Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to support technical colleges to provide specialist support for dyslexic students in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West.

We are the department for opportunity. As part of this we are committed to help every learner to achieve and thrive, through excellent teaching and high standards. This includes a focus on children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The SEND Code of Practice is clear that all children and young people with SEND should be prepared for adulthood.

Preparation for adulthood means higher education and/or employment, independent living, participation in society and being as healthy as possible in adult life.

All local authorities must set out the support available to help children and young people with SEND move into adulthood as part of their local offer.

All education and training providers, including Technical Colleges, and other related service providers, have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, so they are not disadvantaged compared to non-disabled students. This includes people with a learning difficulty. This duty is set out under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010, which is available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/20.

There is a range of support on offer for dyslexic students. Students should discuss their needs with the college or education provider before the course begins. They will assess needs by consulting the student, their previous school and (if appropriate, and with permission) parents. Over the age of 16, the student should be fully involved in the discussions around special educational needs support.

The college must explain what support they will provide to meet the person’s individual learning needs. They should regularly review this support, keep records of the student’s progress and discuss this with them.

Support can include the use of additional time for tasks and exams, assistive technology, specialist tuition, note-takers and one-to-one or small group learning support.

The British Dyslexia Association offers advice and guidance on how students should be supported, which is available at: https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/advice/educators.

Disability Rights UK have information available which describes how reasonable adjustments can be provided for students with disabilities. This can be accessed at: https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/resources/adjustments-disabled-students-and-apprentices.