"My son has dyslexia and his state school let him down"

* Names have been changed in this article

The final straw came when he dropped it in over breakfast that he’d been put in a ‘special’ reading group at his state primary. We went bananas. Why hadn’t they told us? Maria Franklin, parent

The Franklin family are eating out and seven-year-old Isla reads the entire menu before her brother Jake has managed to decipher the dish of the day. Jake is nine and has mild dyslexia, a specific learning difficulty that makes reading, writing, spelling, handwriting, and sometimes numeracy and organisational skills a challenge. Jake is also incredibly creative, in possession of a vast vocabulary and disarming charm. Until recently, he attended a state school in Newcastle where he was happy, popular and under achieving.

Parents Maria and Pete have now moved Jake to an independent day school after becoming dissatisfied with the state system and the limited help on offer to children with special needs. “Jake was about five when we realised he was struggling with reading and writing,” says Maria. “He found it difficult to recognise and associate the sound and shape of letters, reversing the letters b and d, so daddy would become ‘babby’.

“Staff at the state primary school were helpful, but reactive, not proactive,” Maria continues. “I have a friend who teaches and she told us that using different colours to screen the page can really work for dyslexic readers. We ended up telling the teachers how to help Jake.”

Searching for answers

The couple struggled for five years to find answers to their concerns, even after the school had Jake diagnostically assessed at the end of Key Stage 1 as dyslexic – which ‘took ages’. He was assessed as B, which on a scale of A to E is mild, but for Maria and Pete, Jake’s condition was never fully addressed because in their experience, the state system is not designed or resourced to do more than implement the mandatory Individual Education Plan.  Maria says: “There was nothing gritty or meaty. We ended up knowing there was a problem, but still not knowing how to sort it.”

The £25 an hour they spent on private tuition wasn’t working either. Like most boys Jake wanted to be playing out. Maria says, “He hated it and felt it was some form of punishment.”

A change of direction

The Franklins were frustrated with the school’s ‘see how it goes’ and ‘well, boys are slower’ approach, because Jake, despite his unquestionable abilities and language skills, was getting left behind. The final straw came when he dropped it in over breakfast that he’d been put in a ‘special’ reading group. Maria says: “We went bananas. Why hadn’t they told us?”

The couple already felt that the two comprehensives in the area were not right for Jake, so they began looking at private schools. Newcastle School for Boys is an easy walk from home in Gosforth, one of Newcastle’s leafy suburbs. The couple were aware of the school’s excellent reputation and warmed to the relaxed and positive approach of the staff, who have no truck with ‘boys are difficult/fidgety/not as bright as the girls’ labelling.

Jake has only completed half a term but they are confident they made the right choice. The class sizes are small (around 17) and there is a clear, transparent learning plan in place for him, including a return to a basic understanding of phonics. After carrying out their own internal assessment, teachers have reassured Maria and Pete that by Year 5 Jake will have caught up with his contemporaries.

Capturing imagination

“The school is really geared up to capturing boys’ imaginations,” says Maria. “Lessons are shorter with plenty of physical activity in between to refresh concentration, which is exactly what Jake needs.” There’s evidence that dyslexic people have significant strengths and abilities in tasks involving creative and visually-based thinking, and that they don’t respond to conventional teaching programmes. “At the school, self-expression and creativity are ranked equally alongside self-discipline and personal responsibility,” says Maria. “Boys are encouraged to care for their kit and look well turned-out, although if Jake wants to read lying on a mat, the teacher is not going to object as long as he’s engaged and enjoying the read. 

“Jake is improving academically, is eager to learn and doesn’t feel discouraged by failure. He loves history and non-fiction and is responding well to the broader curriculum the new school offers, including French.”  Specialists generally agree that dyslexic children should be given an opportunity to learn a foreign language. Although it may take them longer, students can find their dyslexia an advantage because their oral skills are more practised.

Parental peace of mind and reassurance does come at a cost to the family budget (around £2625 per term). “At the moment, it’s not an issue,” says Maria. “If the time was to come when we had money worries we would make whatever sacrifices necessary. No question.” Meanwhile, Jake has made lots of new friends and Maria has another parental duty – keeping him in touch with the girls and boys from his old school. He’s not leaving them behind.

Share your experience

Is your child affected by dyslexia? What has the school done to help? Post your comments below and other parents may be able to offer help and advice