Latest news with #'sDyslexiaRevolution
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jamie Oliver show a 'boost for dyslexia education'
Jamie Oliver's campaign to improve education for dyslexic children has already made a "massive difference", according to a Nottinghamshire MP. Labour's Juliet Campbell, who represents Broxtowe, is a long-time campaigner and features prominently in the Channel 4 documentary, Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution. The MP has spent the past decade calling for better teacher training and since her election in 2024 has chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group on dyslexia. Campbell's son was not diagnosed as dyslexic until he was 14. She described him as an "incredibly intelligent young man" but he "just did not enjoy school at all". She added: "I just couldn't understand why. "I think if teachers were skilled in recognising dyslexia, or had more training in how to teach dyslexic children we would have probably got an earlier identification." In the documentary, Oliver asks AI software to find existing campaigners and Campbell's name came up. In a video call with the TV chef, she said: "The research shows that if you teach the whole class in the way a dyslexic child learns, everybody benefits." She then arranged an event in the Houses of Parliament, where an emotional Oliver told a room of politicians how he felt "thick", "worthless" and "dumb" at school. "Whether it's the mind or the tummy, let's feed our kids," he added. Research suggests 10 to 15% of children have dyslexia and campaigners argue it's essential the education system doesn't write them off. Oliver told the BBC that society was "already paying" for a lack of action, pointing to figures that suggest around half of the adult prison population is dyslexic. He has urged the government to make two key changes - to improve training on dyslexia for new and existing teachers, and to screen all primary school children for the condition as early as possible. Oliver said teachers are "begging" for more training. "In a two or three year teacher training course, they are doing half a day's training," he said. "Four hours is just not enough, it's not appropriate." The documentary ends with Oliver meeting education secretary Bridget Phillipson. Asked what commitments he'd secured, Oliver said Phillipson had agreed to "completely reimagine" teacher training for dyslexia and neurodiversity from September onwards. "What she seems to be dragging her feet on is the screening, and for me the screening is everything," he said. Speaking at a preview screening of the documentary, Phillipson insisted she was "determined" to improve the system. She added the government had commissioned research to ensure "the very best evidence" around screening is applied in all schools. Campbell said she was confident the government was "listening". She added the involvement of Oliver had made a "massive difference" and given the issue a "real boost". "He's got a history also of making a difference," she said. "We saw what he did with school dinners. My hope is that we can move the dyslexia discussion on." Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Watch: Jamie Oliver calls for more support for dyslexic children Dying bill provokes enormous emotion, says MP Jamie Oliver Juliet Campbell MP
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution lays bare shocking figures, but it doesn't have any answers
Special educational needs and disabilities – better known in the media these days by the punchy acronym SEND – are a hot topic in education. For a long time considered a marginal issue for disruptive children, the discourse has shifted in recent years as parents have pressured schools into better accommodation for young people with neurodiverse conditions, like autism, ADHD and dyslexia. It is the last of these which has found a champion in the form of TV chef Jamie Oliver, whose crusade on behalf of Britain's dyslexics is captured in a new Channel 4 documentary, Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution. 'I've been doing this for 20 years,' Oliver tells a room full of assembled politicians. 'I've been through 17 heads of education and many, many prime ministers.' He is referring, of course, to his 2004 campaign to reform school dinners, which made him, briefly, the most hated man in Britain's schoolyards. It wasn't just children who critiqued his advocacy: he was accused, too, of being part of a wealthy elite propagating top-down paternalism. And yet for all the political and social change since the start of the millennium, Oliver's televisual persona has remained the same. An approachable Jack the Lad, no controversy seems capable of denting his portfolio career, including countless television shows, wildly successful cookbooks and novels aimed at children, and a restaurant group. And this has all been achieved while struggling with a form of dyslexia that makes reading and writing a challenge for him. 'You're probably better at reading than me now,' he tells his eight-year-old-son. 'And I'm the second biggest author in the country.' And so, donning the same hat he used to eradicate turkey twizzlers from school cafeterias, Oliver sets off to raise awareness of how dyslexic children are being failed. The statistics are worrying: 10 per cent of the population are believed to be dyslexic, and, when rolled up with other neurodiverse conditions, that number rises to 25 per cent. More shocking still is the show's claim that 50 per cent of the prison population is dyslexic, which feels, instinctively, a direct corollary of the fact that 90 per cent of excluded children are neurodiverse. SEND parents – who have become one of Britain's most powerful lobbying groups – will know all of this, but for the lay viewer the figures will be troubling. Equally concerning, however, is the lack of answers. And this is an area where Channel 4 and Jamie Oliver struggle to make inroads. Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution involves much rumination on the current state of play, but the mooted insurrection of the education system is harder to pin down. Earlier intervention seems important (children are not assessed until they are eight, and even then, it is not mandatory), but what then? More training for teachers, similarly, is highlighted, but the nature and application of that training remain elusive. It is no bad thing for Oliver to simply use his platform to raise awareness of an issue, but when you call it a 'revolution', it feels like there should be some clearer glimpse of the promised land. Because, as the show suggests, there is little appetite to throw more money at the education system right now. A room full of Britain's politicians show their support for the endeavour (including Liberal Democrat MP Adam Dance revealing that dyslexia-related bullying caused him to attempt to take his own life as a young person), but commitments remain vague. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson, when she appears, looks like she'd rather be anywhere else. 'Will we be seeing some radical, strategic restructuring of teacher training?' Oliver asks her. She lethargically straight-bats his questions. 'Money alone isn't enough,' she mumbles, perhaps thinking of the multimillion-pound bill left to town councils by the collapse of Oliver's restaurant chain. 'I think we have to reform the system.' But reform, like revolution, is an easy word to say, and a harder one to enact. And so, at the climax of Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, as a crowd of supporters assemble outside parliament, there's an air of optimism. SEND support has never been higher on the political agenda, and Oliver, one of the most effective agitators in Britain, has played his part in this. But the show mirrors the great challenge of modern politics. It's far easier to identify problems – to point to injustice – than it is to locate their solutions, and, in doing so, initiate the sort of change that a revolution requires.
Daily Mirror
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
TV chef read first book at 33 despite becoming best-selling author
While he's known to have written over 20 cookbooks, becoming the bestselling non-fiction author in the UK, Jamie Oliver admits he still struggles to read because of his dyslexia. Jamie Oliver is the second best-selling British author behind J.K. Rowling - but he's never been much of a reader due to his dyslexia. In fact, he didn't read his first book until his early thirties. In his latest documentary, Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, the celebrity chef, author and outspoken advocate is taking his lifelong fight with dyslexia public in a bold new way. With raw honesty and righteous anger, Jamie Oliver lifts the lid on how deeply the system is failing neurodivergent children - and confronts Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson in a fierce campaign. 'Our young people deserve better,' he says in his compelling feature, 'We want truly inclusive schools where every child can thrive. That change is a long time overdue.' For Jamie, the fight is personal. Though now a bestselling author of over 20 cookbooks and a household name, his own school experience was shaped by struggles, shame and silence. As a child, Jamie was placed in special needs classes for five years. 'I really struggled to read in primary school,' he says, 'I read my first [book] when I was about 33.' Leaving education behind was a relief. 'When I left school, it was, 'good riddance to you,'' he admits. 'The memories of no books, spelling errors, crosses repeated. I expected very little of myself because success in school is built on things a dyslexic brain isn't good at.' READ MORE: 'I made one change to my meals and lost weight, felt fuller and cut down my caffeine' Now 50, Jamie still grapples with challenges most take for granted. 'My inner voice isn't as confident when I'm reading,' he says. 'My eyes aren't really tracking well. I'm used to it. Some days are better than others. I'm better when I'm less tired.' Despite the hurdles, Jamie has built a wildly successful career and a happy personal haven. Married to former model and writer Juliette Norton, he's a proud father of five. But fatherhood brought some uncomfortable reckonings. 'I knew things were bad when my own children were reading better than me,' he says. He also realised he wasn't alone in feeling out of place in school. 'School was tough because I didn't get it, now seeing kids and families go through that same pain in 2025 makes me angry. I didn't realise how big this was and how upsetting it is.' That anger became fuel for Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, a hard-hitting, eye-opening journey through the lived experiences of neurodivergent people across the UK. He's not alone in the crusade. Celebrity friends join him to share their own painful experiences. Holly Willoughby recalls how her self-worth was chipped away by red-inked spelling tests. 'I was terrible at spelling,' Holly says, 'I knew that because I'd always get really poor results at spelling tests. When I'd get my homework back, there'd be red pen all over it where there would be 'silly' mistakes.'' Reality star and entrepreneur Jamie Laing echoes the frustration and daily challenges dyslexic individuals face. 'I don't understand how people can write down a word they've heard,' he says. 'I don't understand how the words go, to the point where some of them look upside down and backwards.' At school, his struggles often led to punishment rather than support. 'I would get in trouble a lot,' he says, 'I would be in detention because I was frustrated.' Dyslexia, as defined by the NHS, is a common learning difficulty that primarily affects reading, writing and spelling. But its impact is far more widespread - touching memory, processing, self-esteem and even long-term outcomes in life. It's estimated that up to one in every ten people in the UK has dyslexia, though many go undiagnosed for years, if at all. And while it has nothing to do with intelligence, the stigma and misunderstandings persist. Jamie Oliver knows that first-hand. 'It didn't feel like (dyslexia doesn't affect intelligence) when I was in school,' he says, 'A lot of dyslexic kids don't feel that. Those feelings can affect your start in life.' Cooking became a lifeline for Jamie. 'Cooking really saved me. I felt free to create in the kitchen. Cooking gave me the confidence to not go too dark with dyslexia,' he says. 'Being extracted out of class for a special needs class isn't cool. It came with a bit of a tag, a dunce's hat. Before long, the feelings of not being enough or being dumb, even in primary school, were in my psyche.'
Daily Mirror
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Jamie Oliver upset as he slams 'harmful' school system and demands change
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is launching his own crusade in a new documentary as he fights for schools to be more inclusive and better trained to deal with neurodivergent children. Jamie Oliver has a bone to pick with the British education system - and he's not mincing words. In his latest documentary, Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, the celebrity chef, author and outspoken advocate is taking his lifelong fight with dyslexia public in a bold new way. With raw honesty and righteous anger, Jamie Oliver lifts the lid on how deeply the system is failing neurodivergent children - and confronts Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson in a fierce campaign. 'Our young people deserve better,' he says in his compelling feature, 'We want truly inclusive schools where every child can thrive. That change is a long time overdue.' For Jamie, the fight is personal. Though now a bestselling author of over 20 cookbooks and a household name, his own school experience was shaped by struggles, shame and silence. As a child, Jamie was placed in special needs classes for five years. 'I really struggled to read in primary school,' he says, 'I read my first [book] when I was about 33.' Leaving education behind was a relief. 'When I left school, it was, 'good riddance to you,'' he admits. 'The memories of no books, spelling errors, crosses repeated. I expected very little of myself because success in school is built on things a dyslexic brain isn't good at.' Now 50, Jamie still grapples with challenges most take for granted. 'My inner voice isn't as confident when I'm reading,' he says. 'My eyes aren't really tracking well. I'm used to it. Some days are better than others. I'm better when I'm less tired.' Despite the hurdles, Jamie has built a wildly successful career and a happy personal haven. Married to former model and writer Juliette Norton, he's a proud father of five. But fatherhood brought some uncomfortable reckonings. 'I knew things were bad when my own children were reading better than me,' he says. He also realised he wasn't alone in feeling out of place in school. 'School was tough because I didn't get it, now seeing kids and families go through that same pain in 2025 makes me angry. I didn't realise how big this was and how upsetting it is.' That anger became fuel for Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, a hard-hitting, eye-opening journey through the lived experiences of neurodivergent people across the UK. He's not alone in the crusade. Celebrity friends join him to share their own painful experiences. Holly Willoughby recalls how her self-worth was chipped away by red-inked spelling tests. 'I was terrible at spelling,' Holly says, 'I knew that because I'd always get really poor results at spelling tests. When I'd get my homework back, there'd be red pen all over it where there would be 'silly' mistakes.'' Reality star and entrepreneur Jamie Laing echoes the frustration and daily challenges dyslexic individuals face. 'I don't understand how people can write down a word they've heard,' he says, 'I don't understand how the words go, to the point where some of them look upside down and backwards.' At school, his struggles often led to punishment rather than support. 'I would get in trouble a lot,' he says, 'I would be in detention because I was frustrated.' Dyslexia, as defined by the NHS, is a common learning difficulty that primarily affects reading, writing and spelling. But its impact is far more widespread - touching memory, processing, self-esteem and even long-term outcomes in life. It's estimated that up to one in every ten people in the UK has dyslexia, though many go undiagnosed for years, if at all. And while it has nothing to do with intelligence, the stigma and misunderstandings persist. Jamie Oliver knows that first-hand. 'It didn't feel like (dyslexia doesn't affect intelligence) when I was in school,' he says, 'A lot of dyslexic kids don't feel that. Those feelings can affect your start in life.' One of the documentary's most compelling moments comes when Jamie confronts the brutal reality of where that stigma can lead. Speaking to Albert McEyeson, CEO of Action Youth Boxing Intervention, Jamie learns in his documentary that an estimated 50% of the UK prison population is dyslexic. 'If you're dyslexic, you're three and a half times more likely to get expelled from school,' Albert says. 'And if you don't find anything else you're good at, you turn to criminality. These may be good kids but, because of their dyslexia, they are being treated badly. They have anxiety and they can't cope with their environment.' It's a damning indictment of a system that has failed to evolve. In Jamie's case, cooking became a lifeline. 'Cooking really saved me. I felt free to create in the kitchen. Cooking gave me the confidence to not go too dark with dyslexia,' he says. 'Being extracted out of class for a special needs class isn't cool. It came with a bit of a tag, a dunce's hat. Before long, the feelings of not being enough or being dumb, even in primary school, were in my psyche.' The documentary doesn't just highlight the issue - it demands change. Jamie calls for training and a shift in how we measure success in school. His message is loud and clear - the system isn't just broken, it's harmful. 'Getting into trouble and going to prison is massively amplified by dyslexia and neurodiversity,' he says. 'But this isn't destined for them, it's a reaction to never feeling like they fit in.'
Daily Mirror
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Jamie Oliver's new show is 'viscerally painful' as school trauma 'hits a nerve'
TV chef Jamie Oliver has opened up about his struggles with dyslexia in new Channel 4 documentary, Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, revealing he was made to feel 'stupid, worthless and thick' as a schoolboy Over the course of his stellar career, Jamie Oliver has produced countless hit TV shows, from adventurous travel documentaries to accessible cook-alongs. However, his most recent television offering strikes a profoundly personal note, unlike anything the Naked Chef has released before, delving into the topic of dyslexia. Nowadays, Jamie is known to be one of the brightest stars of the culinary world, with his numerous cookbooks on display in kitchens up and down the country. The 50-year-old father of five has also used his celeb status for good, emphasising the importance of providing nutritious meals for children to ensure the best possible start in life. Such a legacy may well have seemed like an unachievable dream to the school-aged Jamie, who was cruelly blasted as a "stupid dunce" by his peers. In his one-hour Channel 4 documentary, Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, the Essex-born chef opens up about the challenges he himself faced as a youngster growing up with dyslexia, while advocating for improved dyslexia support in schools, with an emphasis on early screenings and better neurodiversity awareness. Delving into his experiences of making the doc in an interview with The Sunday Times, Jamie shared that it was the "most viscerally painful" thing he's ever done. Remarking that he was "unpacking quite a lot of stuff", Jamie told the publication: "I thought I'd buried it, but it's hitting a nerve. Genuinely, of all the things I've ever done, this documentary is the most viscerally painful." He continued: "I've seen so many high-flying, talented, grown men cry about this — I've just done it to you — the concept of being worthless (when you're) young is real. It's really triggering." As explained by the NHS, dyslexia is a "common learning difficulty that causes problems with reading, writing, and spelling", estimated to affect as many as one out of every ten people in the UK. This lifelong learning difficulty, previously known as word blindness, can present various daily challenges, from spelling to reading speedily. However, those who have it have been found to frequently excel in other areas, including problem-solving and creative thinking. Sadly, Jamie, who left school with two GCSEs, was made to feel "stupid, worthless and thick" with his insecurities leading to a "a hatred of words and a total resentment for education". He remembered: "I didn't have any extra time in exams, there were no strategies, just a bit of extra tutoring help. There was no robust dyslexic knowledge then." Jamie was thankfully able to carve a rewarding path for himself, thanks to his extraordinary cooking talents, a path that he has reflected "saved" him. He added: "I didn't tell mum, dad or the teachers. I just bottled it up inside. The kitchen saved me. I knew I had something to offer. I knew I wasn't a useless piece of s***."
