A new policy development in the UK aims to improve support and assessment for students with dyscalculia after age 16. The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) has published its response to government proposals, advocating for accessibility and varied assessment methods.
What’s Happening
The UK government has proposed a new post-16 qualifications framework, which includes plans to introduce new V levels (vocational) to sit alongside A Levels (academic) and T Levels (technical). The BDA has welcomed the publication of the government’s response to the consultation and the announcement of nearly £800m of extra funding for post-16 education.
New policy development in the UK aims to improve support for students with dyscalculia. Learn more about the proposed changes and how they may impact your child.
Context
The proposed changes aim to ensure genuine parity of esteem between academic, vocational, and technical qualifications, and to help students, parents, and employers better understand the range of options available. The BDA has emphasized the importance of accessibility and varied assessment methods for learners with specific learning differences, including dyscalculia.
The BDA welcomes the government’s commitment to improving accessibility and inclusivity in the new post-16 qualifications framework.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Implications
The proposed changes have significant implications for students with dyscalculia, who may face challenges in accessing and completing post-16 qualifications. The BDA’s response highlights the need for a more inclusive and supportive approach to assessment and qualification design.
Key takeaways
- New policy development: The UK government has proposed a new post-16 qualifications framework.Accessibility and inclusivity: The BDA has emphasized the importance of accessibility and varied assessment methods for learners with specific learning differences.Implications for students with dyscalculia: The proposed changes have significant implications for students with dyscalculia, who may face challenges in accessing and completing post-16 qualifications.
Looking Ahead
The UK government’s proposals have the potential to make a positive impact on the lives of students with dyscalculia. However, it is essential to ensure that the new framework is implemented in a way that prioritizes accessibility, inclusivity, and support for learners with specific learning differences.
The proposed changes have the potential to make a positive impact on the lives of students with dyscalculia. To learn more about how to support your child with dyscalculia, consider the Learning Success All Access Program, which offers a free trial and a personalized Action Plan.
See what All Access gives your child
Take the dyscalculia test
Is your child struggling in school?
Get your free personalized learning roadmap
You describe what you see at home. We turn it into a plan you start this week.
- Answer 5 short questionnaires about what you already notice, 30–45 minutes at your own kitchen table
- Your child sits no test and gets no score: nothing to schedule, nothing for them to dread
- You do the answering, the AI does the writing, and a person reviews it before it reaches you
- Access all 40+ courses instantly: reading, math, focus, processing and more, with new ones added regularly
Why we use AI, plainly: it writes from a knowledge base our team maintains and audits. We work through it line by line and pull anything the evidence stops supporting. The roadmap you get on Tuesday reflects what we corrected on Monday, and a human still reads it before you do.
Your school district must evaluate your child free of charge if you ask in writing, whatever your income and whatever the outcome (US, 34 CFR 300.111 and 300.301(b)). That route takes time and answers a different question than you do. This one starts today, from what you already know.
Your answers stay yours. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not hand identifiable assessment data to outside AI companies to train their models.
A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too. That is the only route to those supports.
References
- British Dyslexia Association. (2026). Our response to proposed changes to post-16 qualifications. Retrieved from https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/news/our-response-to-proposed-changes-to-post-16-qualifications-march-2026
