'Very upset': Dyslexia charity to no longer receive government funding

• Roisin Gauson has been talking to people who receive support from the charity.

The founders of the Dyslexia Day Centre (DDC) in Guernsey say it is "disappointing" that the government has decided to pull its funding.

Mike and Teresa O'Hara have been running the charity for more than 35 years, and say they are "very upset" for the children, parents and teachers who are involved with the charity.

One of those affected is Isaac Pickford, a local boy who has been using its services for the last four years - he says the charity has made school easier for him, especially reading.

His mother, Jo Pickford, criticised the government for a lack of communication and called on them to be open with parents on how they will replace the "big hole" left by this withdrawal of funding.

According to the government, it has withdrawn the funding so the money can be redirected to help young people in more targeted ways.

This includes increasing the level of training for specialist language and literacy teachers, and creating specific programmes for people who need help in secondary schools.

More funding will now go to aiding the early identification of dyslexia, and providing an ongoing assessment of the children with difficulties.

Leaders in the education sector say that this type of targeted support is better for young people.

Director of Education in Guernsey, Nick Hynes, said: "We've got eight teachers who have got this specialist MA literacy qualification.

"We'd like to expand that over time so that all schools have a teacher that is qualified to support all children with literacy difficulties, irrespective of whether that's dyslexia or another need within their school."

The President of the Education, Sport and Culture Committee, Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, praised the DDC and all the help it has provided over the years.

She said it "has grown to the point where we can now take the baton from the charity and deliver this much needed support in a different way to benefit even more young people."

The grant to the centre will end in September, but there will be a transition phase which will allow children to continue receiving support until December 2023.