Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment the Department has made of the potential impact of late or absent identification of dyslexia on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.

Effective timely identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. We recognise that special educational needs do not always become apparent in the early years of education, and that needs can emerge, change or become more visible during adolescence as social, emotional and academic demands increase

The Code of Practice makes it clear that we expect teachers to monitor the progress of all pupils and put support in place where needed. Access to targeted educational support should not be dependent on a child or young person having a diagnosis. Instead, evidence-based support should be put in place at the earliest possible point following the identification of a need. This is to ensure that children and young people do not miss out on high-quality teaching and support, which limits progress, confidence, independence, and future life chances.

To support settings, we are strengthening the evidence base of what works to improve timely identification in mainstream settings. The department has appointed an independent expert panel to develop the National Inclusion Standards that set out evidence-informed tools, strategies and approaches for educators to draw on to identify and support children and young people with additional needs.

We are clear that education settings have an ongoing and important role to play in promoting and supporting the mental health and wellbeing of their pupils.