A Dyslexia Accredited School

As a proudly accredited Dyslexia School, Holy Cross School places the best interests of every child at the forefront of its growth and development. Led by our Leader of Learning and Accredited Dyslexia Team, Holy Cross School provides a dyslexia-friendly environment and practices that offers several benefits.

Dyslexia is the most common learning difficulty effecting between 5-10 percent of people. Dyslexia does not impact on a person’s intelligence and is not caused by vision difficulties.

Dyslexia is also known as a specific learning disorder in reading. Dyslexia is a brain-based (neurological) disorder or disability. People with dyslexia have difficulty working with the sounds in language (phonology) and the written form of language (orthography). Children and adults with dyslexia often have a family history of dyslexia or other reading and/or spelling difficulties.

Dyslexia is a common learning difference that affects the way individuals process written information, and it is important for schools to create an inclusive and supportive environment for students with dyslexia.

Accreditation Benefits:

• Inclusive Education: The commitment to inclusive education is highlighted, showcasing the school’s dedication to meeting the diverse needs of all students, including those with dyslexia.
• Teacher Training and Support: Accreditation involves training teachers and staff to better understand and support students with dyslexia, leading to the implementation of evidence-based teaching strategies and accommodations.
• Positive Learning Environment: The creation of a dyslexia-friendly environment is highlighted as beneficial not only for students with dyslexia but for the entire school community, fostering awareness, empathy, and understanding.

Intervention for Dyslexia:

• Early Identification and Intervention: Recognizing the importance of early identification and intervention to ensure that students with dyslexia do not fall too far behind in the development of their reading skills.
• Structured Instruction: Students with dyslexia benefit from explicit and structured instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics, along with other essential reading skills such as oral language, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
• Opportunities for Practice: Emphasising the need for students with dyslexia to have lots of opportunities to practice reading and spelling skills, often through systematic synthetic phonics intervention programs and support from learning specialists.
• Use of Decodable Readers: Recognizing decodable readers as essential tools for students with dyslexia, gradually introducing letter-sound knowledge, and providing opportunities to practice blending sounds to read words.

The indicators of dyslexia listed are helpful in identifying potential signs of this learning difference. It’s important to note that experiencing one or more of these indicators does not necessarily confirm dyslexia.

Preschool Indicators:

• Delayed Speech or Difficulty Pronouncing Words: Difficulty with speech development or pronunciation may be an early sign of dyslexia.
• Rhyming (in nursery rhymes or songs) or Identifying Initial Sounds: Challenges with rhyming and identifying initial sounds in words may indicate difficulties with phonological awareness, a key aspect of reading.
• Learning the Alphabet: Struggles in learning and remembering the alphabet could be an early indicator of dyslexia.
• Writing Their Name: Difficulty in writing one’s name may be a manifestation of challenges with fine motor skills or letter recognition.
• Early Literacy Activities at Preschool: Challenges in engaging with early literacy activities may suggest difficulties with foundational skills needed for reading.

 Primary School-Age Indicators:

• Difficulties Learning Letter-Sound Relationships and Blending Sounds: Challenges in connecting letters to their corresponding sounds and blending sounds are common indicators of dyslexia.
• Attempts to Guess Words Rather Than Decode: Instead of using phonetic decoding, children with dyslexia may rely on guessing words, indicating difficulties with decoding skills.
• Frequent Errors When Reading or Reading Slowly Without Expression: Difficulty in accurately reading words or reading slowly without proper expression may be a sign of dyslexia.
• Avoidance of Reading, Especially Reading Out Loud, and Showing Stress When Asked to Read: Aversion to reading and displaying stress or anxiety when asked to read may indicate the emotional impact of dyslexia-related challenges.
• Poor Reading Comprehension (Potentially Stronger Oral Comprehension): Struggling to understand written text, even if oral comprehension is relatively stronger, is a common characteristic of dyslexia.
• Slow Completion of Literacy Tasks: Taking an extended amount of time to complete literacy-related tasks may be a manifestation of difficulties associated with dyslexia.
• Showing Anxiety About School or Signs of Low Self-Esteem: Emotional indicators such as anxiety or low self-esteem may arise from the challenges and frustrations associated with dyslexia.
• Difficulties With Working Memory: Challenges in working memory, which is crucial for tasks like remembering instructions or recalling information, are sometimes associated with dyslexia.