What EPs think about Literacy: A Path For All

Giving me a pathway to how to approach assessment and intervention.

Increased knowledge and new ways of thinking.

Refreshed my understanding with up to date information, and the resources.

All of it has been wonderful to recap and extend my knowledge. My thinking on this topic feels a lot more organised now and i hope that will transfer in my practice. Thank you for sharing all the resources.

Increased confidence. It has reinstilled what I learned in my initial training over a decade ago but brought me up to date with more recent research and given me new things to think about too, but all of which sit within my existing way of working so it doesn't feel 'too' challenging either.

To give me confidence and clarity that I am on the right lines and to give more specific concepts about how to discuss literacy difficulties with CYP, their families and schools.

Recapping, revising, resources and further reading!

Giving me confidence in an informed manner, in responding to literacy needs at so many levels.

Thinking about what standardised tests I actually need to use...

Most of this was going over things I knew but it was really good to have it all together, I had forgotten about the Brooks work and didn't know it was updated in 2020 so I've downloaded this and sent to all my schools.

The range of the advice and the guidance which I have been able to share with schools - and the opportunity to work systemically with schools (-particularly, supporting them to develop a wider view of assessment, analysis and intervention, which is not restricted to phonics).

Improvement in my knowledge and understanding of the evidence base underpinning literacy intervention and what to do when synthetic phonics aren't working. Also considerations of how to work more strategically!

So useful to have an evidence-based to back up some of my existing views around literacy.

It has reignited an interest in the topic; a renewed commitment to supporting schools to make changes for all to support our most vulnerable.

Feeling affirmed, feeling better equipped to state my views knowing that it is backed in the latest research.

I have to say that, as an EP, I have never felt fully confident in supporting literacy difficulties in consultation. Perhaps this comes from not having originally worked as a teacher. I now feel that I have a much more indepth knowledge of how to identify and support literacy needs. I love the accessible models and can't wait to use them with schools. The training was so understandable and accessible, thank you.

It's given me a new perspective on how I see literacy difficulties. I am also glad for the depth of discussion around the different levels of need, hearing from the YP was great as I wasn't even aware that people with literacy difficulties could still find some parts of 'literacy' easy. I think the use of the term dyslexia had made me believe everyone 'with it' struggled to read, write and spell but it's so much more than that.

It has made me feel so much confident about the discussions I have. It has also made me feel better about what I have previously seen as my rebellious streak in relation to literacy, where Id feel like a heretic for suggesting trying other things, and questioning the merits of really broad brush-stroke interventions that never seemed to work.

It has reinforced my prior knowledge as a specialist teacher but helped me to reconfigure that knowledge into ways of working as a TEP and future EP. It has also given me some more tools that I will use.

Greater confidence to identify literacy needs and address concerns around dyslexia and provision.

Having a clearer understanding of dyslexia and the minefield that it is. I now have some good counterarguments to include in discussions with school staff when they insist a diagnosis is 'needed'.

It has given me a great opportunity to really focus in on literacy difficulties and increased the depth of my knowledge, resulting in me feeling more confident when speaking with Sencos and making recommendations for CYP.

It confirmed my thinking around literacy difficulties and provides an excellent rounded view addressing literacy difficulties within the UK school system.

I feel liberated from the term dyslexia and feel it has been demystified. I feel empowered to support staff to meet needs at the word level without the fear of feeling inadequate when a dyslexia label has been used.

The focus and relearning of skills, especially as it has been a while since my EP training.

Clarifying my thinking around dyslexia - I feel liberated!! Also having training that is aimed at EPs feels like such a luxury :-) And the wealth of resources and information.

It has put me back in touch with the emotional impact of struggling to acquire literacy skills.

For me, the greatest benefit is learning about the different aspects of learning a language. As a woman in my 30s, I cannot remember learning the English language, and during my schooling, phonics was not used. Therefore, for me, it has been a great opportunity to update fundamental knowledge, helping me to feel better informed.

Having a comprehensive overview of the whole topic has been a huge benefit - when you have built up bits of knowledge sporadically over time your knowledge can sometimes feel a bit fragmented which can make you feel less confident about your thinking and the basis for your views.

All of it - the models are great and really helpful, strategies, case studies but just being able to focus on one area of my work which was not covered in any depth during my doctorate is great - I knew some of these things but I like the way doing this course has made me focus myself on such a key area that impacts on so many of our learners.

Giving me confidence and clarity about working with literacy difficulties. I feel I had a good understanding of emotional needs and experiences of working with children and young people with literacy difficulties but this has helped the cognitive part and match up and weave throughout. The visuals of the course are great also!

I really like the Voice of CYP resources and have already downloaded and laminated these to use in my practice. It has also given me the confidence to question suitability of interventions when they have been in situ for many years with limited impact and to explore more deeply with schools the exact nature of the child's literacy difficulties (via school based assx) and whether other, perhaps less traditional methods, may be advantageous.

Confidence in my position - I feel I am more secure now in my toolkit and in how I talk about literacy difficulties. Just today I had a conversation where the teacher was saying "if he had the 'diagnosis of dyslexia, then there would be other things we could put in place". I asked "is there something that you wouldn't put in place until he had that label?" - there was a 'beat' before she said "no".

Really made me focus on my recommendations for schools.

Giving me the confidence to challenge others.

I feel it has updated my knowledge and given me increased confidence.

Giving me confidence to make conclusions and hold evidence informed conversations with schools and parents/carers about literacy difficulties. Signposting to research has enabled me to read more widely.

All of it was super useful.

The DRC model with the specific questions to consider and what intervention could focus on - this will be really useful for my own practice during consultations, as well as to share for schools to adapt in a way that works for them.

Giving me a wider appreciation of all of the issues surrounding literacy, e.g. 'the tangled web' of context.

The background knowledge and up to date research on literacy has been great information as well as the resources. I really enjoyed the Yeah, but.. section as it gave great ideas for discussion.

I feel that it really gave me a good understanding around the dyslexia debate and I am more confident in how to approach this in my work.

Confidence when literacy difficulties/dyslexia comes up through EP work.

Far greater confidence.
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Understanding the complexity around difficulties and different approaches to dyslexia assessment.

Helping me understand the different levels of support, the dyslexia debate and issues around diagnosis (seeing the importance of putting focus rather on determining needs and addressing them), and the importance of the young person's perspective and how to support them emotionally and relationally.