A former pupil of a specialist dyslexia school who had the reading age of a six-year-old when he joined at the age of 11, has this month picked up his Masters degree from University.
David Johnson became a pupil at Maple Hayes School in Lichfield, having just very basic literature skills and a low self esteem due to his difficulties in learning at mainstream school and his battle with dyslexia.
But the now 24-year-old has achieved a lifetime ambition and incredible goal in life of fulfilling his potential by graduating with a Masters degree in Product Design at De Montfort University, Leicester.
David said the opportunity of studying at the specialist dyslexic school, Maple Hayes, had “transformed his life for the better” and thanked his headteacher Dr Daryl Brown and his former teachers for giving him the chance in life to reach his full potential.
“It was an opportunity I needed to be able to grow in confidence and being at the school was a turning point for me. But I soon thrived in my education, writing and confidence, and I’ll be forever grateful, and so glad I had the opportunity which then was a springboard for me to pursue and complete a Masters, which is something I never thought I would be able to do,” he said.
Maple Hayes teaches a system called the ‘morphological approach’, which uses a series of icons to make a visual link between meaning and spelling instead of pupils being taught using phonics.
They also believe in using fountain pens, using cursive writing which helps make every letter feel different, and is a form of kinaesthetic learning. A child with dyslexia can learn correct spellings by the individual feel of each letter.
His mum Vicky said she was beyond proud of David and how far he had come.
“David was at a very low point of his life before he joined Maple Hayes and we fought all the way to get him to the school. Once we got a place we had to travel hundreds of miles each week to get him there and back, but it was all worth it.
“Studying at Maple Hayes was a turning point for the whole family as prior to joining, his mood and learning were deteriorating fast. To see him as the successful, driven and confident man now is incredible and we are incredibly proud of him and grateful for what Maple Hayes did for him, and will also do for hundreds more children who walk through the doors,” she said.
Upon leaving Maple Hayes as a prefect, David went onto study his A Levels at St David’s College in Llandudno before starting a BA in Product Design at De Montfort University, Leicester.
He graduated with an upper second class honours degree and before starting his Masters which is now complete
Headteacher Dr Daryl Brown said: “We are so proud of David for his achievements and that we were able to start him on this journey of learning after such a tough start in his life. He could do all of these things because of the foundation he learnt here and that he could take these along with him in life, so it’s great to see him thriving.”
Maple Hayes School (whose Curriculum is rated Outstanding by Ofsted) was founded by Dr Neville Brown, who created the school’s unique morphological teaching method in the 1980s and who still works closely alongside his son Dr Daryl Brown to bring reading and writing skills to children in difficulty.