Free Transport!
Please be aware that all children in the Reading Classes qualify for free transport to and from the school! Currently we have children who live locally but most travel from afar. In the past we have had students from parts of Kildare and Meath. Children can also avail of The Holy Family Breakfast Club which helps to give the perfect start to the day ahead!
Sections Include: Scroll down to find out more!
- Introduction
- Reading Class Policy/ Application Information
- What is dyslexia?
- Co-occurring difficulties including visual difficulties and hearing difficulties
- 10 essential steps to take after your child has been diagnosed with dyslexia
- The future is extremely bright! Vocational paths and the importance of pursuing your talents.
- School Uniform
- Taxi/ Mini Bus Service
- Transition to secondary school
- Information if you are thinking of purchasing a laptop to help with learning at home
1. Brief Introduction: In Holy Family we have two S.L.D. (Specific Learning Difficulty) classes specialising primarily in teaching children with severe dyslexia. We also do our best to cater for co-occurring conditions. We refer to these as our Reading Classes. You may also come across the term Reading Unit.
Once a successful application has been processed children are generally allocated as follows: Reading Class 1 – 3rd and 4th. Reading Class 2: 5th and 6th. Children take part in a personally tailored two-year program. On completion, students re-join mainstream in a full-time capacity. Places are limited so why not check out the Reading Classes Policy page for more information. There you will find out more information regarding the application process. If your child meets the criteria Contact Us and inquire today!
Have a look Through The Keyhole and in the Pupils’ News section for a further glimpse into what we do in The Reading Classes and the goings on at Holy Family!
2. Holy Family S.N.S. Reading Class policy/ Application information: Please click here.
3. What is dyslexia? Click on the link at the end of this sentence from The Dyslexia Association of Ireland to read a definition of dyslexia.
For an in depth understanding visit the Dyslexia Association of Ireland‘s (D.A.I.) home page and follow their own site links. There is a lot of useful information on there.
Important. We highly recommend that you become a member of the D.A.I. as they are a fantastic source of information and are there to support you, as we are, every step of the way.
4. Co-occurring difficulties: Some children may present with dyslexia as their main difficulty. However, as dyslexia can very commonly have a co-existing condition(s) such as those mentioned below we also do our best to target these needs. Please be aware that some co-existing conditions will require more professional support from outside agencies such as an Occupational Therapist or Speech and Language Therapist for example. For us to formally address any additional need(s) it should be stated in an official report with listed recommendations on how best to support your child. Below is a list of most common co-occurring conditions with a brief description. For a full understanding visit the links on this page. You will find them at information point number 1.
- A.D.D.(Attention Deficit Disorder) / A.D.H.D. (Attention, Deficit, Hyperactivity, Disorder) – biological condition that makes it hard for many children to sit still and concentrate. Affects attention, learning and behaviour
- Autism: affects the development of the brain in areas of social interaction and communication
- Dyscalculia – is a specific learning difficulty in learning and comprehending mathematics.
- Dysgraphia – brain based difficulty with handwriting
- Dyspraxia, also known as D.C.D. (Developmental Co-ordination Disorder) – difficulty with thinking, planning and carrying out sensory / motor tasks such as dressing oneself, tying shoelaces, difficulty with right and left, difficulty with throwing/ catching, cutting out etc.
- Speech and Language Difficulties: Difficulties pronouncing sounds, or sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Problems understanding language (receptive language). Problems using language (expressive language). Problems pronouncing sounds (speech).
Visual Difficulties: School medicals may not be enough. Has vision been checked by an optometrist? Does your child lose their place when reading or make many reversals? Are they light sensitive or does the print blur or appear to move?
Children with dyslexia can have particular difficulties with their vision. This can be referred to as Visual Stress. Some of these difficulties may not show up in a regular eye test and a referral to an optometrist or orthoptist may be needed. There is a short piece on this on the British Dyslexia Association’s website to help you understand if your child may benefit from an examination. Visit this information here.
Glasses with tinted lenses, printing on pastel coloured paper and turning down the brightness of the computer screen can help. For more information, you should talk to your G.P. or optician.
You can also visit this website for more information on glasses with tinted lenses.
Hearing Difficulties: Has hearing been checked? In younger years or even now your child may have or had ‘glue ear’ which could have hindered auditory perception of sounds in words? Again your normal hearing test may not be enough. Speak with your G.P. or audiologist for more information.
5. So… you have just found out your child is dyslexic and would like some guidance on what you should do next: Read 10 essential steps that you must take here.
6. The Future Is Extremely Bright! Do you know many famous people such as Albert Einstein, Richard Branson, Keira Knightley, Whoopi Goldberg, Orlando Bloom, Brendan O’Carroll and many, many more are dyslexic?!
Did you know that Daniel Radcliffe star of the Harry Potter films is dyspraxic?
The most successful vocational paths for people with dyslexia are Entrepreneurship, Engineering, Architecture and the Arts.
Pursue Your Talents!
Unlock your hidden genius by compensating for your weak points and learning to play to your strengths!
Despite the struggles that people with dyslexia encounter they are amazing, talented and gifted people. At Holy Family we certainly believe that of each and every child that comes through our door!
In The Reading Classes we strive to encourage and develop your child’s talents whatever they may be. We strongly believe in giving each pupil the chance to pursue their particular gifts both in and outside of class. For a full list of our After School Activities click on the link to find out more. We offer a wide range of activities guaranteed to suit your interests!
Encouraging your child’s gifts and talents at home whether it is art, dance, sport, music, computer programming, drama, building, design, fixing things etc, they are all incredibly important. Apart from it being healthy to have a wide range of hobbies…who knows, one day it could become your career! These hobbies could turn you into an engineer, an artist, a professional dancer or actor, website/ game designer…the list is endless!
Did you know that some firms will only employ or look to employ a high number of people with dyslexia because of their gift to think differently to others?! Food for thought.
7. School Uniform: Please refer to the Parents’ section here for details on our school uniform.
8. Taxi/ Mini Bus Service: All children qualify for free transport to and from The Reading Classes. This excellent service is run by Bus Éireann and all drivers are Garda vetted. Initially the school will help you to get your application up and running. Once submitted the processing time can vary. After this point the arrangement becomes private between you and Bus Éireann. This service has proven to be excellent over the years, especially to families living outside of the school catchment area.
It is essential that you get to know your allocated driver in person and exchange contact details with them at the beginning of the school year. Both parties have an obligation to let each other know should there be any changes to arrangements involving collection and drop off. Good behaviour is expected at all times. Please be aware that it is possible for places to be withdrawn should rules not be followed.
You do not have to avail of the free transport should you wish to drive your child yourself.
9. Transition to Secondary School: Please click here.
10. Thinking of purchasing a laptop to help with your child’s learning at home?
Assistive technology plays an extremely important role in your child’s learning. There are so many apps and computer programs out there that really help people with learning difficulties particularly in relation to reading, spelling and writing. Visit the useful links and information section for more information. In school working on our class P.C.s forms a balanced part of our working day. If you can afford to purchase a laptop we recommend you strongly consider the following information. Always double check with us in school before making a purchase.
- Standard size laptops are best as they provide the biggest memory with an inbuilt working CD drive to play audio books, DVDs and software that runs from a CD-ROM.
- Note books (smaller than a standard laptop) are very handy but are designed more for people who need to email and work on documents while on the move. They come without an inbuilt CD drive and have less memory.
There are ways around this by purchasing an external hard drive or memory card to boost memory capability. An external CD drive can be bought to play CDs, DVDs and CD-ROMs. They also rely on inbuilt Wi-Fi and not a dedicated Ethernet port to connect to the internet through a wired connection.
