Literacy underpins every aspect of our education system—but for dyslexic learners, this can feel like a relentless and discouraging truth. Imagine if students could demonstrate their strengths across the curriculum without being limited by pencil and paper. With the rise of technology and AI, I’m hopeful that the metacognitive (thinking) process behind writing will be given its rightful place—and dyslexic learners better supported to flourish. But hope alone isn’t enough. We must get the teaching right. That’s why I welcome the new Writing Framework: too many dyslexic students reach secondary school without secure foundations, and the opportunity to close the gap has already been lost.
This is not good enough. Most children don’t learn to write through creativity alone—and many are left feeling broken by the well-meaning but misguided message that they must read and write for pleasure. What they really need is to read and write for purpose.
