Fighting dyslexia – the Maple Hayes way

Specialist school helps to combat poor coordination in dyslexic children

A child at Maple Hayes School practises his Aikido steps with teacher David Thompson of the Lichfield School of Aikido and Budo

Maple Hayes School in Lichfield, which specialises in teaching children with dyslexia, have implemented a somewhat unconventional approach to improving the physical coordination in some of its children. A group of 20 youngsters use non-blade swords of wood, bamboo and leather, made to traditional Japanese Samurai design, in martial art lessons, which have shown to significantly improve the children’s coordination skills.

Dr Neville Brown, Principal at Maple Hayes School, said: ‘Many dyslexic children are alienated from their peers and don’t do PE at school because they lack coordination and confidence. At Maple Hayes, where every child shares the same difficulty, children can work at their physical coordination without fear, which then improves their self esteem and ultimately their other achievements in school.’