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Help for School Teachers and Teaching Assistants

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Many classes include pupils who have been identified as having dyslexia. Their difficulties are likely to extend beyond acquiring literacy. They may underperform in numeracy and in higher level reading comprehension and writing skills. They may also find organisation and memory particularly challenging. There may be signs of anxiety or poor self-esteem, and emotional/behavioural difficulty as pupils get older.


You may also have pupils who are not recognised as dyslexic, but:

  • make poor progress with literacy, despite the good teaching that is usually effective
  • are so far behind with reading and writing that it is a barrier to accessing the curriculum
  • are creative, orally able, but cannot produce written work at the level you would expect
  • constantly forget instructions and lose possessions
  • are becoming disaffected as their attainment slips further behind their peers
  • consistently underperform their ability in exams

All these problems, and more, can occur when children with dyslexia are not identified or their needs are not understood and met. Of course, meeting the needs of all the children in a class is a real challenge, and some children with dyslexia will need substantial additional support if they are to achieve their potential. However, effective teaching strategies and school policies can make the task more manageable and improve outcomes for pupils with dyslexia.

Several LEAs in this area are promoting Dyslexia Friendly School policies. If adequately funded, these can make a real difference to many children with dyslexia.

We also have a specialist library at our centre in Nottingham, where teachers, teaching assistants and others can view a selection of teaching resources and books on dyslexia . There is a small annual fee for borrowing, but you are welcome to call in to view the resources during Helpline opening hours. Please phone the Helpline in advance to make an appointment.

LEA Maintained schools are likely to look first to their LEA Inclusion Support Service for additional support for pupils, but schools and parents may wish to be aware of our services for children. We offer: