202312024 Annual Report
Our Website
The current website has been a great success. Tens of thousands of parents visited the site last year to view the information. It is more modern, easier to use and will be the largest dyslexic website in the UK.
We are currently upgrading our website to improve its useability.
Our Aims
The object of British Dyslexics is to provide free help, advice and information to parents, schools, and dyslexic children. Ultimately, our goal is to bring about a better understanding of dyslexia and learning difficulties throughout society by providing relevant written material and by teaching children.
Unlike other dyslexic charities we offer a range of services completely free of charge to dyslexic children, their parents and Schools. We constantly seek to increase the quality of our service and to improve and develop the range of services we offer.
In the forthcoming year, we will send out thousands of Information Packs and Covid-19 catch up systems completely free of charge and this materialises into a saving of many thousands of pounds to participating parents who receive the information and are empowered to act.
The roots of our organisation are fixed in a very strong educational tradition. In fact, British Dyslexics began as an undergraduate self-help group at Bangor University. Ultimately, we aim to promote equality of opportunity within education and to create a better quality of life for dyslexic children and their families nationwide.
Learning Difficulties
A few words from our Chairperson
The cost-of-living crisis is also hitting everyone hard. Due to these factors, we have decided to close one of our offices and moved everyone and everything over to our remaining offices. We would like to say a massive thank you to the trust who have supported us who without their continued support we would be unable to continue to offer our free help and support to children/young people. On behalf of every parent and child we helped and supported this year we would like to pass on their appreciation and gratitude.
Now more than ever, for children with learning difficulties ensuring they get the best education is something that ultimately concerns us all
Regrettably, the need for our free services far outweighs our resources. As in the past our future plans will owe much to the many organisations and Charitable trusts that have supported us financially for the past five years. Naturally, we hope to build on the enormous goodwill and friendship they have shown us.
The parents who play such a vital part in bringing about awareness of dyslexia must also be congratulated on their excellent work and their tireless enthusiasm. Finally, many new and exciting things lie ahead, modern initiatives in teaching and education, new research into dyslexia and how it effects children and campaigns to promote equality of opportunity in education.
Not all disabilities are immediately apparent and whilst in Britain there are an estimated 350,000 children with conventional disabilities, the Department for Education estimates that in England alone there are a staggering 1,600,000 children currently suffering with learning difficulties, categorised by being more than 3 years behind. The overwhelming majority of these children do not receive one-toone tuition nor are they being taught using special teaching techniques or equipment, such as multi-sensory teaching methods and computer based learning programs.
Furthermore, dyslexic children are usually taken out of national curriculum studies to attend special needs classes designed for children who are academically challenged, virtually ensuring that they fall further and further behind.
Our dyslexic teaching centre gives one-to-one tuition free of charge to every child who attends.
Although, there is now a very large waiting list of children waiting to attend. The centre also provides free assessments, support, counselling and specialist advice to parents and this is particularly important when they first discover that their child is dyslexic. The centre is also the prototype to be used as a blueprint on which to base more centres in the future.
British Dyslexics understands the fundamental importance of ensuring that each and every child is allowed to achieve selffulfilment. Surely as Britain reaches the millennium, this should not be based on a parents ability to pay for extra help.
Multi-Sensory Learning
Over recent years research has consistently demonstrated that the most effective method of teaching dyslexic children is through a structured multi-sensory teaching approach. The technique uses visual, auditory and kinaesthetic inputs which are combined and reinforced in a way that helps children to overcome their learning difficulties. Conventional teaching techniques only tend to confuse dyslexic children. This is believed to be because of incompatibility problems between different systems in the brain. This causes the senses to fail 'to work together' correctly when processing language. The result can be a complete failure to understand the intricate and often contradictory rules of the English language.
If dyslexic children do not receive the correct type of help they are not generally able to learn automatic responses to letters and words in their written form. However, by using a technique such as Multi-sensory learning which insist on the simultaneous use of eyes, ears, voice and hands, the brain receives the same information from all the relevant senses and is forced to process the information in a more whole and correct way.
Multi-sensory learning is a structured approach to teaching by using reinforcing techniques this ensures that a child learns the ability to handle a relatively small number of sounds and symbols before progressing through the language, building on what is already known. This helps reduce the fear of failure and ridicule that tends to dominate the learning process of all dyslexic children. However, these negative feelings gradually begin to disappear as children overcome their disability and success becomes more and more frequent.
Parents and teachers are encouraged to build on the automatic responses which are developed through all the activities of multi-sensory learning both at school and at home. As dyslexic children overcome their learning difficulties they often retain additional skills and abilities which they develop in response to coping with their dyslexia. These may include unusual creative skills, highly developed visual memories and exceptional abilities in creative and lateral thinking.
Campaigning
Currently, the vast number of children with learning disabilities and how little is available to help them is not yet understood by the majority of the public. Despite the numbers involved, currently no organisation is campaigning on the absolute importance of ensuring that all dyslexic children receive equal opportunities in education. In the forthcoming year we intend to begin campaigning on this important issue.
The impact of dyslexia upon children and the effect it has on the family unit has not been research. This had led us to begin to produce a brief report which we intend to produce at the end of each year. The report will highlight the plight of children suffering psychological and emotional problems as a result of dyslexia and the effect this has on their families.
The report will also provide a voice for children and parents allowing them to express the true nature of the problems encountered in bringing up dyslexic children.
Qualifications
The ability to gain relevant qualification is now crucial in an ever more competitive employment marketplace. Currently, some children are doing better at higher levels. However, one in ten children leave school with absolutely no qualifications whatsoever. The prospects of these children even getting an interview for a worthwhile job is remote, let alone actually being offered employment.
With the advent of league tables the problems as got substantially worst. Schools have tended to concentrate their efforts on the most capable students in an effort to improve or maintain their place in the table. To add to this, funding for support services remain a low priority in most schools.
Last year less children than ever before were put forward to take GCE English examinations and of those that took the examination less than ever before passed it. In English, more than any other subject, the gap is widening and this year a new term came into being used to identify those who have no qualifications 'The educational underclass'.
Gaining qualifications is the initial essential step to obtaining worthwhile employment. How can our children succeed in life if many are allowed to fall at the very first obstacle? With no qualifications our children are condemned to a life of lost opportunity.
Testimonials
Mrs S W who has an 11 year old daughter.
"My daughter has been receiving lessons for a short space of time (5 month) She started High School approximately 6 weeks ago and so far she seems to be getting 'A' even in English, I think that speaks for itself"
Mrs K who has an 11 year old son.
"After my (then) 10 year old son was privately assessed as being dyslexic, we read an article about British Dyslexics and contacted them. We were seen within the day and my son started his lessons there the following week. My son still enjoys every lesson, his writing grew 200%. without the aid of British Dyslexics in my opinion my son would be a very quiet withdrawn and unconfident young person. Thank you from myself, my partner and a very appreciative son"
Mrs J O who has a 10 year old daughter
"The centre has been invaluable to us, her school are impressed with her spelling progress. The centre is her only real help. without the centre, my daughter could not possibly have progressed. The expensive private fees for help for dyslexic children proved too much for us as a family, the dyslexic centre is our only hope"
BRITISH DYSLEXICS Statement of Financial Activities for the Period 1st August 22/23 to 31st July 23/2
| Restricted Unrestricted Funds Funds £ £ Income & Expenditure Income: Grants 24,055.39 2,759.50 Fund-raising 0.00 0.00 Deposit Interest 0.00 Total Income: 24,055.39 2,759.50 Direct Charitable Expenditure: Teaching Materials/Equipment Books 0.00 0.00 Equipment 0.00 0.00 Teaching 0.00 0.00 Providing Information Dyslexia Testing 0.00 0.00 Printing 1,541.45 0.00 Provision of Centre Salary & N.I.C costs 12,500.00 0.00 Postage 2,454.00 0.00 Telephone 670.00 0.00 Stationery 123.00 0.00 Toner/Ink/Paper 332.50 0.00 Cleaning Materials 0.00 54.22 Lighting & Heating 0.00 380.60 Rent & Rates 6,433.73 0.00 Transportation Fuel & Oil 0.00 1,896.00 Other Transport costs 0.00 0.00 24,054.68 2,330.82 Other Expenditure: Fund-raising cost 0.00 0.00 Publishing 0.00 0.00 Training 0.00 0.00 |
Total £ 26,814.89 0.00 0.00 26,814.89 |
|---|---|
| 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,541.45 12,500.00 2,454.00 670.00 123.00 332.50 54.22 380.60 6,433.73 1,896.00 0.00 26,385.50 |
|
| 0.00 0.00 0.00 |
| Insurance 0.00 Sundries 0.00 0.00 Total Expenditure: 24,054.68 Net Income for period: 24,055.39 Balance carried forward 0.71 Balance carried forward from previous year: Total balance carried f 0.71 |
420.00 0.00 420.00 2,750.82 2,759.50 8.68 38.26 46.94 |
420.00 0.00 420.00 26,805.50 |
420.00 0.00 420.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26,814.89 9.39 47.65 |
| BRITISH DYSLEXICS Balance Sheet for the Period 1st August 2023 to 31st July 2024 2022/2023 2023/2024 £ £ Fixed Assets: Furniture & Equipment 988.53 1,318.04 less depreciation 329.51 988.53 Current Assets: Debtors 0.00 Balance at Bank: Deposit Account 47.65 Current Liabilities: Creditors 0.00 Net current assets: 47.65 Net Assets: 1,036.18 FUNDS Restricted Income: General Fund 0.00 Unrestricted Income: General Fund 38.26 Cash balance carried f 9.39 |
BRITISH DYSLEXICS Balance Sheet for the Period 1st August 2023 to 31st July 2024 2022/2023 2023/2024 £ £ Fixed Assets: Furniture & Equipment 988.53 1,318.04 less depreciation 329.51 988.53 Current Assets: Debtors 0.00 Balance at Bank: Deposit Account 47.65 Current Liabilities: Creditors 0.00 Net current assets: 47.65 Net Assets: 1,036.18 FUNDS Restricted Income: General Fund 0.00 Unrestricted Income: General Fund 38.26 Cash balance carried f 9.39 |
BRITISH DYSLEXICS Balance Sheet for the Period 1st August 2023 to 31st July 2024 2022/2023 2023/2024 £ £ Fixed Assets: Furniture & Equipment 988.53 1,318.04 less depreciation 329.51 988.53 Current Assets: Debtors 0.00 Balance at Bank: Deposit Account 47.65 Current Liabilities: Creditors 0.00 Net current assets: 47.65 Net Assets: 1,036.18 FUNDS Restricted Income: General Fund 0.00 Unrestricted Income: General Fund 38.26 Cash balance carried f 9.39 |
|---|---|---|
| 329.51 988.53 |
||
47.65
Total Assets: 47.65
31st July 2024
Roy Fielding
EXAMINERS REPORT
Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of British Dyslexics Reg. 1058046
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of British Dyslexics for the year ended 31 July 2024.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of British Dyslexics, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.
I report in respect of my examination of the British Dyslexics accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed:
Name: Colin Steel
Relevant professional qualification: Former post master and Civil Service Exam Qualification.
Address: Greenfield business centre, Greenfield, Flintshire, CH8 7GR
Date:16/03/2024