By Mark Mackay

A FORMER pupil is suing Perth and Kinross Council for £20,000 claiming teachers at her primary school failed to realise that her spelling problems were the result of dyslexia.

Errin Williamson (18), of Perth, has raised an action for compensation in the belief that failures by teaching and support staff at Forteviot Primary School to identify dyslexia could have adversely affected her in the long term.

The court papers lodged with Perth and Kinross Council state, “No ordinary competent head teacher or teacher at the school would have failed to identify and deal with Miss Williamson’s dyslexia when the symptoms were obviously identifiable.”

The compensation claim also alleges that her parents were misled as to her performance in national tests, masking her learning difficulty.

Miss Williamson began her education at Forteviot Primary School in August 1991 and remained there until she left at the end of P7 in June 1998, joining Perth High School in August of that year.

In her claim she says that her dyslexia was identified within six weeks of attending Perth High School.

She believes the problem should have been easily and quickly identified at a far earlier date by staff at Forteviot Primary School.

“During the course of her primary school education problems with language and especially spelling, had been identified,” the court papers state.

“The head teacher and teachers at Forteviot Primary School did not consider this to be sufficiently serious to merit specialist intervention or special curative measures with the exception of one, half hour’s learning support per week with a group of children.

“Mrs Williamson evinced concern about the pursuer’s capabilities in these areas.

“At a parents’ night she asked specifically whether Errin could be dyslexic and was answered in the negative.

“A report indicated that her early problems with language had now almost been overcome.

“The family were advised that Errin had been put through national tests and had achieved at the proper levels.”

However, within six weeks of starting secondary school, Errin’s English teacher had expressed concerns that she was showing signs of dyslexia and in October 1998 she was tested by learning support.

The results—indicating dyslexia—were made clear to Errin’s parents on February 28, 1999

The court papers go on to say, “As a result of the negligence of the teaching and support staff at Forteviot Primary School, Errin was not given the type of teaching and support best suited to her educational needs.”