Dyslexia Action has gone into administration

The Dyslexia Centre North West is based in Preston, Lancashire and covers most of the North West.

We pride ourselves in offering a friendly, supportive service for both parents and school settings. We offer assessments and tuition with our highly qualified specialist assessors and tutors with Practising certificates.

Dyslexiacentrenorthwest.co.uk

Hi
I think this is really sad news as I had a student who was to take her assessment today.

I just wanted to ask around some of the freelance people though, if they know of someone looking for a peripatetic role supporting adults with SEN on apprenticeships. We are looking for a specialist to support me in my role as Functional Skills Specialist to ensure that students with additional needs such as Dyslexia, ADHD, ESOL, Dyscalculia, etc. can complete their qualifications, kind of on an ad hoc basis.

If you know of anyone, please can you get in touch? We are based in Stockport in Greater Manchester, but have students all over England.

Thanks for your time. Sorry if this is not the correct place for this.

Amanda

PATOSS has a list of fully qualified and DBS checked specialist tutors and assessors throughout the UK. Prices will usually be much more reasonable than those charged by Dyslexia Action
www.patoss-dyslexia.org/SupportAdvice/TutorAssessorIndex/

Hi Victoria, I know you have addressed your question to someone currently studying but it might be helpful if I give you a clear overview. ( I hold level 7 and AMBDA accreditation). The levels of training for a specialist teacher are level 5 and level 7. If you want to gather information on a dyslexic person's strengths and weaknesses to create a learning programme and then teach them, then you need level 5. However, if you want to do full diagnoses of dyslexia, including tests for underlying potential, teach them and create learning programmes that someone else can deliver e.g. A TA, you need to do a level 7.
I hope this gives you a better understanding. If you want to understand other courses in the field, reply letting me know exactly what course you are looking at and I will be able to help.

Hello iwantavuvezela,

I am a primary school teacher and found myself here after looking into dyslexia teaching courses. I read you are currently training with DA - do you mind me asking you some questions? I'm finding all the info out there a bit overwhelming when deciding which course to do.

Many thanks,
Victoria

Here's an update on how the Dyslexia sector is helping to ensure activities and services are maintained. Many of the specialist teachers are continuing to tutor their pupils and are setting up legal entities to put this on a formal footing. BDA is helping some of them with this. The Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre provides all the services which DA did. Patoss has a list of teachers and assessors and BDA will have a searchable list of the 5000 specialist teachers on its books in May. BDA has a national assessment service which a lot of the ex DA teachers and some psychologists have joined. BDA runs the "Children will Shine" group tuition programme designed to provide affordable tuition and is available in 10 areas ( cost £15 per session). BDA runs the National Helpline which is a free service. It has now been appointed to take over the Secretariat of the All Party Group for Dyslexia in Parliament, it will continue its campaigning.

I have 2 dyslexic children. Very sad to see the end of DA. Our first child was assessed through them, they were brilliant and the ed psychologist was lovely. DA only offered tutoring at their centre so we found a tutor through PATOSS (just emailed the 3 closest ones and went with the one that was available). She was amazing and also qualified to do assssments so she assessed our second child (in my opinion her assessment had the edge on DA ne but I guess it is luck of the draw on the day).
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend PATOSS for tutors and assessors.
What PATOSS don't do that DA did is lobby for dyslexics and offer telephone support and advice etc. It's a sad loss especially for the parents who have paid for a report and won't get one (they are expensive) and the ed psychologists who have done work and won't now be paid.

That's what we all do when we care. Carry on regardless. Let's just hope the workers are paid the monies due to them.

It's true there is a future. My research shows how adult dyslexics achieve success, you can read this for free on www.bdadyslexia.org.uk a bit down the News section. I also have a book out on it ( all royalties going to the British Dyslexia Association). Can I say that there are some real heroes and heroines emerging out of this, the teachers who I hear are carrying on teaching and supporting for no income while this whole situation gets sorted out. I extend my heartfelt thanks to them.

Hi there,
I'm also a redundant member of Dyslexia Action's teaching team in Yorkshire. I like most, including many of the middle level managers, didn't know this was going to happen and I am gutted. I'm sure some people did know and they will have to live with their decision to stay quiet about it.
There are lots of wonderful things being done in Yorkshire by the people who are associated with DA now and in the past. I know the wonderful things will continue and the specialist teachers, like myself, will continue doing what they do best; putting their students and the people who need their support first.

Here's to new beginning and specialist teachers and assessors being able to put their students and the people concerned about dyslexia first!

Yorkshire and other areas in the country don't have to worry, the teachers and teams of staff supporting DA are still there, they are just in the process of joining new teams and new dyslexia networks.

I am so sorry to hear this, the management of DA must be held to account for the dreadful way they have run the organisation for the past 18 months. They treated the staff in the Sheffield office with contempt, it was horrible to see. I work for a large voluntary sector organisation, I am aware financial times are hard in the current climate but there is no excuse to bully or withhold vital information from the workforce. I wish you and all the former employees much luck in the future. There are thousands of dyslexic children desperately in need of your support. X

I was an employee of Dyslexia Action until Thursday 13th April when an administrator arrived at our office to advise us that DA had gone into administration, I was advised that I would not receive my salary this month and that I would have to claim any monies owed through the government. I was in complete shock. Clearly someone in the exc team should be held accountable for this mess. It appears that Regional & Area Managers were aware of the situation and were busy featering their own nests whilst other staff were continuing with their roles within DA. I am disgusted that staff were allowed to continue to book tuition/assessments/ awareness training & take payments from clients who were never going to receive the service they have paid for. DA had to many fat cats on big salaries, claiming expenses each month, draining the charity. Trustees should also be held accountable for allowing this situation. Since working for a charity and would think carefully before donating to one.

Thank you for all your responses

Hi, I am the Joint Chair of the British Dyslexia Association. We are sad to learn that Dyslexia Action has gone into administration. We are doing everything we can to help parents and adults with dyslexia. We have lots of helpful materials on our website and a specific FAQs sheet on the home page now with helpful information for parents choosing tuition. We will be putting up more offers, including free stuff for specialist teachers and information in the next few days so do check it out. I should add, the BDA is in good financial shape. Thanks.

I am also shocked to find Dyslexia Action has gone into administration. I am a specialist teacher with a current practising certificate who carried out assessments for them. The PATOSS website offers a full list of tutors and assessors. Private assessments are often cheaper because there are less overheads, so it is worth looking at this option.

I am very sorry to hear about the demise of DA but not at all surprised. My child was receiving tuition with a fabulous tutor in the Sheffield DA office in 2015. Very suddenly DA announced a strategic restructure, this turned out to be a brutal process during which all the experienced tutors left or were made redundant over a six month period. I spoke with the CEO of DA during this time & if was clear to me then that it was a charity in trouble. The Trustees should be called to account for the decision making that led to this outcome. DA staff in my experience were talented, committed and empathetic.....its such a shame for such a desperately needed service. Fortunately, the Sheffield DA teachers set up independently and continue to offer brilliant support dyslexic children across South Yorkshire.

The PATOSS site is for also specialist dyslexia assessors. The assessors on the site will have a specialist level 7 qualification to assess for Dyslexia. You need an assessor with a current assessment practising certificate and I would suggest looking in your area.

emily whilst I appreciate you are are shocked about losing your job, please stop giving out incorrect information (and blatantly touting for business which I believe is against MN T&C). There are other people on this site who also earn their living carrying out dyslexia assessments and who are listed on the PATOSS website.

I need to find somebody to test my 10 yo for dyslexia. She has already been dx with ADHD. We were waiting for a full assessment with DA. Can't afford the extra for the BDA.

I've signed up to look at that PATOSS info. Just looking at a load of names on a list, how do you pick?

As mentioned above PATOSS has a national list of tutors/assessors

www.patoss-dyslexia.org/SupportAdvice/TutorAssessorIndex/

I had been waiting for them to call me about tutoring. Any ideas how to find someone suitable now?