{"id":26690,"date":"2024-09-10T14:18:08","date_gmt":"2024-09-10T13:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings-new\/?page_id=26690"},"modified":"2026-03-18T16:17:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T16:17:50","slug":"devon-spld","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/send\/areas-of-need\/cognition-and-learning\/devon-spld\/","title":{"rendered":"Devon SpLD (Dyslexia) Service"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Devon SpLD (Dyslexia) Service is provided by a team consisting of four qualified and experienced specialist SpLD (Dyslexia) teachers, who all work part time (total 1.8 teachers) across Devon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We offer assessments and consultations to support, advise and guide schools and parents of children with severe and persistent specific literacy difficulties. We offer a variety of regular training opportunities through the Primary and Secondary Dyslexia Network meetings, as well as ongoing CPD opportunities for all staff in Devon schools.&nbsp; See below for upcoming dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Who do we work with?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We work in partnership with schools, staff, individual children and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What do we do?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We enable staff to meet the needs of pupils with SpLD (Dyslexia) including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>High-quality teaching<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Targeted group interventions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Individualised learning<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Whole-school development, consultancy and training.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Direct engagement with parents and carers is always facilitated in partnership with school staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How do schools access the service?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Primary and secondary settings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Support from the SpLD (Dyslexia) Service for school aged children (Year 1 onwards) continues through Devon\u2019s referral process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a onclick=\"dataLayer.push({&apos;buttonEvent&apos;: &apos;Information page&apos;});\" class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/send\/request-for-access-to-send-support-guidance\/\">Request for access to SEND support<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>To access our Service, the SENCO must ensure that the referral meets our eligibility criteria outlined in: <a href=\"https:\/\/devoncc.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/PublicDocs\/Education\/Ec80jfH5Cx9FjGkoF1BDYh8BC-0PY_OKU7xugZyuPxq-WQ?e=HPQ9vA\" rel=\"noopener\">Eligibility Criteria 2025-26.<\/a><a id=\"_msocom_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Devon&#8217;s graduated response<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The graduated response tool has been developed to support Devon schools. The tool outlines some of the practices and adaptations that are part and parcel of Quality First Teaching (QFT): the inclusion of all pupils in high-quality everyday personalised teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Training opportunities with the Devon SpLD (Dyslexia) Service<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Network meetings<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"accordion-tabs-block\"><ul class=\"accordion\" id=\"block_acf-block-69bad02b75324\" data-responsive-accordion-tabs=\"accordion medium-accordion large-accordion\" data-allow-all-closed=\"true\" data-multi-expand=\"true\"><li id=\"item-69bad02b75324-0\" class=\"accordion-item\" data-accordion-item=\"\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"accordion-title\">Primary network meetings<\/a><div class=\"accordion-content\" data-tab-content><p>All SENDCos, Assistant SENDCos and teachers who lead on Dyslexia at their school are invited to attend the Primary network meetings, run termly by:<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca Hughes <a href=\"mailto:rebecca.hughes@qe.devon.sch.uk\">rebecca.hughes@qe.devon.sch.uk<\/a> and<br \/>\nOssian Pleasance <a href=\"mailto:ossian.pleasance@qe.devon.sch.uk\">ossian.pleasance@qe.devon.sch.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<h4>Summer term 2026<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Tuesday 19 May, 1.30pm &#8211; 3.15pm<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/li><li id=\"item-69bad02b75324-1\" class=\"accordion-item\" data-accordion-item=\"\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"accordion-title\">Secondary network meetings\u00a0<\/a><div class=\"accordion-content\" data-tab-content><p>All SENDCos, Assistant SENDCos, Assessors and teachers who lead on dyslexia (or severe literacy difficulties) in their school are invited to attend. The meetings are run by:<\/p>\n<p>Deborah Lynch\u00a0 <a href=\"mailto:deborah.lynch@qe.devon.sch.uk\">deborah.lynch@qe.devon.sch.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<h4>Summer term 2026<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Tuesday 19 May, 1.30pm &#8211; 3.15pm<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Drop in sessions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>These sessions intend to provide SENCOs and HLTAs with support and advice on issues related to those pupils experiencing severe and persistent difficulties with literacy. The 15 minute sessions need to be booked in advance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"accordion-tabs-block\"><ul class=\"accordion\" id=\"block_acf-block-69bad02b7536c\" data-responsive-accordion-tabs=\"accordion medium-accordion large-accordion\" data-allow-all-closed=\"true\" data-multi-expand=\"true\"><li id=\"item-69bad02b7536c-0\" class=\"accordion-item\" data-accordion-item=\"\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"accordion-title\">Primary drop in sessions<\/a><div class=\"accordion-content\" data-tab-content><p>Please contact Rebecca Hughes at <a href=\"mailto:rebecca.hughes@qe.devon.sch.uk\">rebecca.hughes@qe.devon.sch.uk<\/a> to book a drop in session slot.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Summer term 2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Tuesday 28 April, 2.00pm &#8211; 4.00pm<br \/>\nTeams Link: <a href=\"https:\/\/outlook.office.com\/bookwithme\/user\/182b4590925e4e129a266f758c3ad73e@qe.devon.sch.uk\/meetingtype\/APUTPdmhwkSguiWpF9WUXg2?bookingcode=c1472a3f-90f6-4743-8f54-8696e75fdf21&amp;anonymous&amp;ep=mCardFromTile\" rel=\"noopener\">Book time with Rebecca Hughes: Primary Drop-In Tuesday 28th April 2-4pm<\/a> (This link will expire on: June 14, 2026)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Tuesday 16 June, 2.00pm &#8211; 4.00pm<br \/>\nLink to follow<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/li><li id=\"item-69bad02b7536c-1\" class=\"accordion-item\" data-accordion-item=\"\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"accordion-title\">Secondary drop in sessions<\/a><div class=\"accordion-content\" data-tab-content><p>Please contact Deborah Lynch at <a href=\"mailto:deborah.lynch@qe.devon.sch.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">deborah.lynch@qe.devon.sch.uk<\/a> to book a drop in session slot.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Summer term 2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Tuesday 28 April, 3.00pm &#8211; 4.30pm<br \/>\nTeams link: <a href=\"https:\/\/outlook.office.com\/bookwithme\/user\/779568019d644c42b6eadf30666effb0@qe.devon.sch.uk\/meetingtype\/W4g6d9A-XEics9q4eaAM6Q2?bookingcode=e337622b-6906-4ea3-aefe-55dcdd03029f&amp;anonymous&amp;ismsaljsauthenabled&amp;ep=mCardFromTile\" rel=\"noopener\">Book time with Deborah Lynch: Deborah Lynch Drop-In Session<\/a> (This link will expire on: June 14, 2026)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Tuesday 16 June, 3.00pm &#8211; 4.30pm<br \/>\nLink to follow<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Online training courses<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you would like to attend one of the courses listed below, please contact <a href=\"mailto:ann.atherton@qe.devon.sch.uk\">ann.atherton@qe.devon.sch.uk<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"accordion-tabs-block\"><ul class=\"accordion\" id=\"block_acf-block-69bad02b7538a\" data-responsive-accordion-tabs=\"accordion medium-accordion large-accordion\" data-allow-all-closed=\"true\" data-multi-expand=\"true\"><li id=\"item-69bad02b7538a-0\" class=\"accordion-item\" data-accordion-item=\"\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"accordion-title\">Assessing Pupils Struggling with Literacy &#8211; required training in order to refer pupils to the SpLD Service (2 full days) \u2013 online<\/a><div class=\"accordion-content\" data-tab-content><p>A course for primary SENDCos and their assistant SENDCos.\u00a0These courses run from 9.30am to 3.00pm, and are via Zoom. Cost: \u00a385 per person (online).<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Spring term 2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Tuesday 10 March and Tuesday 24 March<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Summer term 2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Tuesday 21 April and Tuesday 5 May<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Tuesday 9 June and Tuesday 23 June<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This course will enable SENDCOs to identify students with Specific Learning Difficulties and will give them the tools to support such students. Since January 2020, any SENDCos wishing to refer students to the Devon SpLD (Dyslexia) Service must have completed the course.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Morning courses<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>All morning courses are aimed primarily at Teaching Assistants, but teachers and SENDCos are also welcome. They are held via Zoom, on a Tuesday morning, from 9.30am &#8211; 12.00pm, and are currently free of charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>All our Morning Course are fully booked.&nbsp; New dates for Autumn 2026 will available in May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>HAST 2&nbsp; (Helen Arkell Spelling Test 2) Training<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using the HAST 2 for referral to the SpLD Service.&nbsp; Delivered by Rebecca Hughes and Deborah Lynch &#8211; please email <a href=\"mailto:Deborah.lynch@qe.devon.sch.uk\">deborah.lynch@qe.devon.sch.uk<\/a> to secure a place on the training.&nbsp; Training on the use of this assessment is available, free of charge, on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tuesday 31 March 2026 \u2013 please email <a href=\"mailto:rebecca.hughes@qe.devon.sch.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rebecca.hughes@qe.devon.sch.uk<\/a> to secure a place on the training<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tuesday 2 June 2026 \u2013 please email <a href=\"mailto:Deborah.lynch@qe.devon.sch.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">deborah.lynch@qe.devon.sch.uk<\/a> to secure a place on the training<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For any further information, or to book a place on any of the above courses, please do not phone QE directly in order to make contact with the Devon SpLD (Dyslexia) Service since staff are often out and about visiting Devon\u2019s schools. Please contact us at <a href=\"mailto:devonspld@devon.gov.uk\">devonspld@devon.gov.uk<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through years of hands-on teaching experience, specialist teachers from Devon\u2019s Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) Service have observed that a purely phonics-based approach does not meet the needs of every child in developing effective literacy skills. This is often particularly true for those students who have a specific learning difficulty (dyslexia) and have weak phonological awareness and often poor working memory skills. For these pupils, it is essential that a whole word approach to literacy (including visual support and a focus on morphology, etymology and orthography) is employed in addition to catch-up phonics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The phonics programme a school chooses for <strong>catch-up <\/strong>provision should be a Systematic Synthetic Programme (SSP), as for beginner readers. However, for older pupils who are still at the earliest stages of learning to read and spell, schools will need to explore a more age-appropriate version of the school&#8217;s present SSP or consider following an alternative SSP that is aimed at the pupil&#8217;s age group, <strong>as well as <\/strong>targeted teaching that develops spelling and literacy through morphology, etymology and orthography (please see &#8216;The Writing Framework&#8217; 2025: page 7, 42,45,82).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The phrase &#8216;fidelity to the programme&#8217; suggests that schools should adhere to the school&#8217;s SSP programme&#8217;s specific systems and terminology so as not to confuse pupils by mixing material from different SSP programmes across different classrooms (The Reading Framework, 2023: page 47). \u2019Fidelity to the programme&#8217; does not exclude the use of morphology, etymology and orthography for supporting reading (The Reading Framework, 2023: page 63, 70, 105) or spelling:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8216;The guidance considers the challenges of the complex alphabetic code in English and recommends developing pupils\u2019 knowledge of orthography, morphology and etymology when appropriate, to help them to spell accurately.&#8217;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Writing Framework, 2025: page 7<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Decision Spelling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"203\" height=\"103\" src=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/166\/2025\/01\/Decision-spelling.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30326\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Devon SpLD (Dyslexia) Service is delighted to endorse the Decision Spelling programme designed and written by our advisory teacher, Ossian Pleasance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is intended to be used for all learners from Year 2 to Year 6 and is a provision for whole class, small groups and 1:1 teaching. It follows the National Curriculum and because it employs a dyslexia-friendly approach, many of those pupils who struggle to spell accurately have found it extremely helpful to embed the skills needed to spell confidently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The focus on etymology, vocabulary, and morphology in a multi-sensory way, captures the pupils\u2019 interest and encourages them to engage enthusiastically with an area of the curriculum that can be challenging for many. For further information, please see: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.decisionspelling.com\" rel=\"noopener\">www.decisionspelling.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In order for schools to access the Devon SpLD (Dyslexia) Service, the school\u2019s SENCo will need to firstly check that the referral meets our <a href=\"https:\/\/devoncc.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/PublicDocs\/Education\/Ec80jfH5Cx9FjGkoF1BDYh8BC-0PY_OKU7xugZyuPxq-WQ?e=HPQ9vA\" rel=\"noopener\">eligibility criteria<\/a> and then complete a &nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/send\/request-for-access-to-send-support-guidance\/\">request for access form to SEND support.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For further information please see the following links:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/send\/areas-of-need\/cognition-and-learning\/devon-spld\/dyslexia-guides\/\">Devon SpLD (Dyslexia) Service &#8211; Dyslexia one minute guides<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk\/\" rel=\"noopener\">thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bdadyslexia.org.uk\/\" rel=\"noopener\">bdadyslexia.org.uk\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.patoss-dyslexia.org\/\" rel=\"noopener\">patoss-dyslexia.org\/<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dyslexiaguild.org.uk\/\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/dyslexiaguild.org.uk\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Further Information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/devoncc.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/PublicDocs\/Education\/IQAPYjDiEfA-Rq6hsw-er9DkASQGWJxPQJQv-aqS5StUFH0?e=NYVPzC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Devon SpLD Service Referral Policy (February 2026)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Devon SpLD (Dyslexia) Service is provided by a team consisting of four qualified and experienced specialist SpLD (Dyslexia) teachers, who all work part time [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2755,"featured_media":0,"parent":6314,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-26690","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-12 10:07:53","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2755"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26690"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35976,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26690\/revisions\/35976"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}