Parental experiences of support for pupils with dyslexia: ignoring the effect on parents

This article reports on research that was carried out with parents in order to understand the education system in England from their viewpoint through indepth, semi-structured interviews with seven parents, who were largely sourced through a local dyslexia specialist tutor. The data were analysed by using crosssectional analysis in order to consider the participants' choice of words and their comparative responses to questions. The interviews probed parents for information on their experience from the initial point of concern about the child's difficulties with words, through to assessment and concerns for the future. The findings suggest that, while we live in an age of purported inclusion and equality, there are still children who experience exclusion and prejudice in education. Their experience does not match the ideal and, as a result, their parents are suffering too. The findings help to support recent research and could encourage continued improvements in the education system.