Information & Advice

• Schools on the CReSTeD Register have asked us to accredit their provision for Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD).
• They are proud of their teachers and pupils.
• Some other schools may also offer good help but have not yet joined our Register.

We are a small charity with limited funds. We cannot reach all 23,000 UK schools.
We know there may be excellent support close to you that is not yet on our list.

We do not claim the Register is the only source of information.
There are other trusted organisations you can use – we list the ones we know on our website.

You may already have a school in mind or want your child to stay with their friends. You just want to be sure the school can help.

CReSTeD places schools into categories – not to say one is better than another, but because children and schools are different.

Choosing a school brings many questions. Our Register can help, but you also need to know what to ask when you contact schools.

• Start by reading our Parents’ Checklist.
• It has a list of prepared questions.
• Some may not apply to your child, but most parents find it helpful.

All parents know school can bring challenges for children – like which club to join or which sport to play. Sometimes there are bigger worries:

• Why isn’t my child reading as well as others?
• Why does my child find sport so hard?

The answer may be a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD). This is also called Specific Learning Differences. SpLDs include:

• Dyslexia
• Dyscalculia
• Dysgraphia
• Dyspraxia
• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (by association)

People often use “SpLD” as a synonym for dyslexia. But dyslexia is only one of several difficulties that affect how a person processes information and learns.

Dyscalculia is a persistent difficulty with numbers and maths. It occurs across all ages and abilities. Maths difficulties are best seen as a continuum with many causes; dyscalculia is at one end of that spectrum.

Schools and teachers can take simple steps to help all pupils, not just those with SpLD. Making “reasonable adjustments” in how teachers teach creates equal access to learning. This will vary depending on each student’s needs. Differentiation (adapting teaching) is crucial.

Many teachers worry about neglecting the rest of the class when helping one or two students. But even low estimates suggest 5% of the population is dyslexic – at least one student per class. There may be others undiagnosed. And dyslexia is just one SpLD.

Small changes can make a big difference – and benefit the whole class.

Schools and teachers can:

• Avoid making assumptions about a child’s skills.
• Give feedback privately and on an individual basis.
• Avoid drawing attention to a child’s learning difficulty.

Teachers can also:

• Provide handouts at the end of lessons (or before advanced lessons so students can prepare).
• Print handouts on tinted paper. Many students with SpLD experience Meares-Irlen syndrome, where black print “dances” or blurs on white paper. Pale buff paper helps many.
• Left-align text instead of justifying it. Justified text creates uneven spaces (“river effect”).
• Allow students to record lessons.
• Avoid asking students to read aloud or pick specific individuals to answer questions.
• Write assignment guidelines clearly and unambiguously.
• Provide notes in electronic form whenever possible so students can use text-to-speech software.