Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Department is taking to ensure that families who cannot afford private dyslexia assessments have access to timely diagnosis and support.

Effective early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including those with dyslexia.

The department is supporting settings to identify needs early by strengthening the evidence base of what works. Recently published evidence reviews from University College London will help to drive inclusive practices, as they highlight the most effective tools, strategies and approaches for teachers and other relevant staff in mainstream settings to identify and support children and young people with different types of needs.

We also recently announced new government-backed research into special educational needs identification, which will be delivered by UK Research Innovation in partnership with the department. This will aim to develop and test trusted and effective approaches to help the early identification of children needing targeted educational support.