Inclusion and Support for Learning
At ISB, we take immense pride in our commitment to fostering an inclusive environment where every member of our diverse community excels. Our inclusive approach embraces students with additional learning needs, our most able learners, those for whom English is an additional language, and individuals from a rich tapestry of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. We hold high aspirations for all our students and set ambitious targets to ensure their growth and success.
Key contacts
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Head of Inclusion across ISB: Mrs. Suzie Rush
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Head of Learning Support in Secondary: Mrs. G Chave
Spotlight on Inclusion: Dyslexia
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, an opportunity to shine a light on dyslexia, and perfect for the focus of ISB’s October edition of the Inclusion blog…grab a mug of coffee and take a peek! October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, an opportunity to shine a light on dyslexia, and perfect for the focus of ISB’s October edition of the Inclusion blog…grab a mug of coffee and take a peek!
So, what exactly are we talking about… Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty which, mainly, but not only, affects reading and writing skills. dyslexia is about information processing, therefore it can affect other areas. People who have dyslexia can have difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear, as well as organising information.
Very recently; 2025, a study (Dyslexia Delphi Study) was published that explored a way to define dyslexia clearly, over time experts have had views and opinions, causing diagnosing and defining dyslexia to be muddled. The new study provided this definition: ‘Dyslexia is a set of processing difficulties that affect the acquisition of reading and spelling.’
Supporting dyslexia: Small changes can make a big difference
If you have a child with dyslexia in your family or classroom, or if you’re a student with dyslexia, you might sometimes wonder about the best ways to help. Having fantastic ideas but struggling to get them down on paper, finding reading exhausting or make spelling mistakes with familiar words…
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The good news is that there are lots of ways we can support with dyslexia, both at home and at school. It isn't about trying harder; it's about understanding the difficulties and finding ways to make learning more accessible.
Begin to understanding
Dyslexia is not about laziness, low ability or a lack of effort. Imagine how frustrating it would feel to work really hard at something and still find it difficult! Try asking; "Which part are you finding tricky?" or "What could help make this easier?" Keeping a personal book of spellings that are need regularly but just won’t stick. Having a little patience and understanding can help with feeling supported.
Build on their strengths
It's easy to focus on what a child finds difficult, particularly when reading, spelling and writing are such a big part of school. At home, encourage interests and celebrate their achievements. At school, provide opportunities to demonstrate understanding in different ways; maybe through discussion, use of visuals, presentations or practically.
Make reading enjoyable
Here are a few ways to make reading more enjoyable and begin to find a love for reading: take turns reading a story together, find books that link to hobbies/ interests, use audiobooks for enjoyment and hearing wide vocabulary that may be tricky to read.
Avoid pressure around writing
Writing can be challenging because children need to organise their ideas, remember spellings, form sentences and use punctuation, often all at once. At home, encourage talking through their ideas before writing. At school, teachers can provide word banks, sentence starters, writing frames and examples of good answers. Provide extra time, and reduce unnecessary copying!
Make learning (and homework) manageable
Trying some of these small adjustments can make classroom learning less overwhelming; breaking longer tasks into smaller steps, give clear instructions and written reminders, use uncluttered worksheets and highlighting key information.
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Ensue that you allow enough time to process information and complete work. Always checking understanding before independent work begins. Technology can also support independence; tools such as text-to-speech, speech-to-text and spellcheck can support with accessing information, expressing ideas and organising work.
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The real key is to know the individual and take time to find out which tools work best, then make time to teach and practice these strategies.
Working together
Working together; home, school and individuals will support with creating strong support strategies. Making sure that there is regular communication helps everyone work towards the same goals.
Do we remember to ask the student, or our own child? How do you feel about this? We should be ensuring that the individual has a voice within these conversations and when choosing strategies.
Remembering that we are all individuals
Dyslexia affects individuals in many different ways, so there is no single strategy that works for everyone. Whilst classroom adjustments and hobbies at home are important; individuals who struggle with reading and spelling may also need targeted, evidence-informed teaching.
A final thought
Supporting with dyslexia isn't about removing every challenge or expecting everything to become easy overnight. It's about helping them develop their skills while ensuring they can access learning, experience success and feel good about themselves. Sometimes, the biggest difference comes from something simple: allowing more time for a task, explaining something in a different way or giving reminders that finding something difficult doesn't mean it can’t be done!
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At ISB we know that every child deserves to feel capable, understood and valued. With the right teaching, support and encouragement, individuals with dyslexia can build their confidence, develop their skills and find their own ways to succeed.
Library
Our library has a range of hard texts and online resources to support a range of readers, interests and needs.
Our library actively supports reading through the school, curriculum and other skills such as research from Y7 to research essays at IB.
Supporting your child with reading
Reading is critical for every student to be able to access the curriculum now and for future life and employment. Literacy and reading skills are built upon from Primary school through a clear 'mastery' programme and other means to encourage a love for reading.