ST Vincent’s Catholic Primary School has been awarded the Trafford Dyslexia Aware Quality Mark.

Given by Trafford in association with the British Dyslexia Association, this award is granted to schools that meet the association’s standards of providing quality education for dyslexic students.

Leading the process of attaining the award was teacher Eileen Butler.

Headteacher at the Altrincham school, Anita Harrop, said: “Gaining a better knowledge of the challenges faced by pupils with dyslexia allowed us to improve our provision and make all of our classrooms dyslexia friendly.

"The input of pupils was critical to this work. There was a whole school commitment to this process and staff are incredibly passionate about it.”

Teacher Miss Eileen Butler conducted a number of staff meetings to increase teachers’ understanding of dyslexia.

She provided practical ideas for teaching and learning along with organising assemblies, parents’ workshops, and arranging meetings with the school’s governors as well as visits to other schools.

A key feature of the work on dyslexia was the involvement of pupils. A pupil learning committee was set up to assess the process and make recommendations.

The quality mark aims to ensure that everyone within the school has a good knowledge of the needs of the dyslexic individual and that resources are available to meet such needs.

According to the British Dyslexia Association: “The BDA Dyslexia Friendly Quality Mark is an external sign of approval that is widely recognised not only in the UK but also internationally. Holding the BDA Dyslexia Friendly Quality Mark is a very positive statement that lets learners, parents, staff and stakeholders know that your organisation is a safe place for dyslexic individuals. “