Dyslexia
This page has been designed to help you quickly find practical guidance and support for children and young people with dyscalculia or significant maths difficulties.
Sections include:
- overview of needs
- what you might notice
- strategies
- resources and interventions
Overview of needs
Dyslexia affects how a child or young person learns to read, write, and spell.
Learners may find it difficult to:
- develop phonological awareness
- decode words accurately
- become fluent readers
They may also struggle with spelling, written expression, and processing language efficiently.
These difficulties are often persistent and may occur alongside challenges with memory, processing speed, and organisation.
See Dyslexia differently
What you might notice
Children and young people with dyslexia or literacy difficulties may struggle with phonological awareness, including:
- hearing and identifying sounds in words
- blending sounds to read words
- segmenting words for spelling
They may also find it difficult to:
- learn letter–sound correspondences (phonics)
- read slowly and/or inaccurately, often needing to re-read text to understand it
- to recognise familiar words automatically (lack of reading fluency)
Some pupils might struggle with spelling, including:
- inconsistent spelling of the same word
- poor recall of common spelling patterns
In other instances some might:
- find it challenging to organise ideas when writing
- avoid reading or writing tasks, or show reduced confidence in literacy
- have difficulty following written instructions
Some may experience working memory or short-term memory difficulties, affecting their ability to:
- retain sequences of sounds or words
- hold sentences in mind when writing
Effective support focuses on building skills systematically and reinforcing learning through repetition and overlearning. Use regular formative assessment to identify gaps and ensure teaching is targeted and appropriately paced.
Literacy skills
Teach literacy skills using a structured, cumulative approach:
- systematic phonics teaching
- clear progression from simple to complex skills
Reading development
Support reading development through:
- daily reading practice with decodable texts
- repeated reading to build fluency
- adult modelling of fluent reading
Visual supports
Provide consistent visual supports, including:
- phonics mats and sound charts
- word banks and spelling aids
Writing tasks
Break writing tasks into smaller, manageable steps:
- plan ideas verbally first
- use scaffolds such as sentence starters or writing frames
Spelling
Reinforce spelling through:
- structured, cumulative practice
- teaching patterns and rules explicitly
Cognitive load
Reduce cognitive load by:
- giving clear, concise instructions
- allowing extra processing time
Encourage use of assistive technology where appropriate (for example text-to-speech and spellcheck tools).
Confidence
Build confidence by:
- providing frequent success opportunities
- valuing effort as well as outcomes
Targeted interventions (when more than the universal offer is needed)
When high-quality classroom teaching is not sufficient, more targeted support may be needed to address specific literacy difficulties.
This would be targeted support focused on:
- phonological awareness activities (blending, segmenting, manipulation of sounds)
- secure letter–sound knowledge and decoding skills
- development of reading fluency and accuracy
These programmes would include:
- systematic synthetic phonics interventions (for example Little Wandle Rapid Catch-Up, Sounds-Write, Fresh Start)
- precision teaching to develop automaticity in high-frequency words and key skills
Reading interventions that include:
- daily, supported reading of fully decodable texts
- repeated reading to build fluency and confidence
- adult modelling and feedback
These interventions would be focused on:
- structured teaching of patterns, rules, and morphology
- overlearning through cumulative practice
These interventions would:
- break writing into clearly scaffolded stages
- use sentence-level work before extended writing
A plan that will:
- identify precise gaps in learning
- set small, measurable targets
- include regular review and adaptation
Interventions can also include targeted use of assistive technology (for example text-to-speech, dictation, reading support tools) to promote access and independence.
It is also important to have regular communication with parents and carers to reinforce learning and build consistency between home and school.
Dyslexia resources
Dyslexia Action.
UK Literacy Charity.
Specialist support, advice and information to people with dyslexia, and parents, teachers and employers.
Widgit Software.
Dyslexic.com.
Tes.com