The right special needs school is out there

Yet the first UK school to specialise in dyslexia, as well as dyspraxia and Asperger’s Syndrome, opened its doors in 1946, when spelling and reading problems were dismissed as ‘word blindness’.

Now one of only 20 special dyslexia schools in the country and with just 90 places on offer, the independent, co-ed Frewen College in Rye, East Sussex — whose four houses are named after celebrated dyslexics Sir Richard Branson, Nigel Kennedy, Sir Steven Redgrave and Jamie Oliver — is both expensive and effective.

‘At an annual £15,500 for a junior day place or £28,000 for a senior boarder, our fees approach those of Eton,’ says business manager Jeremy Field, who adds that half the pupils have their places funded by their Local Education Authority.

‘But the cost needs to be set against the fact that we achieve an average seven GCSE passes per pupil — quite some achievement given the level of disability of some pupils.