As well as starving the NHS, Education has been starved by this government too.

Sorry (again). That was to DoodleDog.

My point was that it used to be commonplace for people with no knowledge of the subject to sneer that people 'claiming' they or their children were dyslexic were doing so as a cover for lack of achievement, and it appeared that this attitude was coming back.

And I agreed with you and expanded on that theme. So why do you want people to feel unsafe posting by telling them they are not writing about the right thing?

It is interesting to see that the actual level of dyslexia changes little or nothing over the years but that those given the opportunity learn a great number of coping skills. The great thing is, that though it may not always get things right, my software isn't dyslexic

Glorianny historically some parents and students have brought claims associated with bullying and dyslexia plus insufficient support for dyslexia as compensation claims. There are a few online.

I don’t think that will bring about a change in policy however.

We seem to have taken a detour from the original postulation a dyslexia debate. If I could bring it back a little, I so agree with FannyCornforth that phonics is an excellent way of teaching reading, but that it's not the only way . For some children, it makes more sense to look at the shape of a word ( so they can visualise the object such as cat or ham ) and then deconstruct the individual phonemes. Unfortunately, government diktats insisted that phonics was the only way - so poor children who didn't understand it the first time around were then subjected to endless revisiting of the same strategy. Hmm - maybe a different approach might be successful??
Along with funding issues, sadly, teachers, parents and students are at the mercy of ministers hobby horses.

Doodledog

*So, Doddledog, you tell me I should be talking about dyslexia. That's as maybe, but it has nothing to do with what I was saying about dyslexia. My post picked up on your point about the misguided idea that all who lack education certificates are less bright. I thought it important to add to your comment the fact that, in many cases, lack of educational success is due to lack of opportunity and not lack of "brightness". I am concerned about the lack of opportunity, so I wrote about it. Even when I agree with you, you have to be the bully!*
Wow!

If I misunderstood your comment, I apologise, but first someone claims that ed psychs and dyslexia specialists are wrong about dyslexia and it's just that sufferers are unable to read, and then that people without qualifications are ok. Now I'm a bully! And other people are rude?

My point was that it used to be commonplace for people with no knowledge of the subject to sneer that people 'claiming' they or their children were dyslexic were doing so as a cover for lack of achievement, and it appeared that this attitude was coming back.

My daughter is dyslexic (as assessed by the Dyslexia Society, and by the university she attended). When she was young we were told that the LEA didn't recognise dyslexia, so we had an uphill struggle through her schooldays in high performing schools who weren't interested in children whose results were not as good as they could have been. Without going into details of her story (which isn't mine to tell) she has IMO, been let down by the system, so yes - maybe I am a bit sensitive about it. You quoted my point about old-fashioned attitudes in your post, so of course I assumed that your comment was in response to mine. Wouldn't you have done?

What is your definition of a bully?

I said it was an emotive subject, DoodleDog and you have proved it.

I have good reasons for saying what I did. I have worked with 'struggling readers' and researched the history and science of the teaching of reading pretty thoroughly, especially its correlation with the rise of dyslexia. . It's a complex area and I don't, as I said, intend to get into any argument about it.

I don't think dyslexia will be properly tackled in schools until two things happen. Firstly that all teachers recognise that literacy is no measure of intelligence and secondly that they accept dyslexia as a disability and provide the necessary support at an appropriate level in the form of technology, and accept and provide information in accessible forms such as recordings/videos etc. This doesn't mean the teaching of reading stops, it simply becomes less important and the child's abilities are recognised and developed through appropriate means.
HE providers already recognise the need to do this. I'm waiting for someone to sue a school because they were discriminated against because of their dyslexia. I'd rather things changed without this but I very much fear it is the only way some things will change.

And fwiw I’ve never seen anything even verging on ‘bullying’ from Doodledog

Hello again ronib
Unfortunately I had to take early retirement due to ill health.
It was a great shame as in lots of ways it was my dream job; I was actually head hunted for it, and I was so proud.
The Head was incredibly supportive of me, but the SENDCo was my immediate manager, and she didn’t appreciate me being proactive.
It was a case of just get on with it.
All that she seemed interested in was data from me.

So, Doddledog, you tell me I should be talking about dyslexia. That's as maybe, but it has nothing to do with what I was saying about dyslexia. My post picked up on your point about the misguided idea that all who lack education certificates are less bright. I thought it important to add to your comment the fact that, in many cases, lack of educational success is due to lack of opportunity and not lack of "brightness". I am concerned about the lack of opportunity, so I wrote about it. Even when I agree with you, you have to be the bully!
Wow!

If I misunderstood your comment, I apologise, but first someone claims that ed psychs and dyslexia specialists are wrong about dyslexia and it's just that sufferers are unable to read, and then that people without qualifications are ok. Now I'm a bully! And other people are rude?

My point was that it used to be commonplace for people with no knowledge of the subject to sneer that people 'claiming' they or their children were dyslexic were doing so as a cover for lack of achievement, and it appeared that this attitude was coming back.

My daughter is dyslexic (as assessed by the Dyslexia Society, and by the university she attended). When she was young we were told that the LEA didn't recognise dyslexia, so we had an uphill struggle through her schooldays in high performing schools who weren't interested in children whose results were not as good as they could have been. Without going into details of her story (which isn't mine to tell) she has IMO, been let down by the system, so yes - maybe I am a bit sensitive about it. You quoted my point about old-fashioned attitudes in your post, so of course I assumed that your comment was in response to mine. Wouldn't you have done?

What is your definition of a bully?

FannyCarnforth The Dyslexic Institute has a map showing where specialist assessment and tuition can be given. I don’t know if any of your students who require extra help can access this service? I think it’s quite expensive but money well spent.

Also does your school not have an active PTA? Can you ask for extra funding for books and other essentials through the PTA? Or additional support for dyslexia?

Yes, Ronib, it was all about funding. The reading scheme that I had to use was over 20 years old and literally falling to bits.
I spent a fortune ( £1000 plus) on resources as I couldn’t stand giving the kids a substandard education.

Doodledog Doodledog

Goodness, there are some rude people on here. Why do those who believe in ideological extremes think they can tell others, not only what they should believe, but also how to write their posts on GN? Obviously, we cannot jump to the conclusion that all ex-teachers from a time now gone are naturally bossy, but it does give pause for thought.

So, Doddledog, you tell me I should be talking about dyslexia. That's as maybe, but it has nothing to do with what I was saying about dyslexia. My post picked up on your point about the misguided idea that all who lack education certificates are less bright. I thought it important to add to your comment the fact that, in many cases, lack of educational success is due to lack of opportunity and not lack of "brightness". I am concerned about the lack of opportunity, so I wrote about it. Even when I agree with you, you have to be the bully!

Why should I talk about dyslexia? I have lived with it; my daughter and my cousins have lived with it, and I have written at length about it in the past. Seriously why do you think you can tell me what I may write about? This is becoming so pathetic.

And then we have Mamie who tells me that You talk DaisyAnne about a plan for state education without very much reference to the strengths and weaknesses of the current system. Strangely, Maimie I feel okay with not writing about the strengths and weaknesses at this point, as we all seem to agree they exist. If someone comes on who doesn't, then I may think about doing so. Once again, who do you think you are to tell me what I may write about?

It seems as if those on the extreme left, those who want the government to use repressive measures, cannot bare people disagreeing with them, cannot discuss it and think they, by the tone of the two posts above, are already in the repression business.

FannyCarnforth bit sad for you. All to do with funding?
Managers do seem to have a lot of control in your situation. I don’t know if the Institute for Dyslexia is campaigning for a more coherent approach? I am disappointed that having experience of poor State provision for dyslexia in the 1980s, it’s still not fully recognised and supported.

You did very well Ronib
I recently worked at a school that wouldn’t even say that a child had dyslexia.
You had to say ‘dyslexic tendencies’.
It was to discourage the parents for asking for extra help, as none was available.
This was from the SENDCo, my manager. Like many of her team,
I was never convinced that she actually knew much at all about SEN.
It was very difficult as I’m sure you can imagine.

FannyCornforth I didn’t think it was the kids …. Interesting. We had the same issues as you with one headteacher.
What I need to say is that we avoided poor outcomes by finding schools which could work well with dyslexia up to a point. Better than jail time I suppose.

Ronib The metaphorical walls to which I referred weren’t the kids; they were my superiors!

Yes, sadly I know all about illiteracy, dyslexia and poor outcomes

We were lucky with the outcomes for our children after a long struggle. Research suggests that the Uk prison population has high levels of illiteracy and dyslexia.

I understand that teachers bang their heads but it’s nothing to the head banging parents do with their own children. And the educational experts.

We actually mind when our children can’t read and write because of undiagnosed dyslexia. We despaired at an educational system which almost worked against pupils.

And we’re so very proud when eventually at the end of the day our children overcome initial obstacles and find their way.

Sorry, the first paragraph above was to Mamie

I’ve not read the whole thread chronologically, just the occasional post.
I just wanted to add that your career was indeed very impressive and interesting.

And Maizie, I totally understand your post about it being an emotive subject.
I feel exactly the same way about the teaching of reading and children with SEN.
I’ve banged my head against so many walls!
That’s why I don’t really post much about it.

Phonics is a big bug bear of mine!

It’s great for those that it works for, but it’s not the magic bullet that some believe it to be.

I taught phonics when the Letters and Sounds initiative started.
And prior to that phonics was taught in EY, particularly using Jolly Phonics.

But for a lot of children, phonics just doesn’t work.
I’ve been ‘made’ to teach the same kids the same scheme of phonics from Y1 to Y6.

I was later employed as a Specialist Reading Teacher in KS 3 Secondary.
The expectation was that I teach phonics using the same methods that haven’t worked despite the 13 year old kids having been taught phonics as soon as they could sit on a carpet 🥱

I did manage to shake things up a bit though, and with very good results

Michael Gove, when Education Secretary, introduced a year 1 phonics test and improved the way literacy was taught. My young grandsons have benefitted from this initiative and it will serve them well.

It’s a pity it took so long!

DaisyAnne

If you want to achieve anything you have to decide what it is and then plan how to arrive at your destination. The whole condemnation of the public, independent and private schools is a complete left-wing distraction.

It's like deciding to climb Ben Nevis but planning to go to London first to assure yourself that they know you are going. This is not the way to achieve your climb and faffing on about a few schools is not the way to achieve a better state education system.

I am horrified by the right-wing of the Conservatives disabling the government and stopping them achieving anything worthwhile over the last 12 years, But you are rapidly persuading me that the Labour Party with it's ideological left wing would be no better.

I think Grantanow is correct when she talks about the need for governments and policy makers to need to be fully invested in state education.
Any thread about education seems to get sidetracked by a discussion about independent schools. I think what any society should be aiming for is a state system so good that those schools become irrelevant. That would be true equality of opportunity.
You talk DaisyAnne about a plan for state education without very much reference to the strengths and weaknesses of the current system. My experience tells me that many improvements were made during the Blair years which have been lost because of lack of funding and lack of interest from successive governments.
Might they have been a bit more involved if their own children had been affected?

It seems to be a way of thinking, including within teaching, that less education, for any reason, means less bright.

That's as maybe, but it has nothing to do with what I was saying about dyslexia.