Latest news with #BritishDyslexiaAssociation
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jamie Oliver says he 'might have ended up in jail' due to dyslexia
TV chef Jamie Oliver has said that "cooking saved him" and if hadn't found a love of the kitchen, he "might have ended up in jail" because of his dyslexia. Oliver, 50, was talking at the preview of his new documentary, Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, on Thursday evening. The dad of five, who struggles with reading and writing, says his learning difference meant he felt "thick, stupid, worthless and dumb" at school. However, he found something he was good at and built his self-esteem in the kitchen of the pub he grew up in. Saying he was one of the "lucky ones", Oliver, who uses a dictaphone to write his cook books, added that "the stats are really, really clear" and without a career path "statistically, I might have ended up in jail". According to the British Dyslexia Association, dyslexia affects one in 10 people. However, a government report into the criminal justice system in 2021 suggested that up to half of the prison population show signs of the learning difficulty. And Oliver said there is a "pathway" behind this overrepresentation among the prison population. Around 25% of children in a class have special educational needs (SEN) including dyslexia, according to the Department for Education, and these students are 3.5 times more likely to be excluded from school. Data also shows that teenagers excluded from school are twice as likely to commit serious violence, which could lead to a jail term. The documentary, which airs on Channel 4 on Monday 9 June, aims to tackle the root cause of the issue by campaigning for better support for dyslexic children. "An education system that only works for some kids and not everyone, is broken,' Oliver says in the show. 'Dyslexia is bigger than letters jumping around and a few kids struggling to read. It's about getting tens of thousands of kids a year to thrive, and not just survive, in school." "We are missing out on a lot of extraordinary young people becoming extraordinary contributors to this country," he added. "I genuinely think school is on the front line of hope, optimism and better, cooler, more productive Britain.' In the programme, which features children with dyslexia, school teachers and adults with the condition, Jamie has two key asks for the government. Firstly, he is campaigning for education secretary Bridget Phillipson to introduce early screening for dyslexia in schools. "How can we help kids if we don't know they need support?" the documentary questions. The second aim is to provide more support and training for teachers to help neurodiverse children in the classroom. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Channel 4 (@channel4) Last weekend Oliver, who shares children Poppy, 23, Daisy, 22, Petal, 16, Buddy, 14, and River, eight, with wife Jools, told The Sunday Times that some of his kids are also neurodiverse. Opening up on his "bonkers' family, he said there had been diagnoses of ADHD, dyslexia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within the past year. According to the NHS, dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that can cause issues with reading, writing and spelling. It does not affect intelligence. It may cause you to: read and write slowly confuse the order of letters in words be confused by letters that look similar, such as 'b' and 'd' have trouble spelling find it hard to carry out a sequence of directions struggle with planning and organisation If you think your child may have dyslexia, speak to their school who may be able to offer support. You can also find lots of useful information and advice on the British Dyslexia Association website. You can read more about Jamie Oliver's dyslexia campaign and how you can get involved here. Five lesser-known dyslexia symptoms, as Chris Packham presents documentary on the learning difficulty (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read) Countryfile's Matt Baker wouldn't change a thing about his dyslexia (Bang Showbiz, 2-min read) Jamie Oliver wants dyslexic children to know their worth in new documentary (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)
The Independent
02-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Jamie Oliver on the undiagnosed condition he struggled with at school
Jamie Oliver revealed his struggles with undiagnosed dyslexia made him feel "stupid" at school, leading to 'total resentment for education'. Oliver shared his experience in a new Channel 4 documentary, Jamie's Dyslexia Revolution, which airs on June 9, describing the process of opening up as "viscerally painful". Having left school with two GCSEs, Oliver said the kitchen "saved" him, as he felt unsupported due to a lack of dyslexia knowledge at the time. Oliver felt "stupid, worthless and thick" and is now campaigning for greater support in schools, including early screenings for dyslexia and more teacher training. Dyslexia, affecting up to one in 10 people in the UK, can impact coordination, organisation, and memory, not just reading and writing, according to the British Dyslexia Association.
