Monday 29 June 2015

I thought this reply from the scottish government regarding my dyslexia mentoring project proposal might be of interest.



Hi blog readers hope you are all well

I recently wrote to the Scottish government regarding the Dyslexia Pathways CIC Schools dyslexia mentoring scheme which I thought might be of interest to all my readers but in particular to those in Scotland.

I have to point out I am grinding no political axe here. Indeed I voted for independence and for the SNP at the last general election.

I just thought the information in this letter would be useful to all them parents of dyslexic kids at school here in Scotland.

I also thought it would start a conversation about what is happening in other countries. But more importantly initiate a discussion about parents of dyslexic kids going to schools in Scotland
Thank you for your e-mail and attachments of 10 March 2015 to Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon


MSP, First Minister of Scotland, about a proposal for a dyslexia-focussed schools mentoring scheme.


I thought it would be useful if I outlined what support the Scottish Government has in place to support dyslexics.


Under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, as amended, education authorities are required to identify, meet and keep under review the additional support needs of all their pupils and to tailor provision according to their individual circumstances.


The Act also provides parents with the right to be involved in decision making.


To ensure this happens, the Act introduced a range of mechanisms for dealing with disagreements. These include: -Mediation is a voluntary process during which a neutral third person (a mediator) helps those involved in a disagreement or dispute to work towards an agreement that is acceptable to everyone involved; and. Independent Adjudication which is carried out by an independent third party (an adjudicator) who considers the facts of the case and makes recommendations to the education authority.


The Scottish Government funds a number of organisations to ensure that parents get the help and support they need, these include:

Enquire - a national, independent, advice and information service for the families of children who require extra help at school. Enquire has developed a number of resources aimed at helping parents navigate the system, including advice on resolving disagreements with education authorities regarding the provision of educational support.


Their help line number is 0845-123-2303; and they also published a guide for parents' on additional support for learning which can be accessed at: www.enquire.org.uk/publications/parents-guide; and Govan Law Centre's Education Law Unit - give advice and support to parents on points of education law, including mediation and independent adjudication. You

can contact Govan Law Centre on 0141-445-1955; or visit their website at:



You may be aware that Education Scotland produced a report called Making Sense: Education for Children and Young People with Dyslexia in



Scotland and this report was the outcome of an independent review of education for children and young people who have dyslexia which has been carried out on behalf of the Scottish Government.


The review covered the experiences of learners in primary, secondary and special schools.


It also looked into the provision made by local authorities and at the programmes of initial teacher education currently offered by universities in Scotland.


The report includes the following findings and recommendations:


• Local authorities are improving services for supporting learners with dyslexia.


• Primary, secondary and special schools are generally making good provision for children and young people with additional support needs, including dyslexia but this needs to be more consistent.

Professional learning opportunities related to provision for those with dyslexia is variable and should be increased.

The Scottish Government Literacy Action Plan is committed to working with Dyslexia Scotland to address literacy difficulties and it is now providing a focus on early intervention to help children to develop these skills.

Teachers, support staff, learners and parents should have access to up-to-date practical advice and guidance on dyslexia.

• Initial teacher education and postgraduate awards and courses should give a high priority to developing knowledge and skills in relation to dyslexia and additional support needs.

Schools, local authorities and national partners should take action to improve the quality of educational outcomes for children and young people with dyslexia.

The availability and use of reliable information on children and young people's needs, development and achievement should be improved.


The Scottish Government response to the report was published on 27 June 2014, which accepted all of the report's recommendations.

Dyslexia Scotland is based in Stirling and is both a registered Scottish charity (SC000951) and a company limited by guarantee (No. SC 153321). Dyslexia Scotland delivers a range of support and services as identified by, and on behalf of, dyslexic people in Scotland.


These include: National Telephone Helpline; National tutor list and training for tutors;


Supporting Projects for the Scottish Government and other partners; Website; Adult Network; Annual Conference, Workshops and Training events; and a variety of local services provided through local branches.


The Scottish Government provided Dyslexia Scotland with £39,000 in 2009/10 to develop the Dyslexia Toolkit and a further £10,000 in 2010/11 to run a series of seminars across the country to raise awareness and understanding of the resource. We previously provided Dyslexia Scotland with £3,000 annually to maintain the Toolkit. In 2011/12 and 2012/13, we increased this by £500 to allow Dyslexia Scotland to run awareness sessions at the Scottish Learning Festival.


Sir Jackie Stewart and the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning launched the online Toolkit in June 2010. The original version of the Toolkit was for teachers to help them with the assessment of literacy difficulties and dyslexia.


In 2011/12, Dyslexia Scotland added further resources on how to support dyslexic pupils so that it is now the 'Addressing Dyslexia' Toolkit.


The £40,000 funding was used to review and update material on the Toolkit to reflect lessons learned during implementation and any

new legal requirements; add new materials on support; consider opportunities for the Toolkit to be more accessible for teachers; and develop a section for local authorities on how to best implement the Toolkit. The enhanced Toolkit was launched by the Minister for Learning,

Science and Scotland's Languages at the Scottish Learning Festival in September 2012.


Dyslexia Scotland was awarded with increased funding of £100,000 for 2013-14. This will be used to:

• explore options for the Dyslexia Friendly Schools project to be rolled out across Scotland;

• explore the possibility of creating a dyslexia toolkit for adults/employers;

• maintain the Dyslexia Toolkit and promote its impact in Initial Teacher Education and professional learning; and

• provide advice, support and information to young people, parents, adults and supporters.

Dyslexia Scotland was awarded with increased funding of £100,000 for 2014-15. This will be used to:

• maintain the Dyslexia Toolkit and promote its impact in Initial Teacher Education and

professional learning;

• Take forward recommendations related to the Toolkit arising from the Education

Scotland report, Making sense: education for children and young people with dyslexia in Scotland; and

• provide advice, support and information to young people, parents, adults and supporters.

You may also be interested to know that the Scottish Government chairs the Working Group on Dyslexia
which is tasked with carrying out the recommendations of the Report. Officials have noted your correspondence and it is useful to know that there are positive proposals out there.
Ta for reading and apologies for the length of this blog

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