Mancroft Learning

20/08/2026

💛 To all the families receiving GCSE results today…

I hope today has brought the results your young person was hoping for and that they are feeling proud of everything they have achieved.

But if the results weren’t quite what they hoped for, please remind them of this:

Exams have a very limited reach.

They can test how well someone can remember, process and communicate particular information, in a particular format, on a particular day.

They cannot measure creativity, kindness, humour, resilience, curiosity, determination, practical ability, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, compassion, entrepreneurial spirit or the countless other qualities that will shape the adult they become.

For some young people, particularly those who are dyslexic, have ADHD or learn differently, exams may never provide a particularly accurate reflection of what they are capable of.

GCSE results can influence the next step, but they do not determine the whole path ahead.

So celebrate the brilliant results, support them through any disappointments, explore the options if plans need to change, and keep things in perspective.

And a huge well done to every young person who got themselves through GCSEs. That in itself deserves recognition.

Best wishes

Zoë

06/08/2026

My day has just been made… 🤩

I have just assessed the second of two daughters and at the end they gave me a beautiful bunch of flowers and a card with the loveliest messages in… 👇👇

I do what I do so children can feel good in themselves despite the challenges that dyslexia and ADHD can present and it is so wonderful when I get wonderful feedback like this!! 😁😁😁

06/08/2026

The delicate balance of work and summer holiday parenting has shifted towards work today and I am looking forward to assessing a young lady who is looking to have her difficulties with reading, spelling and concentration fully explained.

Once she has her report, she will get a better understanding of herself and be able to gain access to the educational support she needs.

If you are worried about your child’s learning, please get in touch. I’m here to help and happy to chat through your concerns and how I can help.

17/07/2026

🌞 Summer Holiday Special—The Parent Power Pack is just £10! 🌞

One of the questions I'm asked most often is:

"What can I do to help my child at home?"

The good news is, it doesn't have to involve hours of worksheets or trying to recreate school around the kitchen table!

That's exactly why I created the Parent Power Pack.

It's full of practical, evidence-informed advice to help you better understand your child's learning profile and support them in ways that build confidence, reduce frustration and make everyday learning that little bit easier.

Inside you'll find guidance on:
📚 Supporting reading
✏️ Improving spelling
🧠 Understanding dyslexia and how it affects learning
💙 Building confidence and resilience
🏫 Working effectively with your child's school
✔️ Simple strategies you can start using straight away

For the summer holidays, I've reduced it to just £10, making it an affordable way to feel more confident supporting your child before the new school year begins.

Whether your child has a dyslexia diagnosis, is showing signs of literacy difficulties, or you're simply looking for practical ways to help, I hope you'll find it genuinely useful.

You can access the Parent Power Pack here:

https://mancroft-learning.thinkific.com/courses/Parentpowerpack?utm_source=chatgpt.com

If you know another parent who might benefit, I'd be so grateful if you could share this post. The more families who feel informed and supported, the better.

Have a lovely summer! 🌞

Zoë
Mancroft Learning

The Parent Power Pack is a practical online course for parents worried about their child’s reading, writing, confidence, or school struggles. Learn how to support your child calmly and effectively at home, understand possible dyslexic difficulties, and approach school with greater confidence.

15/07/2026

"But she's coping..."

This is one of the most common reasons bright children with dyslexia go unidentified for years.

As assessors, teachers and parents, we often expect dyslexia to look like a child who struggles with everything literacy-related. But for many children, particularly those with strong language and reasoning abilities, it doesn't.

Instead, they compensate.

🗣️ They use their excellent vocabulary to guess unfamiliar words instead of decoding them.

📖 They rely on context to work out what a sentence probably says.

🧠 They remember whole words by sight rather than understanding the sound patterns within them.

👂 They listen carefully in class, contribute thoughtful ideas and understand complex concepts, so everyone assumes they are reading and writing with the same ease.

From the outside, they appear to be coping.

What we don't see is the enormous amount of mental effort required to maintain that appearance.

These children are often reading accurately enough to stay within age expectations, but not as accurately as their ability would predict. Their spelling may lag behind, written work can be full of avoidable errors, and reading becomes increasingly tiring as texts become longer and more complex.

Over time, the gap between what they know and what they can easily record on paper grows wider.

Eventually, many reach a point where the compensatory strategies that have carried them through primary school are no longer enough. The curriculum becomes more demanding, vocabulary becomes more specialised, and suddenly the child who always seemed to be "doing fine" begins to lose confidence.

This is why assessment looks beyond attainment alone.

A child doesn't need to be failing to have dyslexia.

Sometimes the most compelling evidence comes from a child whose literacy skills look average on paper but are **completely unexpected** when compared with their exceptional reasoning, language and problem-solving abilities.

These children don't need us to lower expectations.

They need us to recognise how hard they have been working all along.

When we identify dyslexia in highly able learners, we are not giving them an excuse. We are giving them an explanation, allowing them to stop hiding their difficulties and start receiving the support they should have had from the beginning.

Because no child should have to work twice as hard simply to appear as though they are coping.

Have you taught, parented or worked with a child whose intelligence masked their dyslexia? I'd love to hear your experiences, comment below or message me.

09/07/2026

This report makes for difficult reading, but sadly it won’t surprise many parents, teachers or specialists working with dyslexic children.

Despite years of discussion around inclusion, the attainment gap for dyslexic learners has barely changed in over a decade. The latest figures show that only 2 in 10 pupils with dyslexia achieved Grade 5 or above in GCSE English and Maths, compared with 5 in 10 pupils without identified SEND.

As someone who assesses children every week, I don’t believe this reflects a lack of ability. Time and again I meet bright, articulate, creative young people who have spent years working twice as hard as their peers simply to keep up.

The problem is rarely intelligence.

It’s delayed identification, inconsistent support, limited teacher training, and a system that often waits for children to fail before recognising they need help. By the time many young people reach GCSEs, they’ve already spent years trying to compensate for difficulties that could have been identified and supported much earlier.

The report calls for:
• Earlier identification
• Better classroom support
• More inclusive teaching
• Reform of GCSE assessment
• More flexible routes into further education and employment

I wholeheartedly support those recommendations.

Every child deserves the chance to demonstrate what they know, rather than being limited by the way we ask them to show it.

If you’re a parent worried that your child is working much harder than they should be, struggling despite obvious strengths, or losing confidence in their abilities, please don’t assume they’ll simply “grow out of it”. Early understanding can make an enormous difference, not only to academic outcomes but to self-esteem and future opportunities.

Thank you to the British Dyslexia Association for continuing to campaign for the changes that dyslexic learners deserve.

A decade of education reform has failed to close the GCSE attainment gap for dyslexic learners.

Our new report, GCSE attainment: A decade without progress, reveals that in 2024/25 only 2 in 10 pupils with dyslexia achieved grade 5 or above in GCSE English and Maths, compared with 5 in 10 pupils with no identified SEND.

This isn't about ability. Dyslexia affects around 1 in 10 people and is not linked to intelligence. Yet thousands of young people continue to face barriers in early identification, classroom support and assessment, preventing them from achieving the grades they deserve.

With major SEND reforms on the horizon, we are calling on the Government to:
✔️ Prioritise the needs of dyslexic learners
✔️ Improve early identification and intervention
✔️ Make mainstream classrooms more inclusive
✔️ Reform GCSE assessment
✔️ Create more flexible routes into further education, apprenticeships and employment

After more than a decade without meaningful progress, it's time for change.

Read the full report: https://loom.ly/J9b0wJo

08/07/2026

Reading articles like this is incredibly concerning, not because of politics, but because behind every statistic and every delayed response is a child whose education, confidence and wellbeing may be affected.

As someone who works with children and young people experiencing literacy and learning differences every day, I regularly meet families who have spent months, and sometimes years, trying to understand why their child is struggling. By the time many children reach me, they have often begun to believe they are "not clever", despite having many strengths and abilities.

Early identification and timely support matter. Difficulties such as dyslexia, ADHD and other learning differences do not disappear if they are left unrecognised. Without appropriate support, the impact can extend far beyond reading and writing, affecting self-esteem, mental wellbeing, school attendance and future opportunities.

Schools are also under immense pressure. I have the privilege of working alongside many dedicated teachers and SENCos who want the very best for their pupils but are trying to meet increasing needs with limited time and resources.

Whatever the reasons behind the current challenges, I hope this serves as a reminder that every child deserves access to the support they need when they need it. Families should not have to fight to have their child's needs recognised, and professionals across education, health and local authorities all have an important role to play in creating a system that works better for children.

There are no quick fixes, but improving communication, investing in early identification and ensuring schools have access to the right support would make a meaningful difference to many families.

Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, not simply cope.

'I would now describe communication as being almost non-existent.'

08/07/2026

🍂 September assessment appointments are now open for booking.

If you're concerned that your child may have dyslexia, September is an excellent time to arrange an assessment. Early identification at the start of the academic year can help ensure the right support is put in place before learning gaps widen and confidence is affected.

A full diagnostic dyslexia assessment with Mancroft Learning includes:
• A comprehensive assessment tailored to your child carried out in a caring and child-centred way
• A nationally recognised diagnostic report
• Detailed recommendations for home and school
• Evidence to support access arrangements where appropriate
• A personalised post-assessment support pack to help you put recommendations into practice

There is also the option to add a non-diagnostic ADHD screening, providing a detailed picture of attention, activity and impulsivity, along with practical recommendations and supporting documentation where appropriate.

📍Assessments take place at Denton Village Hall, near Harleston, and are available for children, young people and adults.

If you'd like to chat through whether an assessment would be appropriate before booking, I'm always happy to have a no-obligation conversation.

📩 Please send me a message or complete my enquiry form here:
https://hello.dubsado.com/public/form/view/67a214696de395003abc1c0d

September appointments are limited and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

29/06/2026

Have you ever noticed your child reading "jump" instead of "jumped", "cat" instead of "cats", or skipping little words such as the, of, to or was?

It can be tempting to think they're rushing or not paying attention, but very often that's not what's happening.

Many children with dyslexia or other literacy difficulties focus so hard on working out the main word that they don't have enough mental energy left to notice the smaller details. Tiny words and word endings carry a lot of grammatical information, but they're often less visually obvious and can easily be missed.

The good news is that there are lots of ways you can help.

📚 Slow the pace. Encourage your child to read for accuracy rather than speed. It's perfectly fine if reading is slower while they're developing these skills.

👆 Use a finger, ruler or reading tracker to help keep their eyes on each word. This can reduce skipping and improve visual tracking.

🔍 Draw attention to word endings. Before reading, ask your child to look out for endings such as -s, -ed, -ing, -er and -est. These small parts of words often change the meaning of a sentence.

🎨 Highlight the little words. Occasionally using a coloured pencil to circle or underline words like the, of, to, was and are can help children begin to notice them more consistently.

🗣 Read together. If they miss a word or ending, avoid saying "That's wrong." Instead, ask, "Does that sound quite right?" or "Can you check the end of that word?" This encourages self-monitoring rather than relying on someone else to correct them.

📖 Re-read short passages. Reading the same paragraph a second time often improves accuracy because less effort is needed to decode the words.

Most importantly, remember that these errors are usually a sign that reading is taking a great deal of effort, not that your child isn't trying.
With the right support, their accuracy gradually improves as decoding becomes more automatic.

Have you noticed your child changing or missing small words when they read? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments.

17/06/2026

This is key, especially if you have a preschool child or a child currently learning or struggling with phonics.