Jamie Oliver called for a Dyslexia Revolution: here are some steps to make it happen

Jamie Oliver is dyslexic and was undiagnosed while at school, like the majority of dyslexics today. Now, he is turning his impressive campaigning skills towards improving things for the dyslexic children of tomorrow, as captured in his recent Channel 4 documentary, Jamie’s Dyslexia Revolution.

Many of the experiences from individuals interviewed in Jamie’s Dyslexia Revolution rang painfully true and aligned with the stories that we often hear in our research. While we know a good amount about the nature and underlying causes of dyslexia, there are still too many individuals who are undiagnosed or have to fight for a diagnosis, and too many teachers who do not know how to effectively support dyslexic students. This is surprising given how common dyslexia is – affecting at least 10% of the population.

Jamie advocates two ways to improve the situation: introducing universal screening early in students’ school careers and improving initial teacher education about dyslexia.

Whilst universal screening for dyslexia and other types of neurodiversity could have advantages, such as flagging students who may be at risk of dyslexia, there are also challenges that policymakers should be aware of:

1. Accuracy of screening - Children don’t fit neatly into boxes, and screening can give the impression that it’s easy to identify who will struggle with dyslexia and who won’t. In reality, it’s far more complex. Most dyslexia screeners used in schools today haven’t been tested for how well they predict long-term outcomes, something that would require years of follow-up. As a result, we don’t yet know how accurate these tools truly are.
2. Varied deficits lead to dyslexia - There is variation in the underlying deficits that lead to dyslexia. Not all children who go on to have difficulties share a similar profile. In fact, there is no single deficit that is shared by the majority of children at school entry.
3. Snapshot vs ongoing observation - A screener provides a snapshot of a child’s abilities at a single moment in time. In contrast, teachers observe their students every day and get to know their learning styles, behaviours, and challenges over weeks and months. This ongoing relationship gives teachers a more complete and reliable understanding of each child’s strengths and needs than a one-off test can.
4. Lack of resourced support - Crucially, identifying children at risk of dyslexia has little value without a clear, well-resourced support pathway. Without follow-up, parents may feel anxious and helpless, while schools, already under pressure, face added strain. Staff could become frustrated and demoralised when expected to act on screening results without the tools, time, or funding to do so. In this context, screening risks becoming a source of stress rather than a step toward meaningful support.

One untapped tool already at the education system’s disposal to universally identify children at risk of dyslexia is the Year 1 Phonics Check. The test already fits many of the criteria needed for a dyslexia screening tool; however, it’s currently used more to evaluate school performance than individual students, meaning its potential as an early identification tool is not fully realised.

This brings us to the second part of Jamie Oliver’s strategy: improving initial teacher training so that all new teachers are equipped to support children with dyslexia. We fully support this and believe it should go further, with stronger training on special educational needs and neurodiversity. However, this will not be a quick solution. Teachers can be working in the classroom for over 40 years after their initial teacher training. Even if we completely overhauled teacher training tomorrow, educators trained under previous systems would still be working in schools well into the 2060s. That’s why training must not only be improved at the outset but also refreshed regularly and supported through ongoing professional development throughout a teacher’s career.

For that reason, we advocate three more elements to the dyslexia revolution:

1. Shared definition and pathway - Agreeing on a shared definition of dyslexia and a dyslexia pathway for English schools. We have been working on a consensus definition of dyslexia agreed by a multi-disciplinary expert panel.
2. In-house specialists - Dyslexia often overlaps with other neurodiverse needs like ADHD, speech and language difficulties, or memory and processing challenges. To respond effectively, schools need more than occasional external input; they need in-house expertise. A dedicated specialist teacher provides ongoing, embedded support that reflects classroom realities. Their role goes beyond one-to-one interventions, guiding holistic assessment, early identification, and inclusive strategies for a wide range of learners. This isn’t a new idea; the Rose Review (2009) recommended dyslexia specialists in schools. But as funding has declined, so has implementation. Restoring in-house specialists would support a more joined-up, neurodiversity-aware approach across the whole school.
3. Developmental profiling tool - While one-off screeners miss the complexity of a child’s needs, a developmental profiling tool, used at the start of Reception, would offer a more effective, teacher-led approach. It would build a holistic picture of each child’s cognitive, emotional, sensory, and motor development. Crucially, it wouldn’t just identify need; it would also signpost practical, classroom-based strategies that teachers can use immediately, allowing support to begin early, within the learning environment, before gaps widen or labels are applied.

In order to create a dyslexia revolution that creates sustainable and effective change for students, we need more than a one-off screener. We need to invest in holistic, neurodiversity-informed approaches and in-house specialist teachers who support staff with inclusive strategies and help identify a range of neurodiverse needs early on. A developmental profiling tool would further enhance this by giving a fuller picture of each child’s development, as well as guiding early, classroom-based support. Real progress, moving beyond the “archaic system” Jamie Oliver describes, depends on long-term investment in training, resources, and inclusive systems that support all learners from the start.