Mr. Donald Ewing:

With regard to figures on the number of children with dyslexia, and then the numbers of children with dyslexia accessing an exemption, we have a massive problem with a very insecure dataset. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of children with dyslexia who are not being identified and not being identified early enough. I am sure colleagues would agree that we have a massive problem with demand and supply and that young people are not being adequately identified and supported at an early age. That would be an issue in any figures we would be able to pull. I would suggest those figures might be more for colleagues in government to pull rather than an advocacy organisation. However, we know that broadly 10% of young people will be dyslexic. We also know that in no way are we seeing two, three or four children with an official identification in each classroom. That is massively problematic, not just for language learning but for their confidence, their self-esteem and their mental health. As members might expect of an advocacy organisation, our primary concern is with the individual children who are not managing to access the curriculum and the impact on their wider confidence and self-esteem as a result of not knowing they are dyslexic but knowing they are struggling. The frustration is felt also by their parents and by their teachers.