A Tynwald select committee has called for urgent reform of dyslexia support in Manx schools, warning that provision for children varies so widely it amounts to “potluck”.
The committee’s final report concludes that the Department of Education, Sport and Culture’s move away from using the term ‘dyslexia’ has caused “confusion and concern among parents”.
It makes 12 recommendations, including mandatory teacher training, automatic information sharing between schools, and a centralised workforce of specialist dyslexia teachers.
The inquiry was prompted by a petition from parent Julia Bell, who told the committee: “If my child’s needs were met I would be quite happy that they do not want to label it as dyslexia. I am here because their needs are not being met.”
Support
The committee heard evidence that support often depends on individual schools and staff.
Specialist dyslexia teacher Emma Butler said: “It depends on the school what support is there. It depends on the parents and how much they push. It is down to too many factors and it is too piecemeal.”
Currently, only 4.5% of the school population is recorded as having additional literacy needs on the Additional Educational Needs Register.
However, the department admitted this is not a true reflection, as the register only records primary areas of need. The British Dyslexia Association estimates at least 10% of the general population is dyslexic.
The committee also heard evidence from retired SENCO Chrissie Watson about the impact of delayed identification: “I looked at a child recently who had been at primary school.
“When he was eight he was assessed for spelling and got a well below average result. The parents were told, ‘Do not worry, most of his class are like that.’ He went up to secondary school without being flagged up.”
Among the key recommendations, the committee wants the department to incorporate a clear definition of ‘dyslexia’ into its Inclusive Education Policy, make regular dyslexia training mandatory for all teachers and fund a centralised workforce of specialist dyslexia teachers.
The report says: “The department’s role in monitoring the implementation of its policies is unclear. We are not convinced that the department’s Inclusive Education Policy is being implemented correctly or consistently across all schools.”
The department is expected to report back to Tynwald on progress by December 2026.