Support for Dyslexic Pupils Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Education
Baggy Shanker
Main Page: Baggy Shanker (Labour (Co-op) - Derby South)Department Debates - View all Baggy Shanker's debates with the Department for Education
(1 day, 11 hours ago)
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Juliet Campbell (Broxtowe) (Lab)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship today, Ms Butler. I begin by thanking the hon. Member for Yeovil (Adam Dance), my co-sponsor of the debate, for his continued support and tireless campaigning on the issue of dyslexia. I rise not only as the Member of Parliament for Broxtowe but also as chair of the all-party parliamentary group for dyslexia, a group I have been a member of since 2016—some eight years before becoming an MP—and now have the pleasure of chairing.
After my son was diagnosed with dyslexia, I set up a not-for-profit organisation to raise awareness of dyslexia and to train educators in how to identify dyslexia in the classroom, and to offer support to dyslexic children and their parents, which is something that my family did not receive. Sadly, despite that being many years ago, in the UK we are still remiss at early identification of dyslexia. Many children and young people are still not being identified and are still struggling. Too many children go through their childhood feeling disempowered, confused and sad because they do not receive the support, the understanding or recognition of how hard they are working because dyslexia has not been identified.
In the UK, around 10% of the population is dyslexic, yet despite its prevalence, dyslexia remains underdiagnosed and parents often struggle to get their children the support they need. Dyslexic people often face barriers that affect their self-esteem and educational outcomes, result in a loss of the love of learning, reduce their earning potential and mean they are over-represented in the prison system.
Baggy Shanker (Derby South) (Lab/Co-op)
We know that in our children and young people dyslexia frequently co-occurs with other special educational needs like ADHD or developmental language disorders. With fewer than half of education, health and care plans issued on time last year, too often families are left struggling to secure the support they desperately need for their children. Does my hon. Friend agree that giving dyslexic pupils the right support means ensuring access to EHCPs is absolutely essential?