We now move to the short debate, and I call on Angela Burns to move her short debate on the topic she has chosen—Angela Burns.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to give a minute of my time to Andrew R.T. Davies.

‘Life through a different lens’ pretty much sums up the experiences of people with dyslexia. Their way of seeing the world is changed, because they have dyslexia, which is defined as

‘a complex set of cognitive problems, which affects people in different ways and to different degrees.’

I aim to use this debate today to provide more information about the condition and highlight some of the experiences of dyslexics, and I want to suggest ways of enhancing the effectiveness of the current provision.

Dyslexia can affect all ages, but would normally show itself first in childhood. In years gone by, pupils would have been told that they were stupid, couldn’t read properly, were lazy, and definitely untidy with their handwriting. However, it is becoming more common for dyslexia to be diagnosed early, and it is this early detection that enables the intervention that is so critical to forging a successful educational flight path for a dyslexic child. Close to 10 per cent of the UK population has dyslexia; in real terms that’s more than 6.3 million people. Extrapolate this figure for Wales, and we could safely say that over half a million people are living with dyslexia here. Dyslexia can have a devastating effect on pupils’ education and their life chances. We already face challenges with one in 10 pupils leaving primary school not reaching the required levels in reading and one in six adults still only having the reading skills of an 11-year-old. What is also worrying is that pupils with special educational needs are around 10 times more likely to receive a permanent exclusion than pupils with no special education needs.

Joyce Watson took the Chair.

Although dyslexia does not mean that pupils are illiterate, a number, especially those that the system has missed out or forgotten, may well be. We will all have heard of adults saying they did not get diagnosed until much later in life and talking of the impact it has had on them. A study by KPMG finds that by the age of 37, each illiterate person has cost the taxpayer an additional £45,000 to £55,000 if you add in the extra costs relating to education, unemployment support and, very often, a tangle with the criminal justice system. We do not just have a duty to help those with dyslexia, but we also have a duty to wider society.

Now, let’s be clear: having dyslexia is not a bad thing. Many people with dyslexia are incredibly successful and are fantastic role models who show these youngsters what they can do. Entrepreneurs such as Sir Richard Branson and Sir Alan Sugar, giants of the entertainment industry Steven Spielberg and Anthony Hopkins, sports stars, including Scott Quinell and—probably shouldn’t mention him, really, but—the former England manager Sam Allardyce, and historical figures such as Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo: all dyslexics.

It’s all about getting the right help and support and ensuring that coping strategies are in place. If they’re not in place, then life becomes incredibly difficult for people with dyslexia. So, I’d just like you to hear what Hannah has to say—and these are her words:

‘Dyslexia is a brain disorder that effects the way the brain understands words.’

Hannah, by the way, is 15.

‘Research shows that 3 genes are responsible for the disorder and because of this, it means that it is hereditary. A person can have dyslexia even if they are very smart and well- educated despite the stereotype that they are stupid and that they are just bad at spellings so they must be bad at English but instead it is more of a memory problem.

‘Reading comprehension can be difficult, they have difficulty articulating ideas and points, words can move around on a page or in the head, Slow writing, can affect every-day things like paying for food and talking to friends and can be a genuinely life effecting disorder.

‘Dyslexia differs from person to person, for example one person can have a mild case when another can have a severe case of dyslexia. People with severe dyslexia are even sensitive to loud noises, may have problems speaking, are unable to concentrate, also 60% of people diagnosed are also diagnosed with ADHD. All of the points I have just said relate to me. I was diagnosed by school in year 8 when I really should have been diagnosed earlier, in primary school. If I was, maybe I wouldn’t be having as much trouble as I am having now in school now. My mum wanted me to be tested when I was younger but my teacher kept on saying “no” because “I was too cleaver to be dyslexic”. The reason she wanted me tested was because my dad had it and like I said, it is hereditary.

‘The effects later on in life and especially in GCSE can be damaging, not just because of the stress but because most of the questions are word based. Even maths can be hard for dyslexics especially numeracy. All of his can lead’—

I’m reading it how Hannah wrote this:

‘All of his can lead to a lot of dyslexic students not getting the results they want, which can lead people to not getting into sixth form and then maybe even university. Teachers say that our GCSE’s are so important, well if they are so important, let us get the recognition and help we need. Students who know the risks get really stressed about not getting their work to a good enough standard. It can cause them great anxiety and may even lead them to depression.

‘Do you know that in exams students get marked down for poor spelling, even if you are dyslexic and this isn’t fair at all? Albert Einstein once said “Everybody is a genius, but once you judge a fish by the way it can climb a tree it will live is entire life thinking that it is stupid.” There are no schools in Wales that specialise in dyslexia. My school only has a small department for dyslexia that only helps us until year 9. After that we are left to our own devices and expected to work and learn the same as everyone else. For some people it really does help but for other people it just isn’t enough and we need to seek help in our free time. The fact that some teachers aren’t even aware that certain pupils have dyslexia doesn’t help either. 74% of teachers didn’t feel happy with their training to provide them with the skill to teach dyslexic children. 2 thirds of parents felt that dyslexia is not recognised across he schooling system. But you don’t need to be a parent to know that.

‘Wales isn’t falling behind though. From what I have found, not having enough support in schools with dyslexia is a worldwide problem, but to help Wales I sent a letter to the Minister of Education’— not the current one, I would add.

[Continues.]—‘and the response was that they couldn’t do anything about it and it was out of their control (it was up to local Authorities). I think that there should be so much more help for those who suffer. Pupils should be allowed to stay in the dyslexia lessons right the way up into year 11 if they wish to do so.’

Now, you can’t help but be moved by this letter, and it shouldn’t take a child, albeit a bright child, to give us sensible guidance as to the way forward. The second, much shorter contribution is from an adult who wrote to me at the end of last week when he saw that I’d tabled this debate. He said:

‘I always believe that dyslexia is something that anyone can overcome with support and methods. In my experience the hardest aspect of having dyslexia was firstly the recognition by the teachers. My first school would not accept that I had it, they just thought I was a slow learner. It was only down to my parents who persisted and ultimately ending in me moving schools and a private psychological assessment. The second aspect is the stigma associated with people with dyslexia. I think this could be because of the wide range of cases on a spectrum; some being worse than others—some life changing, and people just don’t understand that.’

Both of these communications, Minister, raise some very pertinent points. It is inexcusable in this day and age that only by having pushy parents things get done. There is no way, as Hannah pointed out, that over two thirds of parents should be feeling that dyslexia was not recognised across the system.

Teachers also feel let down by the training they receive to deal with dyslexic pupils. If you think that every class will have at least two or three pupils with dyslexia, it becomes even more imperative that teachers know the best ways to address those problems. Seventy-four per cent of teachers surveyed recently said they did not feel that their training provided them with the skills they needed to identify and teach children with dyslexia. So, is it any wonder that, when the professionals feel so untrained, so many pupils slip through the net undiagnosed?

Screening for dyslexia must be done consistently and in a fair manner. At the moment it still appears that local education authorities have differing threshold scores, which can lead to pupils who achieve the same scores, but in neighbouring counties, following completely different pathways for support. The January 2016 school census highlights some stark differences between authorities. For example, Pembrokeshire has 460 pupils under school action plans compared to only 45 in Neath Port Talbot; Caerphilly has 296 pupils under school action plus, compared to only 35 in Flintshire; Cardiff has 65 pupils with statements assessing them as having severe dyslexia, whereas 10 councils have between zero and five individuals with a statement of dyslexia. Given the foregoing, it does appear that there is a huge amount of subjectivity at play in assessing the needs of a dyslexic and I am concerned that there are such huge discrepancies amongst these figures. It seems to me that each LEA and, perhaps, cluster of schools has a slightly different method of assessment and classification. If those pupils are identified as dyslexic but are failing to get the correct level of support, then, Minister, the Government must look at doing something more to address this issue.

The then Minister for education said back in November 2014,

‘We need to adopt approaches for dyslexia and specific learning difficulties that build on our current education policies, so that we have a consistent and robust approach across Wales’.

Minister, I wonder if you could tell me how this is progressing following the publication of the specific learning difficulties framework, which was published in July 2015.

Through my research and during my time as shadow education spokesman for the Welsh Conservatives, I have encountered some additional thinking that I would like to bring to the Minister’s attention. One such piece of work has been undertaken by Simon Leyshon of the highly regarded Moon Hall College for dyslexics in Reigate, Surrey. He posits that the current public examination system makes it very difficult for dyslexics who are not mildly dyslexic to succeed in an exam system that is geared towards memory-based tests. To tackle this issue, three key educational interventions need to take place, alongside individual learning plans: the mindset of the dyslexic child has to be changed to a positive learning one—‘can do’ rather than ‘can’t’; a clear focus on English and maths within the child’s daily learning; and the development of an active curriculum, which would be a structured educational day with a focus on coaching and independent learning, broken up into variable blocks of time, with refocusing sessions and opportunities to explore studies of interest for the learner.

A toolbox of English and maths is critical to the overall confidence and development of the dyslexic learner. And this chimes with much that I’ve heard from parents and carers. The frustrations of an exam system that insists on children sitting early exams—you could do something about this, Minister—when dyslexics need every possible minute to be prepared. The extra time never given during the yearly national reading and numeracy tests and mock exams, which promotes, then, a sense of failure and adds to the stress already faced by child and parent. I wonder if you would look at how an active curriculum might be interfaced with the Successful Futures developments in Welsh education. I was encouraged to see the additional learning needs transformation programme statement last week. I do hope that it will live up to its promise of putting learners, parents and carers at the heart of the process. The announcement of the ALN innovation fund is exciting and I would like to know, Minister, how this might be used, in part, to support dyslexic children.

People can live very successful and full lives with dyslexia, but they require support. We shouldn’t be seeing different rates of diagnosis across Wales and we should not have professionals saying they do not feel adequately trained to deal with the problem. Dyslexics have a unique way of seeing things. It is life through a different lens and it can often be challenging, but we must ensure that dyslexia is a difference and not a disability. Looking through a different lens is unique and can be incredibly rewarding. Thank you.

I would like to congratulate Angela for bringing the debate, as someone who has dyslexia. I do find it interesting, sometimes, when you’re looking at certain pages, or certain things that you’re trying to compute, and then, obviously, express yourself. But maybe some people have cards dished out differently, and obviously my dyslexia was made up by my dashing good looks when they were giving out the cards at the start of life. [Laughter.]

I think the substance of Angela’s speech really encapsulates that there does need to be more done. Time and time again, we do come here and say, ‘More needs to be done on problem A, problem B and problem C’, but when you look at the numbers that Angela has identified here—something between 300,000 and 500,000 people, right the way through their lives, have issues with dyslexia on a different and sliding scale—and the help that can be put in place, at the start of the education system, can be put there if the will is there at a local authority level, and, indeed, by direction of Government. I would implore the Government to take a grip of this situation, because, as Angela evidenced in her contribution, there are wide disparities across Wales, and those disparities can only be there because, in certain postcode areas, i.e. local authority areas, that help has been withheld for financial reasons. That isn’t good enough in the second decade of the twenty-first century.

In my closing comments I would like to put on record my appreciation and a tribute to the coach who took me in hand, a Mr Wilson, who sadly has long departed this world, and gave me confidence and the ability to actually overcome the issues that I had with dyslexia. Today, for want of a better reason, I stand here and debate and discuss. Some people might moan and begrudge that, but I do do that. [Interruption.] It could have been so different. I do also pay tribute to the poor French master and the Latin teacher who tried to teach me Latin and French. Trying to teach a dyslexic Latin and French is not the solution to the problem of dyslexia, I can assure you. But, please, Minister, be positive in your engagement in this debate today. There are solutions there. The solutions just need to be brought forward.

I call on the Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language to reply to the debate. Alun Davies.

Thank you very much, acting Presiding Officer. I’m sure we’re all grateful to everybody who’s brought Andrew to the Chamber, in all sorts of different ways. I think the first thing I’d like to say is that I certainly recognise the picture that’s been painted for us this afternoon. It isn’t my purpose in replying to this debate to try to either ignore the reality or paint a different picture. Any case that includes Leonardo da Vinci and Sam Allardyce needs to be responded to with a level of seriousness.

I think what struck me in the speech, the excellent speech, made by the Member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, was the sentence that you have a duty to wider society. I think that’s absolutely key. The issues of consistency that you made through your remarks are issues that I recognise and issues that I believe we need to address and that I hope we will address.

Can I say this in responding to what’s been said? A country that fails some of the most vulnerable students is a country that fails. It is not my wish, and it is certainly not my intention, to allow any child to fall through the net that you’ve described, or to put families and parents through the situation of having to fight and to campaign for every element of support that their child needs and deserves and should have available as a right. Let me say this: over the coming months I hope that we will have a debate over the additional learning needs Bill. I’m glad the Member referred to the transformation programme, one on which a statement was made over the last few days.

But let me say this: I would invite the Member to play a full part and to engage with us in that debate and discussion. I know the work that she did in the last Assembly on this matter was respected across the whole of this Chamber, and I certainly pay attention to and note the case that she made in the last Assembly. I know Angela too well—I know that she won’t let go of that in this Assembly. I would invite you to participate in the debate and the discussion that we will have.

Would you take an intervention? I’d be absolutely delighted to do that. In fact, Minister, I know my office are trying to get hold of you today because I’ve just finished a complete analysis on autism in terms of the most common problems that children with autistic spectrum disorder face, because I was trying to lobby you. I would like to take this opportunity publicly to say, if you could just phone up and give me a time and date, because we’d like to petition you with that, and with the dyslexia, to make a difference to, and to enrich, the additional learning needs Bill, which we are all looking forward to seeing on the statute book here.

It looks like I’m going to regret my generosity. [Laughter.] I certainly will make sure that we do contact each other, and we arrange those conversations. In many ways, although we sit on different sides of the Chamber, I know that the ambition is shared, and I don’t think that these matters are party political issues. I don’t simply think they’re a matter for Government and opposition either. I think they’re a matter for us getting it right for some of the most vulnerable students in the country, and we have an absolute responsibility and duty to do that. I hope that this Government will help discharged that duty.

But I also recognise that in any democracy a Government cannot discharge that duty in isolation, and that the parliamentary process of scrutiny of debate, of discussion, is absolutely essential to the creation of good legislation, and to create a legislative framework in which professionals are able to exercise their judgments and able to deliver the sort of excellence in support that we all want to see. So, the Government certainly accepts its responsibilities, but we recognise the role that is played by everybody who sits in this Chamber.

And I hope, over the coming months, as we have this debate, that we’ll be able to have that sort of very rich debate about how we can best achieve the sort of statutory framework and transformational programme that will deliver for people across the whole of the country. And let me say this: the Government will approach that debate with a generosity and with an expectation that we will reach out across the isles, as the Americans would say, in order to actively seek support across the Chamber for that, and will accept where it believes we might have got things wrong. So, certainly, it is not my wish to pursue legislation using the weight of numbers; it is a process of legislation that will engage in a wide-scale debate here in the Chamber, in our committees, and in the country, in order to get things right, and I think that’s more important, at the end of the day, and I certainly look forward to the conversations that we will have on that.

Can I say this? The issues that you raised over consistency are ones that trouble me greatly. There’s a lack of consistency in diagnosis—we’re talking about dyslexia this afternoon, but you could easily raise that to a number of different matters and conditions, and your intervention on autism is an example of that, and I would be surprised if diagnosis wasn’t a part of the conclusions that you’ve reached. So, let us look at how we can ensure consistency—consistency in the ability to gain a fair diagnosis, consistency, then, in the plans that are put together for each individual person, student, pupil, however you wish to describe the individual, and then consistency in delivery as well. Because one of the things that I’ve learnt in the years that I’ve been a Member here is that, whilst we as politicians believe that all the problems of the world might be solved by a vote in this place or by the creation of a new or different legislative framework, what I think we’re all acutely aware of is that it is the delivery of services that really matters, and that means we rely on an excellent, well-motivated workforce that has the legislative tools available to them and structures that enable them to do their jobs, but also has both the resources and the support in order to provide that for pupils or students. And, certainly, it’s a commitment of this Government to do that.

Let me say this: there are protocols in place about discussing timetables, and I hope Members will forgive me if I’m not too specific this afternoon. But we will introduce the ALN Bill before Christmas, with the consent of the Presiding Officer, and we will then seek to have an active and proactive debate across the country. We will publish the statutory guidance as soon as possible after Christmas—I would anticipate in early February—to enable a conversation and an examination of our proposals that relies not simply on the primary legislation but also on the statutory guidance that will deliver that primary legislation. And I think it’s only right and fair that people who have an interest in this field are able to look at the whole range of legislative tools that we’re seeking to put in place that will enable us to have that much richer debate that I spoke about earlier.

So, we will do that. We will actively seek to have conversations with different groups of people, with practitioners and with those with an interest in the field, as well as Members here. We will seek to have that debate, which will be about listening—about listening to what people are telling us, listening to the experiences that you’ve described this afternoon and which others have described at other times, and then responding, because listening is important, but also hearing what is being said is important. And, when I talk about the process of debate and discussion, I hope that, as a Government, we will be able, when the Assembly reaches the point at which it’s happy to take this matter forward, then we will be able to have a Bill that goes to committee that won’t become a political football but where we will, together, collectively seek to improve the legislation in such a way as delivers the sorts of outcomes that—. Yes, I will.

Would you take another intervention? Thank you, and I’m very, very grateful for that very positive response. There is one area, though, that I think is completely within your power today to make a difference, and that’s on the subject of when a dyslexic child is told, ‘You are on such a place on the scale’ and, therefore, ‘When you go to do your GCSEs, you’re going to get 25 per cent extra time’ or ‘50 per cent extra time.’ That’s great, but the problem is that, all the way through, having been diagnosed, they’ e not allowed that time in any other statutory testing. So, children end up feeling terribly demoralised because they think they have been failures. They don’t get that extra half an hour, extra 50 per cent, for the mocks, et cetera.

The other area, which perhaps your Cabinet Secretary colleague, Kirsty Williams, might take on board, is the early examination system, because, again, if you’re a dyslexic child, you need your two years to get that subject under your belt and you’re having to sit it a year early or six months earlier because the school’s decided to put everyone in for early examinations and you’re not allowed to pull out of it at present, according to schools. Those are two items where you, as a Minister, and the Cabinet Secretary can make an enormous difference to the lives of the children today.

Your comments are on the record and I will bring them to the attention of the Cabinet Secretary and we will write to you in response to that and try to do that positively; I don’t think there’s any discussion about the veracity of the points that you’ve made.

In terms of the reforms that we’re seeking to make, we want a system where needs are identified early, addressed quickly, and learners supported to reach their potential in exactly the way that has been described. We want planning to be flexible and responsive, we want skilled professionals, confident to identify the needs and able to deploy strategies to help learners overcome those barriers, and that means providing the support.

One of the conversations that I’ve been having over the last few months—these conversations are naturally and inevitably dominated by a focus on legislation; that’s inevitably the case, and I have no issue with that. But what I keep trying to say to people is, ‘Yes, we’ll change the law; yes, we will create a new statutory framework; yes, we will deliver statutory guidance; yes, we will ensure that we have the support in terms of training, workforce development, workforce planning and funding to enable people to deliver this, but, do you know what? It is a wider transformational programme that will really deliver the change.’ Yes, the new law will enable that to happen, the statutory guidance will make sure that it does happen across the country in exactly the consistency that’s been described, but, at the end of the day, we rely on skilled professionals to deliver the service. And, for me, it is that delivery that really counts. That is something that is fundamental, and fundamental to our ambitions. It is a real systems change and it is sometimes a change in culture as well. I hope that we will be able to deliver that in a way that I think that Members on all sides of the Chamber will want to see.

So, in conclusion, acting Presiding Officer, let me again repeat my commitment to working with Members on all sides of this Chamber not to challenge the points that have been made so well this afternoon, but to resolve those issues. I hope that we’ll be able to continue to work collaboratively to co-design and deliver reforms to ensure robust, sound and sustainable new systems. It includes working with new partners—with delivery partners—to enable a transition from the existing system to a new approach. That new approach, if it is to succeed, must be able to unlock the potential of our most vulnerable people, including those with dyslexia, but we know not limited to those with dyslexia. I want everybody in this country to reach their full potential. It is potentially a very exciting time and an exciting agenda. It is one that has significant challenges, but I hope and I know that Members across this Chamber are committed to achieving it and I hope that we can work together in order to deliver for those people. Thank you.

Thank you all. That ends proceedings today.

The meeting ended at 18:39.