Schools can be accredited by the British Dyslexia Association as being 'dyslexia friendly' after meeting certain criteria. Staffordshire County Council began a dyslexia friendly initiative in 2002 using the BDA's accreditation scheme, but this has now ceased. However, schools are able to be accredited independently of the County Council, if they wish to do so.
There are various levels of dyslexia friendliness, as follows:
Level One
School completes an audit of current practice
Teachers complete a self evaluation on their knowledge of Dyslexia
All staff attend a 'Dyslexia Awareness' briefing
School completes a Dyslexia Friendly action plan
Level Two (Full Status)
School has completed their Dyslexia Friendly action plan
Staff and governors attend Dyslexia Friendly briefings
Parents have been offered Dyslexia Friendly workshops
Teachers have completed Inclusion Development Programme (IDP) training
The school environment is Dyslexia Friendly
A Dyslexia Friendly verification inspection has taken place
Enhanced Status
This is a recent status that recognises a school's additional depth and breadth of consideration given to co-occurring difficulties such as Dyspraxia, Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Dyscalculia, Speech, Language and Communication, Memory difficulties and Behaviour.
Further Information
Please see this link for more information on dyslexia friendly status:
Once a school has achieved 'full' dyslexia friendly status, they can use the BDA's dyslexia friendly quality mark on their website, letters and other stationery etc.
If you see a school using the quality mark, please ask them to confirm what status they have achieved and when it is due to expire.
Also check whether the Dyslexia Friendly status has been accredited by the BDA. Please note that some schools have received dyslexia friendly training offered by private organisations but these may not have been accredited by the BDA and therefore the quality cannot be assured.