Tynwald has approved a package of reforms to dyslexia support in Manx schools following a debate sitting that saw members reject several government amendments and back a compromise on specialist teaching provision.
The court debated the final report from the Select Committee on Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia and Dysgraphia, which spent 18 months gathering evidence from parents, teachers and specialists across the island.
The committee, chaired by Rob Callister, presented 12 recommendations aimed at improving consistency and fairness in how children with learning differences are supported.
Committee chair Rob Callister opened the debate, telling members: “The current system works, but not consistently, and that is what must change today.”
He added: “Support can vary significantly between schools, meaning that too many parents feel they must fight to be heard at the same time, confusion around diagnosis, limited specialist provision, and weak co-ordination between services can make families feel frustrated and unsupported.”
Outright
Of the 12 recommendations, the Council of Ministers accepted only two outright, amended nine and rejected one outright.
The rejected recommendation called for a centralised workforce of specialist dyslexia teachers to work across primary and secondary schools.
Education Minister Daphne Caine argued the proposal was not supported by evidence, telling the court: “Current research does not support a diagnostic led or specialist only model.
“Instead, evidence demonstrates that a whole system approach focused on high-quality teaching and early intervention is more effective and equitable.”
She also raised concerns about the practical implications: “How would that look in practice? How would that be resourced, and perhaps what other non-statutory provision might have to be reduced to enable this specialist team at the centre.”
However, Joney Faragher challenged the government’s position, stating: “Specialist expertise isn’t the opposite of a whole school approach, it’s part of it.
“What concerns me is that departments cite research supporting whole school approaches as though that research somehow demonstrates that specialist dyslexia provision is unnecessary or undesirable, that’s not what the research says.”
Compromise
A compromise amendment to Recommendation 10, tabled by Lawrie Hooper, removed the phrase “a centralised workforce” while retaining the principle of specialist support across all of the island’s schools.
Several government amendments extending reporting deadlines from December 2026 to October 2027 were rejected by members after divisions in both branches as Ann Corlett, a committee member, urged colleagues not to “kick the can down the road even further”.
Julie Edge, speaking from her experience in education, supported the minister’s position on timing. She told members: “You cannot come along part way through a school year and say you will do this. It takes time.”
Ms Edge also noted a significant training gap: “Only six teachers on our island have completed specific dyslexia training in recent years, and where that training does happen, the teachers appear to have been paying for that themselves, not the department.”
Recommendations carried included improved recording of learning needs, clearer definitions of dyslexia in policy, mandatory training for teachers on learning differences, and a framework for monitoring compliance with the Equality Act.
The final motion, as amended, was carried with 22 votes in the House of Keys and six in the Legislative Council, with no votes against in either branch.