our language will enable you to explain many otherwise mysterious spellings, improving the learning experience for students.’[iii]
Understanding how words are built and discovering the connections between word structure and meaning can be a useful way into comprehension for learners who struggle with phonological processing. Using this approach becomes even more important when tackling new vocabulary moving up to secondary education and beyond.
Exploring and understanding the connections between the structures and meanings of words [morphology] and looking at their history and origins [etymology] can be the key that unlocks the door to understanding and spelling. Morphology focuses on the internal structure of words in terms of its meaning. Etymology focuses a light on how words relate to each other and their ‘roots’ or origins. Spelling is a way of showing what words mean. Understanding both morphology and etymology helps build vocabulary, reading comprehension and spelling.
In their meta-analysis of morphological approaches, Goodwin and Ahn found that
Overall, morphological instruction showed a significant improvement on literacy achievement…Morphological instruction was particularly effective for children with reading, learning, or speech and language disabilities, English language learners, and struggling readers, suggesting the possibility that morphological instruction can remediate phonological processing challenges. Other moderators were also explored to explain differences in morphological intervention effects. These findings suggest students with literacy difficulties would benefit from morphological instruction.[iv] Goodwin and Alm (emphasis is mine)
Conclusion
- Regular communication and collaboration among educators, specialists, and parents are key to creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment for students with dyslexia in mainstream schools.
- Utilising the knowledge and skills of specialist teachers and assessors can make a tremendous difference in supporting children before they fail, reducing the demands on long term SEND support
- Every student with dyslexia is unique, and the strategies that work for one may not work for another. Teaching for struggling readers should recognise and incorporate different strategies
- All early literacy intervention schemes and policies need to incorporate assessment criteria and eligibility for access points to differential levels of support.
- It is important to note that any support for dyslexic learners must be structured and systematic and provide opportunities for review
- conceptualising all or most reading and learning difficulties as remediable with the same instructional programme, is unlikely to meet the needs of those with persistent and longer-term difficulties.
Useful resources:
On-line training available from www.patoss-dyslexia.org, some examples:
- OnDemand: How English Words Really Work: An Introduction to Morphology
- On Demand: Morph Mastery – An Introduction
- On Demand: Morph Mastery in the Classroom
- OnDemand: Morph Mastery Information Workshop for Parents - How to Use Morphology at Home to Aid your Child’s Learning
- OnDemand: Beneath the Surface of Words: What English Spelling Reveals and Why it Matters
- OnDemand: Structured Word Inquiry: Literacy Instruction that Makes Sense of English Spelling for Students of all Ages and Abilities
- Teaching for Neurodiversity, free resources www.patoss-dyslexia.org/Neurodiversity
- The Literacy and Dyslexia Professional Development Framework The Literacy and Dyslexia Professional Development Framework
- Making sense of Spelling- Gina Cooke, YouTube video https://youtu.be/0mbuwZK0lr8?list=RDCMUCsooa4yRKGN_zEE8iknghZA
- https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/signs-of-dyslexia-in-children/
Appendix 1
Specialist Teacher Assessor Role in a Multi Academy Trust
What I do
• I support 4 primary schools and 1 nursery school in a MAT in East London. Each school gets regular visits for 2 weeks at a time.
• The SENCO’s refer children to me through our referral process, when children are not making expected progress, typically following wave 2 intervention such as targeted small group work with a TA and being identified in school through pupil progress meetings with senior leadership.
• Parents are asked to contribute through a developmental history taking process, which can be electronic, written or verbal to meet parental need.
• Teachers are asked to contribute information about performance in the classroom via a google form.
• Educational attainment is investigated via an online software which is common to all 4 schools and holds information on historic and current attainment, both teacher judgement and formal attainment points such as the phonics check.
• Any other professional reports are also read, having been uploaded onto online software common to all 4 schools by SENCO’s.
Assessment
• Assessment with the child takes place using a variety formal standardised assessments, informal assessment and observation. Assessments are typically bespoke to the difficulties the child is experiencing in education.
• Assessment does not take place primarily to obtain a diagnosis. It’s about finding out what the barriers to a child’s progress are.
• Formal reports from the Specialist Teacher are used to support EHCP applications, onward referrals to other professionals and to support intervention in school.
• We have been successful at obtaining EHCP’s through my support of applications.
• Relationships have been built with other services, and I attend regular multi disciplinary meetings with our local NHS Autism diagnosis pathway.
• All parents are offered a feedback face to face meeting with the Specialist Teacher following assessment.
Children with Literacy Difficulties
• Children who are having literacy difficulties are typically identified early, in Reception as part of the end of EYFS teacher assessment. They will not receive ‘secure’ on the Literacy Early Learning Goals (ELG’s).
• In Year 1 all children continue daily Phonics teaching using a recognised synthetic phonics program.
• Those children who are not making expected progress will be identified and receive additional intervention, typically each afternoon.
• Children who do not pass the phonics check in Yr 1 continue to receive daily phonics teaching in Yr 2. Those children at the end of Yr 2 who do not pass their second Phonics Check will continue to receive daily Phonics teaching in KS2.
• Those children who receive very low marks and/or are predicted to make little progress between phonics checks in Yr 1 and 2 are commonly referred to the Specialist Teacher. This may yield further referrals to other professionals, if co-occurring difficulties are identified, and an identification that the child is at risk of a Dyslexia diagnosis.
• By Yr 3 children with literacy difficulties will have received 3 years of ordinarily available phonics teaching and additional intervention. Those who are still not making progress are referred for a diagnostic assessment to the Specialist Teacher.
Onward Referrals
• I write and support onward referrals for assessment for:
• ADHD - our local route is via CAMHS, triage is typically 6-9 months waiting list, followed by a 2 year waiting list for an assessment.
• ASC - our local pathway is via an NHS diagnosis service. Triage is typically 1 month, followed by a 2 year waiting list for an assessment.
• DCD - a new pathway via OT. Triage is via telephone call with a professional, followed by a number of appointments – wait list unknown as it is a new service. Direct referrals from education are not accepted, however referrals from a Specialist Teacher are.
• DLD – pathway is unclear therefore DLD diagnoses are very low in our London Borough. Children from Reception onwards are referred to the core Schools SALT service, they wait for 9-12 months for a single assessment appointment. DLD diagnosis is not typically given after a single appointment, however more appointments are not available via the Core service. Some schools are able to ‘buy in’ an NHS SALT for a day a week to add to the core offer, however as this is expensive, all schools are not able to do this.
• Other professionals use my reports as additional sources of evidence in their diagnostic conclusions.
Impact on the Child
• Since waiting lists commonly mean that formal diagnoses are delayed, typically by years, recommendations from the Specialist Teacher are not literacy specific or diagnosis led.
• Our schools use online software to write a Learning Plan with targets under the 4 broad areas of need from the SEN Code of Practice.
• Recommendations from the Specialist Teacher are made within the 4 broad areas of need and link interventions to those targets.
• We have common areas of intervention which might be recommended, e.g. in phonics and literacy, language and communication (e.g. Language Enrichment groups), attention (e.g. Attention Autism groups) and SEMH (e.g. Zones of Regulation group).
• TA’s running groups can get advice from the Specialist Teacher during visits if they are concerned about a child’s progress.
January 2025