Take advantage of our summer offer

£100 off any assessment booked and carried out before the end of August.

Don’t wait too long to book as we need information from school to ensure the assessment is completely personalised. At this time of year, teachers know their pupils best - they’ve spent all year getting to know them, so their insight into how a pupil learns and the difficulties they experience is invaluable. In September, with a new teacher, much of that knowledge is lost.

But you could give your child’s new teacher a head start buy providing them with detailed knowledge about how your child learns.

A dyslexia assessment highlights each child’s unique strengths and difficulties. If teachers know how to harness your child’s strengths to compensate for any weaknesses, you’re not just giving your child’s teacher a head start, you’ve giving your child a head start too!

Accurate Assessment - Empowering Learning

Dyslexia is a lifelong condition that primarily affects reading and spelling, often alongside challenges with working memory, processing speed, and orthographic skills.

When a brain is wired differently, often excelling in areas such as imagination, communication, creativity, reasoning and visual thinking, it can be hard to watch a learner work twice as hard as their peers at the “basics”, only to feel they are falling behind. This doesn't just cause frustration—it can lead to burnout, anxiety, and a total loss of confidence.

The key to turning things around isn't "trying harder"; it’s about learning how to work with that unique wiring instead of fighting against it. However, you cannot navigate this shift alone. A professional assessment provides the missing piece of the puzzle—a formal deep-dive into how an individual processes information. By highlighting both natural strengths and specific hurdles, the assessment moves the learner away from the exhaustion of "just coping" and toward a future of targeted, effective support.

This expert insight allows for tailored strategies and the formal accommodations needed to make education accessible. Just as importantly, it provides emotional validation, helping individuals reframe their difficulties not as a lack of ability, but as a different way of thinking. With this clarity in place, learners are finally equipped to succeed academically and build resilience—proving that accurate assessment is the essential first step in empowering learning.

Early Identification

Charity Made by Dyslexia report that only 4% of schools screen all learners for dyslexia, and 80% of dyslexics leave school unidentified. A study by Durham University in 2026 found that fewer than 2% of pupils in England are identified as having a specific learning difficulty. That figure sits well below international estimates, suggesting that between 5% and 10% of children are affected. Some researchers put the true prevalence of reading difficulties as high as one in five.

Early identification of dyslexia is crucial because it allows support to be put in place before difficulties begin to significantly impact a learner’s progress and confidence. When challenges with reading, writing, or processing information are recognised early, targeted interventions can be introduced at a stage when the brain is most responsive to learning new skills. This helps prevent the widening gap that can develop between a learner and their peers over time. Just as importantly, early identification reduces the risk of frustration, low self-esteem, and anxiety, enabling children to build a positive attitude toward learning from the outset. With the right support in place early on, learners are more likely to develop effective strategies, experience success, and reach their full potential.

The complexities of neurodivergence

Around 1 in 10 people are thought to have dyslexia, and an even greater number experience some form of literacy difficulty. It’s also very common for learning differences to overlap, which is known as co-occurrence. For example, around 30–50% of individuals with ADHD also have dyslexia, and studies suggest that up to 40% of autistic individuals may experience reading or language-related difficulties. Because of this, it’s not unusual for one diagnosis to be identified first, while another—such as dyslexia—may be less obvious and go unnoticed. Every child’s profile is unique, and understanding the full picture can make a meaningful difference to the support they receive. If a child continues to find reading, spelling, or written work particularly challenging, even with support already in place for another neurodivergent condition, it may be worth exploring whether a further assessment could provide additional insight.

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Signs of Dyslexia

Primary:

  • Difficulty learning letter sounds and linking them to letters

  • Struggling to blend sounds together to read words

  • Slow, effortful reading or avoiding reading altogether

  • Problems remembering common or “tricky” words

  • Spelling that is inconsistent and often phonetic (e.g. “sed” for “said”)

  • Difficulty following sequences, such as days of the week or instructions

  • Trouble remembering names, words, or instructions

  • Confusion with left and right

  • Difficulty copying from the board

  • Becoming easily frustrated or losing confidence with literacy tasks

Secondary:

  • Reading that remains slow or lacks fluency and expression

  • Difficulty understanding or summarising what has been read

  • Avoidance of reading aloud or written tasks

  • Persistent spelling difficulties, including common words

  • Trouble organising ideas in writing or structuring essays

  • Difficulty taking notes while listening

  • Problems with memory, especially for sequences, lists, or instructions

  • Taking longer than expected to complete homework or exams

  • Confusion with subject-specific vocabulary

  • Low confidence, anxiety, or frustration linked to schoolwork

A diagnosis of dyslexia does not automatically qualify for exam access arrangements. Access arrangements are based on a student’s normal way of working in school, and test results supporting a student’s need must be conducted no earlier than the beginning of Year 9. However, a dyslexia diagnosis secured in primary school or KS3 can be used to establish a picture of need, indicating a persistent and substantial difficulty.