'After the Statement': Reading progress made by secondary students with specific literacy difficulty provision

Students identified as experiencing a specific literacy difficulty or dyslexia may receive considerable additional support through a Statement of Special Educational Needs, but little is known about the reading outcome for the students receiving this support. This study investigated the reading decoding progress of 67 students who had been given a Statement of Special Educational Needs for specific literacy difficulties (SpLD). Also, the relationship between the rate of reading progress and intellectual ability (IQ) was investigated. The results showed that students receiving additional support made just over 6 months of reading progress per year of support. Approximately 13% of students made progress towards 'catching up' to their peers. No significant difference was found between three ability groups in terms of reading decoding progress, and the correlation between IQ and rate of reading decoding progress was near zero. The implications for special education programming were discussed.