New deal for Dyslexia -
Government gives 'no to failure' a £900,000 kick start
DEPARTMENT FOR
EDUCATION AND SKILLS News Release (2007/0079) issued by The
Government News Network on 15 May 2007
Schools Minister
Andrew Adonis will today join Kate Griggs, founder of the charity
Xtraordinary People, to launch 'No to Failure', an
exciting new project that aims to ensure children with dyslexia
get the support they need at school.
This unique project, part of a wider new programme of support for
children with dyslexia and their teachers, identifies
'trailblazer' schools and local authorities leading the
way in meeting the needs of dyslexic pupils. Through these
'trailblazers' the project will:
* champion specialist dyslexia training for teachers;
* develop examples of good practice which can be extended locally
and nationally; and
* forge stronger partnerships with dyslexia charities and
businesses to provide quality support and education for dyslexia pupils.
The Government's £900,000 will be matched by charitable
contributions in cash or kind to launch 'No to Failure'
as an independent, managed project. 'No to Failure'
will develop an initial pilot project in the London Borough of
Southwark, as a model for extension to other local authorities
over the coming months.
Launching the project at Lyndhurst School in Southwark, Andrew
Adonis said:
"This project is an excellent example of how working
together with specialists in the field means that the needs of
children with dyslexia are recognised early and acted upon.
"Equipping teachers will the skills and confidence to help
children with a range of special educational needs, including
dyslexia, is a key way of successfully responding to pupil's
individual needs. Every child should have the chance to reach
their full potential and that is why through our work focusing on
school development and personalised learning we are investing £4.9billion.
"This project, bringing Government and charities together,
will increase awareness of the benefits to be gained from improved
access to specialist support. For that reason we have committed
£900,000 over two years to help the project get off to a flying start."
Kate Griggs of Xtraordinary People said:
"Lyndhurst School is a shining example of how even severely
dyslexic children can be supported and succeed in mainstream
school. Success for most dyslexics isn't about specialist
schools it's about getting specialist teachers in mainstream
schools so they can identify and help these children early.
'No to Failure' will seek to replicate and build on the
Lyndhurst experience in other schools and local authorities."
'No to Failure' is part of a transformation programme
the Government is taking forward with the Training and Development
Agency for Schools (TDA) to improve systematically the training of
trainee and serving teachers in special educational needs. This
includes pilots in nine universities of specialist sessions for
trainee primary schools teachers for teaching pupils with SEN.
Graham Holley, Chief Executive of the TDA said:
"The TDA's Special Educational Needs and Disability
Programme is a key part of the Government's SEN strategy
Removing Barriers to Achievement. The programme will provide
support for trainee teachers, serving teachers and trainers of
teachers to develop their skills and personalise learning for
pupils with SEN and disabilities. As part of the programme
materials are being piloted in a number of undergraduate Initial
Teacher Training (ITT) courses with positive results. We will
share the materials nationally later this year following
evaluation of the pilot."
Lynne Cook at Oxford Brookes University said:
"I've been delighted to be involved in the piloting of
the new SEN and disability units. The units are well designed and
highly accessible and they've been an extremely valuable
addition to our course. Students have enjoyed them and feel better
equipped to work with children with SEN and disabilities when they
take up posts in schools. We'll definitely be using them as a
key part of our courses in the future and I'm pleased to hear
that they'll be available for all ITT providers later this year."
In October the Government is also launching a new £2 million
Inclusion Development Programme (IDP) which will enhance SEN
training and support for serving teachers and other staff with the
aim of developing their competence and confidence in working with
this key group of pupils. The first year of the programme will
focus on children with speech, language and communication needs,
and dyslexia.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Xtraordinary People operates as a restricted fund of the
British Dyslexia Association.
2. All local authorities, schools and early year's settings
must have regard to the SEN Code of Practice which provides advice
on carrying out statutory duties to identify, assess and make
provision for pupils' special educational needs. Children
with dyslexia should therefore have their needs identified and
support put in place to meet those needs in the same way as
children with any other type of SEN.
3. There is substantial funding in the school system to support
training. Some £4.9bn has been made available in 2006-08 through
the School Development Grant and funding for Personalisation. This
is on top of LAs' planned annual expenditure on SEN - £4.5
billion in 2006-07.
4. Nine institutions are involved in the Initial Teacher Training
pilots. They are University of Chichester, University of Derby,
Edge Hill University, University of Gloucestershire, University of
Greenwich, Oxford Brookes University, University of Reading, St
Martin's College and Northumbria University.
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