Dyslexia & Exam Accommodations

Owl Centre consultants in Dyslexia and Specific Learning Difficulties are able to work with students at primary, secondary, and college level, providing them with the support they need to thrive and meet their full potential.

Send Enquiry

What Owl can help with:

Identification and assessment of dyslexia and Specific Learning Difficulties (including diagnosis of difficulties in specific areas of need e.g. Specific Learning Difficulties in processing speech, or working memory)
Individualised intervention programmes, incorporating evidence-based strategies, to support students with reading difficulties, writing difficulties, or Specific Learning Difficulties. Depending on the needs of the student, this intervention may include explicit teaching of phonics and decoding skills, multisensory approaches, or use of assistive technology.
Advocacy and support, working collaboratively with the whole team around the student (parents, school staff, and others), to ensure that they receive the support and accommodations necessary to fulfil their potential. This could include assessment and application for exam access arrangements / exam accommodations (the Joint Council for Qualifications – JCQ) to ensure that any requirements are agreed and can be put into practice appropriately.
Empowerment and self-advocacy, supporting students with dyslexia or Specific Learning Difficulties to understand their learning differences, advocate for their own needs, and develop self-confidence about their ability to learn and succeed.

Benefits

Working with an Owl Centre specialist in dyslexia and Specific Learning Difficulties can have a number of benefits to the school as a whole, not just to the students they work with:

Inclusion

Whole-school strategies can make the school environment more inclusive for all students.

Integration

Our specialists can provide vital support to young people who might otherwise struggle to integrate within the mainstream environment.

Behavioural Presentation

Identifying and meeting previously unmet learning needs can reduce behavioural issues, if these were caused by a young person not being able to take part in learning as they would like to.

Empowering Staff

Staff can feel better equipped to identify and support children with dyslexia and Specific Learning Difficulties

Early Intervention

Identifying learning needs early means intervention can be put in place sooner, reducing the risks of long-term social and academic difficulties.

Upskilling Staff

Staff can gain skills to support learning development in all areas of their work.

Positive School Culture

An emphasis on learning differences can support social-emotional learning and a positive school culture where all community members feel comfortable to express themselves and their learning needs.

Generalisation of strategies

Integrating Speech, Language, and Communication across all areas of school life can support young people with needs in these areas to generalise skills from the therapy setting to other communicative situations.

Reducing Stigma

Having advice from a specialist in dyslexia and Specific Learning Difficulties as a key part of the school team can increase inclusion, reduce stigma for children with learning differences, and increase the level of understanding of such needs among their peers.

EHCP Documentation and Annual Reviews

Having a specialist in dyslexia and Specific Learning Difficulties to call upon, with an in-depth knowledge of the needs of the students they support, can ensure efficient and effective contributions and support with EHCP and annual review documentation.

Packages of support

The Owl Centre is happy to work flexibly and create a bespoke package to ensure you and your school get the level of support that is right for you. Options include:

Assessment with detailed report and strategies
Block input (e.g. for a term at a time)
Individual therapy, small groups
EHCP-focused intervention
Mentoring and training recently-qualified assessors in dyslexia and / or Specific Learning Difficulties