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Wednesday 18.04.01. 14.00-15.40. Chair: Lindsay Peer.
Presenters:
Carol Palmer, Learning Support Services, Somerset LEA.
Neil MacKay, Hawarden
High School, North Wales.
Cliff Warwick, Swansea LEA.
The objective of this session was to share good practice. Each presentation described innovations, initiatives and policies that had achieved positive changes in delivering support for dyslexic pupils.
Carol Palmer presented an historical overview of how changes were effected in Somerset, through policies that consciously sought to change attitudes, involve a range of support agencies, provide training for teachers and essentially involve home-school partnerships.
From 1990, Somerset LEA has worked towards enhancing support provision to identify and address the needs of dyslexic children in all phases of mainstream education. Initially, this involved training more dyslexia specialist teachers but by 1994 a 'Dyslexia Policy document' provided a framework to implement and consolidate changes.
Learning support services were restructured into Multi-professional bases and regular meetings between schools and the multi professional support services helped to manage the process of change.
Widespread training initiatives were made available for teachers, SENCO's Learning support Assistants and mainstream teachers, at no cost to the schools or the individuals. In service training was offered by the LEA using expertise in the authority, sharing ideas and practices and thus keeping costs to a minimum. During the programme of change, 'Parent Forums' were held across the LEA and acknowledged, in general, that support was good for the dyslexic pupil in school. It also highlighted concerns about the learning difficulty 'Dyspraxia' and as such influenced further LEA Policies and target setting to deal with Dyspraxia, and other developmental and learning disorders.
Carol concluded by outlining the need for LEA commitment to a philosophy for change.This, plus a need for all parties to recognise how essential it is to work together, developing a common approach with schools, agencies and parents, if changes are going to be effective and resources deployed efficiently to identify and address the needs of all dyslexic pupils.
Neil MacKay presented an overview of how to achieve 'The dyslexia Friendly School' describing how policy and practice delivers support for dyslexic pupils in a Comprehensive School in North Wales. Neil described what has been achieved through a school and LEA working together. Hawarden High School is an LEA Funded Dyslexia Resource school, where all dyslexic pupils are in mainstream and achieve notable external examination results.
Pupils receive a mainstream education alongside their peers, and 'resource time' allows them access to specialist teaching and study skills to address individual needs. The whole school approach ensures that all teachers are informed about specific pupil difficulties, know how to teach to-and capitalise on- pupil 'strengths' while consciously attempting to minimise their weaknesses.
Four key areas were identified as contributing factors to the successful delivery of mainstream support. These were;
Neil added, that by developing common approaches to 'common situations' and by working with dyslexics, the standard of the whole school has been raised. He also stressed that sharing good practice 'helps rather than hinders', leads to high challenge and low stress learning- and teaching - and can be achieved at very little cost, by raising staff awareness.
In conclusion, it was suggested that change can be effected through existing structures in schools, through School Development Plans, through staff INSET, setting short, achievable, 'crisp' targets ,as part of everyday 'good practice' and by developing a culture in school that will not tolerate failure.
Continuing on the theme of 'Dyslexia Friendly Education', Cliff Warwick presented an overview of how Swansea LEA developed a positive policy for change. The LEA recognised that recommendations would have little or no impact in schools, unless the Education Directorate were both committed and involved. They listened to parents and Schools and emphasised that strong partnerships were essential to the fundamental success of their proposed initiative. As a result, School Head teachers signed up to the Authority initiative. A 'Dyslexia Forum' was held, to hammer out a charter for 'dyslexia'. In 1997 a 'Good Practice Guide' was published by the LEA, Specialist Centres were established in some High Schools and although the number of 'statements of Special Educational Needs' had reduced, more dyslexic children in mainstream schools were actually receiving support.
As schools have the first responsibility to identify and support those pupils with dyslexia, it is essential that a trained member of staff is available in every school and Swansea LEA set targets, stating that by 2002 every school will have on its staff, a teacher with an accredited British Dyslexia Association qualification. In April 2001, meeting that target appears to be well on course.
Key elements identified in the Swansea Model were, clear leadership, an effective funding system, appropriate training and close partnership with parents and voluntary organisations.
Common characteristics identified in each of the initiatives described were, a commitment to fostering positive change on the part of the education authorities, adopting 'whole school' policies and practice and essentially, to identify and provide what parents want for their children. Place these alongside adequate training for teachers and incorporating support structures into the education system with adequate funding, good practice will follow.
Finally, the enthusiasm and energy of an enlightened teacher or educator would appear to be essential. A positive personality would appear to underpin a successful outcome and this was certainly exemplified by each of the presenters in this session.
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