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The Dyslexia Centre admits up to four students each year.  Students are chosen by the Local Education Authority from those who have an Education, Health and Care Plan  (Statement of Special Educational Needs) for persistent literacy difficulty (formerly known as Dyslexia).  The Dyslexia Centre caters for a maximum of twenty students in Years 7 to11.  Students from the Centre are able to enter the Sixth Form at Mayflower if they have the necessary qualifications and continue to receive support as appropriate.  The Dyslexia Centre is based in Room 11 of the Progress Centre.

 

The teaching staff are Mrs C Thorogood, Head of Centre and Mrs S Gard.  Both teachers hold a specialist qualification in the teaching of students with specific learning difficulties. There are six Teaching Assistants who provide both in-class support and work 1:1 with students: Mrs Scammell, Mrs Gell, Mrs Adams, Mrs Clarke, Mr Toms and Mrs Grahame.

 

Students follow the normal school timetable with support from Dyslexia Centre staff and they are withdrawn for 6/7 lessons a week to follow structured, multisensory literacy, spelling and reading programmes in Years 7 and 8.  They are also given support in this time with memory techniques, study skills, numeracy and IT skills.  The students may be taught in small groups or individually as appropriate.  They are withdrawn from English and Modern Foreign Languages in Year 7 and 8.  In Years 9 to 11 an individual timetable is drawn up with negotiation from the students to decide which subjects to be withdrawn from to provide ongoing support.  The students continue to be withdrawn from MFL and return to mainstream English lessons with the support of a staff member from the Centre from Year 9 onwards.  The students are all part of one tutor group and it is the intention that they are fully integrated into the life of the school.  Individual targets are set for each student and progress is reviewed termly with parents.

 

The Centre plays a role in providing training and resources for the whole staff on dyslexia and associated learning difficulties.