British Dyslexia Association
Over 9 million people in the UK are functionally illiterate and an average of 50% of young and adult offenders are dyslexic. Many children are not making adequate progress at school due to dyslexia and their families cannot afford private tuition. However with some specialist, low cost support children can catch up.
The grant recipient
The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) campaigns for change for those with dyslexia and related conditions and supports them through a number of activities. They run a helpline service, which received 25,000 calls in 2009. They have a national network of over 70 local associations run by parents and teachers. They run accredited training courses, attended by some 10,000 parents, teachers and employees in 2009. They also run conferences and publish research and other resources.
Children will SHINE
What it aims to do
- This grant will enable BDA to employ a Project Officer to trial and document a framework for local associations to guide them on how to set up and deliver low cost, out of school hours dyslexia support workshops.
How it works
The framework will draw on the experience of a few local associations who are already running workshops on weekday evenings or Saturdays. These workshops will use teaching assistants trained by the BDA. Up to 50 teaching assistants will be trained on the level 3 accredited programme in identifying, screening and supporting dyslexic children. Three local associations in London and Manchester will be up and running by the end of the year, resulting in at least 60 children attending and being able to read, write and spell and increase their self-confidence.
The funding
Funding: £30,000 to BDA over one year (2010-11)
Visit the BDA website
