SEND Learning Strategy

LS022: Dyslexia - structured literacy intervention pathway

A targeted, systematic approach to reading and spelling for students with dyslexia.

This is not more reading; it is explicit instruction in the building blocks of reading and spelling.

Implementation steps

Identify students requiring structured literacy intervention using screening, teacher evidence, and progress data.
Plan little-and-often sessions with frequent repetition and cumulative sequence.
Teach explicitly and systematically: phonology to decoding to spelling to morphology.
Include cumulative review every session with retrieval and mixed practice of prior patterns.
Track accuracy, fluency, and transfer to curriculum reading and writing.

Use a consistent lesson structure: review, teach, guided practice, independent practice, quick check.
Include dictation using current and previously taught patterns.
Teach morphology and etymology where helpful to support spelling and meaning.
Build transfer from decodable practice to subject text snippets and independent reading.
Keep success rate high and correct errors immediately so mistakes are not practised.

Reduce cognitive load with one new pattern at a time and frequent retrieval.
Pair decoding with meaning so students can explain words once decoded.
For slow processing, use smaller steps, more repetition, and longer consolidation.
For co-occurring DLD or SLCN, add oral rehearsal and simple vocabulary definitions.
Maintain dignity: intervention should feel skilled and purposeful.

Providing generic reading time instead of explicit teaching.
Teaching too many patterns at once.
No cumulative review so students forget quickly.
Measuring effort instead of measurable reading and spelling change.
Moving to unfamiliar patterns before the current pattern is accurate and fluent enough.

Improved accuracy and fluency on taught patterns.
Improved spelling of patterned words in authentic writing.
Improved access to curriculum texts with less avoidance.
Reduced guess reading and increased sound-based decoding.
Track cumulative review retention after one week and three weeks, not only same-session accuracy.

Minimal progress despite high-fidelity intervention.
Severe difficulty with phonological processing and rapid automatic naming.
Significant co-occurring language difficulties requiring speech and language input.

Key sources that inform this SEND learning strategy. These links are for implementation context and professional review.

Learning strategies remain in a separate database; links below open behaviour strategies that align with this support pattern.

Vocabulary access for all (glossary / pre-teach)

Make success visible (worked example + success criteria)

Dual-code key instructions (say it + show it)

Plan ‘checks for understanding’ to prevent frustration-driven disruption

Plan ‘high-probability’ starts (easy first step to build momentum)