A university student “written off” aged just five because of severe dyslexia has told how a 200-mile move to a North Wales school transformed her future.
Erin Moore, 21, struggled to read, count and keep up with her classmates as a young child, with her family fearing that a university education was “an impossible dream”
But after scouring the UK for the right support, her parents Helen and Willi Moore uprooted their lives from Buckinghamshire so their daughter could attend St David’s College near Llandudno.
Now Erin is preparing to start her final year studying psychology and sociology at Liverpool Hope University.
Erin was diagnosed aged five with profound dyslexia and dyscalculia which affects a person’s ability to understand numbers and do arithmetic.
Mum Helen described the heartbreak of seeing her daughter “shrinking” in the state education system before they found St David’s College, an independent, mainstream school that specialises in supporting pupils with dyslexia.
Helen said: “When she was in the reception class at school in Buckinghamshire they told me ‘every year there are 30 kids in the class and there’s always one that is different – and this year it is yours, don’t worry about it’.
“Erin is my only child and they told me she had a processing issue but they said they’d wait until she was two or three years behind her peer group before they might offer support. It just felt she was being written off.
“She couldn’t learn her times tables, she couldn’t count because of her dyscalculia, she couldn’t read.
“It is heartbreaking as a mum to see your beautiful little person, your daughter, who you love more than anything, just shrinking.
“People would assume she was a bit stupid because it takes her a bit longer to process things, and it is so upsetting and frustrating.”
Helen said she and her husband Willi, an international cyclist and Olympic bronze medallist, had deep fears about what the future held for their daughter.
She said: “We were genuinely worried that she might never learn to read, that she might never learn to count.
“And it makes it worse when you actually know she is really smart, she is able and has such wonderful potential, she just needs the right support.”
Helen, who worked in a senior role for a global pharmaceutical company, added: “Our final trigger for moving schools was that Erin was desperate to read.
“Her dad Willi read to her every night, and she was frustrated that she wasn’t reading and that was so hard to see.
“That was why we chose to move her, because we felt the smaller class sizes would help.
“We scoured the country to find the right place for Erin, we went all over England, the Midlands, up to Scotland, central London.
“We were willing to do whatever Erin needed, to move to wherever we needed to move.
“It was an absolute life-changing decision to come to St David’s College when she was 11, she flourished so much, and she became herself.”
Helen, a trained nurse and midwife, worked in a senior role in a global pharmaceutical company but left the corporate world four years ago. She has now returned to her roots and works locally as a GP practice nurse while also serving as a governor at St David’s College.
Erin added: “I found with the support of St David’s College, everything was just a lot easier to manage.
“And you met other people at the school who were also dyslexic, so you didn’t feel so alone.
“I really did not like reading until I came to St David’s College because I found it so difficult.
“We started reading Harry Potter and stuff in Year 7 and Year 8 and then I started individually reading books, and that was when my love of reading started.
“It was great because it allowed me to get immersed in other worlds through reading and to do it myself and actually enjoy it.
“I would definitely say coming to St David’s College changed my life and the outcome of my education.
“It had a huge effect on my life and me as a person, my confidence, my self-esteem.
“Going to university didn’t seem like a possibility, especially when I was quite young, because of my reading and writing ability at the time.
“When you come to St David’s College, the teachers do have the time to nurture you, they notice if you’re really good at writing stories, or if you are really good at maths or science.”
Erin, who was appointed head girl in her final year at St David’s College, added:
“I was really proud when I achieved my Gold Duke of Edinburgh, and I feel this this highlighted how important the outdoor education department is and how impactful it has been. It made such a big difference to mine and my friends at SDC.
“One of my favourite parts of the school, is that they embrace different forms of teaching and recognise many different types of intelligence that better reflects the real world.
“I was really inspired by my psychology teacher Sue Davies and that made me think psychology might be something I wanted to do at university.”
Erin studied A-Levels in psychology, English language and literature, and BTEC science.
Meanwhile, Erin’s boyfriend Harry Boyle was head boy at St David’s College, and he has just graduated from university and works in financial auditing in Southampton.
“I really love the idea of counselling and also love the idea of teaching, so hopefully I will do one of those, or perhaps even both,” said Erin.
“Going back to when I was 11, I never imagined I would love reading, and now it’s one of my main hobbies, and that’s thanks to the school.”
St David’s College headmaster Andrew Russell said: “Erin is truly a remarkable young woman and her determined approach to all that she did at school was admirable, she was a pleasure to teach.
“Everyone at St David’s College is thrilled to see how she has thrived at university and has a very bright future ahead.
“None of this would be possible without her family’s dedication and support both throughout Erin’s education and still as Helen is one of our governors, bringing her vast commercial experience and knowledge alongside a genuine insight to the life-changing potential that can be offered to children at St David’s College.”
