QUEEN Elizabeth’s Community College in Crediton has been acknowledged for its work in helping students with dyslexia.

The college has received the “Devon Inclusion Award – Dyslexia” at the ‘established level’. The award, now into its third year, was set up by Devon’s Dyslexia Strategy Group.

It aims to help schools improve access to the curriculum for students with severe literacy difficulties, and to recognise good practice.

Among those present at the awards ceremony were students who have benefited from specialist literacy support during their time at the college.

Damian Sluman, now a Year 13 student, acknowledged how much he has benefited. He said: “Getting this specialist support definitely improved my confidence in other areas of my life”.

Damian’s mum Marie added: “We can see how much he has benefited since joining QE. At middle school, he was told he may never pass an exam but at QE he has thrived.”

Jenny Bate, Deputy Principal Educational Psychologist at Devon County Council, who presented the award on behalf of the council, said: “This award was in recognition of the years of work that QE staff have done in developing good practice in support of Specific Learning Difficulties.

“So much so that two of QE’s staff, Ann Atherton and Diane Martin, work with teachers in other schools across the county to develop their own practice with literacy difficulties.”

The award is divided into three categories: developing, established and enhanced. Deborah Lynch, head of SpLD at the college, said: “We were aiming for the ‘developing’ level, but were thrilled to be told that our practice was already at the ‘established’ level.”