A mother is calling for better provision for schools to be able to help children diagnosed with learning difficulties.

Helen Jordan, from Portland, said her daughter Cerys-Lea, aged 10, has recently been diagnosed with dyslexia. She's concerned that schools are struggling to put into practice the recommendations made by educational psychologists for children with the condition, and other learning difficulties, due to funding cuts.

Mrs Jordan, 45, said: "We've been fighting for about three years to get a diagnosis...even when it is diagnosed the psychologist can only give recommendations to the school. The psychologist can't force the recommendations. Some school's hands are tied due to a lack of funding from the government.

"My daughter is currently in Year 6. When she comes to do SATs and exams she will sit the same exams as everyone else in the year group...the exam and schoolwork is exactly the same if the child is diagnosed with a learning disability."

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Dyslexia is specific learning difficulty, which means it causes problems with certain abilities used for learning, such as reading and writing, the NHS says.

Mrs Jordan said Cerys-Lea, who attends Atlantic Academy Portland, has started noticing she can't keep up with her peers, and her concerns have prompted to her to launch a petition to make it a requirement for schools to make changes to the curriculum and exams for SEN children. It has received almost 100 signatures online.

She continued: "It's not just about our daughter and what we've been through, it's about all children no matter what their SEN disability is."

Small changes, such as using a coloured overlays for students with dyslexia, could make a huge difference, Mrs Jordan said.

The Dorset Parents Campaign Group for SEND Children is calling for more funding and support for pupils with special educational needs. A spokesman for the group said they are increasingly hearing from parents and carers who find that schools are struggling, or in some cases seemingly unwilling, to put recommendations in place even when their child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan in place.

The spokesman said: "We are hearing from parents on a daily basis about the problems they face, for example a deaf child who is stuck on a waiting list for suitable school placements, with the only advice to the family to home school them in the mean time.

"The campaign group have established ongoing meetings with Sarah Parker, the new [Dorset Council] head of children’s services, and this is proving to be a very productive way of sharing parents' concerns with her in with the aim of seeing service improvements.

"However, the reality is that without adequate funding for schools from central government and a real commitment from the new Dorset Council to invest in SEND provision both specialist and mainstream we will continue to hear of children being let down by an over burdened and under funded system."

View Mrs Jordan's petition by following this link: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/240764?