4.7. Reporting

All learning and teaching approaches and strategies that have been used should be recorded in the Staged Intervention Process paperwork. This should then be passed on between classes and nurseries/schools. Parents should be aware of any information that is held in in any format, should be fully aware of what is happening and should collaborate in deciding the best approaches and strategies to be adopted. This needs to be dealt with in a sensitive way to avoid any possible over-reaction and distress to either parents or child.

Reporting to parents/carers may be done orally at the initial stages though clear records should be maintained of the child's progress. Consideration should be given to record keeping needed within the Staged Process of Assessment and Intervention. All records of this nature should be communicated between classes and schools.

All those involved in the identification and assessment process should be clear about their use of language and avoid terms such as ‘tendencies’ or 'signs' which can potentially be confusing for pupils and parents. The Scottish Government definition allows for a pupil to be either dyslexic or not, but to what extent will vary along the continuum.

All reporting has to be done sensitively as it is important not to convey stress or worry to the child or parents. It is important too that parents are treated as partners and there is collaboration on what is done in school and what is done to support the schoolwork at home even though home is not usually the place for any formal teaching unless the child is being home educated. A tiring day in the classroom needs to be followed by something much more light-hearted. Reading to or with the child can take stress away from both the child and parents. Initial observations of difficulties should be dealt with as concerns. Parental support and help at home should be elicited through discussion of what the school is doing.

Assessing for dyslexic difficulties is a collaborative process throughout - parents/ carers, colleagues and the child should share as fully as possible at every stage of the process. Reporting ranges from:

• Maintaining regular contact with parents over any concerns at Assessment and Intervention Stage 1 through to:
• More continuous and detailed sharing of insights at Assessment and Intervention Stage 2
• A full assessment and report at Assessment and Intervention Stage 3, which collates and interprets all the available data and insights into an analysis/ summary/ report that should be helpful and informative to all involved in helping the child to cope with school and the literacy demands of life.

At the initial stages of the identification pathway, where dyslexic difficulties are not presenting a significant barrier to learning, or where investigation is still in the early stages, there are a number of ways in which understandings may be shared - for example:

• At parents' meetings
• Through collaboration with colleagues
• Through routine pupil reports
• By means of pupil profiles
• Any other routine means of dissemination that are used in school.

The specific ways of doing this will vary from school to school - but it is vital that any assessment information is shared regularly and transparently throughout the process.

The child or young person should be at the centre of every stage and aspect of the process of assessment and reporting and their feelings given consideration.

A formal report focusing primarily on how dyslexia is causing barriers to learning may be appropriate and helpful, particularly if the child or young person is moving away or changing schools. The name of this report may vary for example it may be referred to as a formal report or a Learner Profile.

Where there are other agencies involved with the child or young person the necessary information may well be incorporated in the reporting arrangements of another professional e.g. the school’s educational psychologist. If this is the case, then a stand-alone report may not be needed - but it may still be helpful, as it will represent how this learner’s needs uniquely present and are being understood and met within the school, e.g.. -the unique context within which the learner is working.

Assessment of Specific learning difficulties (SpLD) among young adults for the purposes of applying for DSA requires a range of tests to investigate the cognitive profile of students as well as their attainments in literacy and (where appropriate) numeracy. For such reports, tests of cognitive functioning and underlying ability are regarded as essential for full assessment as well as tests of attainment.

At school level this need is not always the case, but the young person or their parents have the right to request such assessment. However, when considering requests to SQA, it will need to be demonstrated that the young person’s dyslexic difficulties do constitute a barrier to attainment i.e. that there are underlying abilities that will not be reflected in one or another subject unless appropriate arrangements or accommodations are made.

There are some important factors to consider when writing and developing reports:

• All reporting has to be done sensitively as it is important not to convey either stress or worry to parents and pupil
• The report provides an holistic overview of the learner
• Parents and carers must be treated respectfully as partners
• The learner has been involved in the process of developing the report i.e. the process has been carried out with them and not to them
• Support collaboration on what is done in school and what is done at home to support schoolwork.
• Ensure any ‘homework’ is engaging and appropriate
• Ensure a copy of any report is provided to the family and learner – this is particularly important if the learner is in secondary school, so they have a copy to support them post school.
• Reports should;
  • highlight supports in place
  • be written in an accessible way e.g. plain English
  • include recommendations/next steps
  • All learning and teaching approaches and strategies that have been used should be recorded in the Staged Process paperwork/establishing needs form
  • All appropriate information should be included

Parents and learners (age and stage appropriate) should be:

• Aware of any information that is held in any form – including assessments
• Fully aware of what is happening
• Included in deciding the best approaches and strategies to be adopted. This needs to be dealt with in a sensitive way to avoid any possible over-reaction and distress to either parents/carers or the pupil. Be aware and sensitive that any concerns and distress will be real and may be justified.

The report draws upon the range of information provided by the identification process and includes a range of appropriate support approaches recommended by various professional organisations that have specialist roles in reporting upon specific learning difficulties and dyslexia.

The Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] has a range of templates which can be used for reporting.