Ed Balls today announced a new scheme to help children who have dyslexia, identified through the ‘Every Child a Reader’ programme. As part of a package of measures to improve support for children with dyslexia, with an additional £1m a year for the next three years, the pilot scheme will provide intensive support for children in 10 local authority areas. Half the children will receive additional one-to-one ‘Reading Recovery’ support and the other half will receive one-to-one tuition from specialist dyslexia teachers. Their improvement will be closely monitored for progress. If specialist provision demonstrates significant impact, ministers will look at how assessment and specialist dyslexia support could be rolled out nationwide as best practice. In addition to this, further action to encourage best practice in improving outcomes for children and young people with dyslexia announced today, are: providing Dyslexia Action with funding of £250,000 over three years so they can run ‘Partnership for Literacy’ pilots (also entailing specialist dyslexia tuition) in a further 10 schools; and providing the British Dyslexia Association with funding of £150,000 over the next two years to develop their helpline which provides advice about dyslexia, including to teachers and parents.

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5 December 2007
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