FAQs - Dyslexia & Literacy

Our selected Frequently Asked Questions below may also help you decided whether your child will benefit for a Specialist Educational Assessment. If you require further advice or discussion then please

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Based on sound evidence based studies and research, it has been shown that some children with Dyslexia and/or Dyspraxia require an intensive, one-to-one intervention programme delivered by a skilled tutor. Our teaching and tutors are able to provide such a programme.

Our Specialist Dyslexia and Literacy tuition is based on the principles of being structured, systematic cumulative and multi-sensory. Weekly lessons are structured to provide small progressive steps of learning which are linked together. By using a multi-sensory approach which combines visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learning skills students are taught to use their strengths and improve areas of weaknesses. Your child can begin to understand themselves and thus develop confidence.

Based on the information which is available to us before your child begins lessons, their tutor will decide upon the best effective ‘personalised’ learning approach. Concentrating on your child’s individual profile their tutor will work on the development of skills which are useful and transferable. As with any programme of learning it may be necessary for us to adapt and change to suit the child’s developing needs and learning style, and, it for this reason we have wide variety of teaching resources available to our tutors which are constantly updated. In addition we monitor progress using standardised assessment tools, and provide a comprehensive end of year assessment and report.

As part of any specialist dyslexia teaching programme, it is also important that time be allowed for over learning as it is this reinforcement that will help your child develop an automatic response and access to learned skills.

We will not necessarily ask your child to complete ‘homework’ but as the ‘little and often’ approach to learning does help children with dyslexia, your child’s tutor will discuss the matter of ‘homework’ with you when they begin. For example some of our students use the Toe by Toe or Units of Sound programme as part of their lesson and this is more effective if used in the Centre and at home with parents.

For some children with severe literacy problems there is a feeling of ‘learned helplessness’ from repeated failure. We aim to help these students develop confidence and by encouraging them to use strategies and approaches to different circumstances we believe this will help develop independence and confidence in their abilities.

As our aim is to work in partnership with schools and parents to provide a complementary educational service, we recommend that if you feel your child is not making progress or may have a learning difficulty, and you have not already discussed this matter with your child’s teacher, you should talk with them initially. We are happy to advise parents and discuss tuition if you have not yet done this, but we do value the importance of working in partnership with schools and the benefits this brings to the child’s learning.

Before a student begins Specialist Tuition with us you will be asked to provide us with copies of any Specialist Assessments your child may have already had, recent SAT results, and/or similar testing or screening results carried out, recent individual education plans (IEP), Personalised Learning Passports or school reports. Once you have provided us with some information on your child and told us your aims and concerns, Jane Dupree will then be able to consider a suitable teaching programme and discuss this with you.

We always recommend that you and your child meet with Jane Dupree and attend a pre-teaching session at our Glemsford Centre. It is important that there is a good match between student and tutor and during this meeting it may also be necessary for Jane to carry some additional testing with your child to ascertain their current attainment levels and learning strengths and weaknesses. At the end of this pre-teaching meeting if you decide to proceed with lesson a suitable start date will be agreed. We do make a charge for this one hour pre-teaching consultation appointment of £65.

Prior to the pre-teaching consultation we will have already discussed with you the availability of our tutors and hopefully identified some days and times which are convenient for you and your family. For children who will be attending lessons during school hours this also allows you to discuss the matter with your child’s teacher in advance of your meeting with Jane.

Children who begin tuition with us do not necessarily need to have had a formal assessment to identify a specific learning difficulty, and/or have a diagnosis of dyslexia. If you feel your child has a learning difficulty we are happy to help and offer advice.

Parents of all new pupils will also be given a copy of our Specialist Tuition Service Teaching Agreement and asked to sign and return a copy to us. This Agreement hopefully answers the majority of questions parents have with regard to lessons.

 

From September 2015 there are changes to how your child’s school will report their progress.  This will include changes to the way end of Key Stages are reported. This article from the Huffington Post explains.

Huffington Post article

 

 

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