The Rise in Home Education

It is clear that the education system is under increasing pressure and are struggling to meet children's needs. Specialist tuition helps your child whether they are at school or educated at home. Contact me today and get the support your child deserves.

There is a huge rise in the number of children being home educated. According to the BBC, there has been an increase of over 50% in the number of children with statements or equivalent, being taken out of school over the last five years. The headline is that it is mostly children with autism who are making up these numbers, but I imagine that many home educated children are also dyslexic. Certainly, I have taught a number of home educated children with dyslexia here in mid Wales.

For those families educating their children at home and families whose children are in schools with increasingly squeezed budgets, getting the help needed to meet their needs is proving very hard indeed. There are charities and information on-line of course but, essentially, families are now in a position where, more than ever, they are having to take full responsibility for providing appropriate support to meet their child's educational needs.

Specialist tuition is key to supporting a dyslexic child. As well as a child receiving tailor made one to one lessons, parents will also find out from the tutor how to support their child at home. For home educators, this can be the huge boost they need to support them in educating their child to her full potential. For parents with children in school, a good tutor will not only help them to support their child but will also be able to point out and ensure that parents get the best support they can for their child within the school system.

I've put a link to the BBC article below along with some relevant links to assist all parents, carers and adults supporting a child with dyslexia. I hope you find them useful.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-42103248

http://www.walesdyslexia.org.uk/about

http://www.powysdyslexiasupport.co.uk/

http://www.snapcymru.org/

http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/

http://www.dyslexics.org.uk/

To contact me for specialist tuition, dyslexia screening, advice and support and to keep up to date with dyslexia and dyscalculia research, visit my Facebook page

Can specialist tuition really make such a difference?

One of the questions I get asked a lot, is how a specialist tutor can help a child. Does specialist support really make a difference? Well, I think it makes a huge difference in so many ways, not just academic as this case study shows how. I've changed the child's name.

Ella was eight when I first met her. Her mum had taken her out of school because Ella had become so anxious. She didn't want to read and found ways to avoid writing. Once a very outgoing child, she had become withdrawn.

We did a screening, identified Ella's difficulties, then started meeting once a week. At first, we didn't do any reading or writing; we just 'played games' – ones Ella turned out to be very good at! I gradually introduced reading and writing into the lessons. 

We worked steadily, at Ella's pace. Because it was just the two of us we didn't have any distractions or constraints. There was no one to tell Ella to hurry up like in the classroom and no other children for her to compare herself to. Her confidence grew and grew.

After a while, Ella felt able to return to school – on the understanding that she could still come to see me one morning a week. Her school used the results of the screening to assist Ella in the classroom and ensure they were meeting her needs.

A year on, her teachers say they have noticed a big improvement. Ella is very  confident and happy, she reads fluently and enjoys writing. There is still more work to do but Ella is on her way to mastering the English language despite all the inconsistencies. Oh, and we still play games and Ella nearly always wins...

Don't forget, you can also find me on Facebook where I regularly post links and articles. You never stop being dyslexic but it can become manageable.

https://www.facebook.com/londonhousemachynlleth/