Level 2 & 3 Awards
Level 5 Diploma in Teaching Learners with Dyslexia, Specific Learning Differences and Barriers to Literacy.
*You don’t have to be a teacher to become a Specialist Teacher.
This course is recognised by the BDA, PATOSS, The Dyslexia Guild and ADSHE.
About this course
Liz and Julia, Directors, designed this course with the mission to train and develop Specialist Practitioners to the highest standard possible, as they believe all learners deserve to receive the highest standard of support. Drawing on their experience as founding headteachers of a specialist school for learners with Dyslexia, they realised the importance of providing Specialist Practitioners not just with a qualification, but with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to practically apply their qualification in a broad range of settings.
In light of their own professional careers, including as headteachers and as practitioners supporting people in the workplace, they made a conscious decision to deliver a practical, rather than essay driven course. Their experience has taught them that practitioners who are confident with the practical aspects of supporting learners are the most impactful assets in any setting.
Specialists Trained
Pricing
Level 2 Award
The total cost of this course is: £395
Level 3 Award
The total cost of this course is: £595
The Level 2 & 3 course fees cover the cost of an assessor who will guide and mark all of your work and be a point of contact throughout the whole time you study with us. As well as this, they also cover the cost of all of your registration fees throughout your course.
Unfortunately, there are not any central funding options available at the moment. We are regularly checking for updates on funding opportunities. Local charities and/or churches are worth exploring for funding opportunities in their particular area. We have had several candidates obtain funding this way. Dorset Community Foundation is an example of a localised charity offering support (https://www.dorsetcommunityfoundation.org/who-we-help/). We have had several candidates obtain funding this way.
Several of our candidates have been fully funded or in part by their school or educational setting. It is worth a conversation with your school or educational setting to discuss potential opportunities that are mutually beneficial.
This Level 5 course is registered ELCAS (Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Services). So anyone applying from the MOD has the opportunity to apply for funding this way. For more information please visit: https://www.enhancedlearningcredits.com/
Eligibility
Both Level 2 & 3 courses are suitable for anyone looking to gain further understanding of dyslexia.
We are fortunate enough to have trained over 500 Specialist Teachers, not all of these were from a teaching background. Many of them started with courses like this.
As this course is taught remotely – there is a requirement to have access to a computer to be able to complete the course, as well as communicate with your assessor. It will help you to have a basic understanding of using computers. For example – organising files and documents that you have completed in order to send them to your assessor either via email or via a USB (memory) stick.
Length
Level 2 Award
Total Length
We anticipate this online Level 2 course will take approximately 30 hours to complete over 6 – 7 months.
Level 3 Award
Total Length
We anticipate this online Level 3 course will take approximately 40 hours to complete over 6 – 7 months.
Location of Level 2 & 3 Awards
Both Level 2 & 3 courses are remote.
We provide an online learning platform for you, which you have access to throughout your course. The content includes videos and quizzes, helping you to embed your knowledge.
We also provide dedicated IT support if required.
- We believe teaching remotely provides people nationally and internationally an equal opportunity to gain our qualification; giving as many learners as possible the opportunity to receive the support they require.
- Candidates learn at different paces.
- Candidates are available at different times.
- Enables us to adapt and ensure the course content is 100% accurate and delivered in the best way possible.
Delivery of Level 2 & 3 Awards
We regularly conduct internal quality assurance exercises alongside regular external quality assurance inspections. This ensures we maintain our high standards.
As the course is delivered remotely, there is therefore a requirement to have access to a computer. We do provide IT Support if required.
This course is delivered by co-authors of the course. It has been designed in a way that is realistic and practical – preparing you for real-life as a specialist teacher. The course is delivered by people who have previous experience of:
- Working in mainstream settings
- Founding and running a specialist school
- Working as teachers
- Working as headteachers in both mainstream and specialist settings
- Supporting and training within the Public sector.
- Working as governors.
What Awarding Bodies say about Dyslexia Matters’ training provision
- An ‘excellent centre’
- It ‘delivers courses of an exceptionally high standard turning out well-prepared teachers and assessors who are prized by the organisations for which they work’
- Delivered ‘well respected and nationally recognised gold standard qualification for teachers and assessors of learners with dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties’
- Known as ‘a centre of excellence in the provision of these courses’
- ‘encourages a high standard of work. Portfolios show evidence of excellent improvement coming from focussed feedback’.
- ‘Portfolios show a high level of knowledge and understanding of the course standards and requirements. This Centre provides excellent training’
- ‘All assessors are extremely competent, highly qualified and experience’
- ‘End-users and employers of the trained candidates were surveyed. These evaluations and feedback demonstrate the value of this course and the high satisfaction with which they are regarded’
Testimonials
As a manager of staff who have undertaken their training with Dyslexia Matters I can only say that staff have come away with the knowledge and understanding that they need to fulfil their roles in school. I will therefore continue to use Dyslexia Matters in the future.
While Dyslexia Matters maintains strict guidelines and expectations for the standards that they expect from candidates and will not compromise on these, the company ethos is all about enabling candidates to achieve and to succeed. The level of care and support given to candidates is second to none.
Another very important area in which Dyslexia Matters excels is in the way that assignments are planned and presented and most importantly in the feedback that candidates receive. Candidates are given very specific instructions with templates to help them to organise and structure their work. Expectations are made very clear. Those marking work are highly knowledgeable and again have the necessary skills, understanding and qualifications to complete this activity. They provide very clear information about what the candidate has done well and guidance is given which will enable the candidate to have a clear understanding of what s/he should do in order to develop work and improve.
Course materials provided are very clear and informative. In all aspects of the course they follow best practice in respect of optimising learning. A simple example of this is in their PowerPoint presentations. There’s nothing worse than being told that you should use a particular font style and size and then being shown an ‘all singing and dancing’ PowerPoint with lots of bright colours which is cluttered and confusing with print that is too small to read!
Those delivering the course are very well qualified and have an outstanding knowledge of their subject. What is more important is the fact that they have relevant experience in the field and so can talk from real-life contexts etc. This ensures that they have the necessary credibility with their candidates.
Many of our staff have been trained by Dyslexia Matters. Several have completed the level 5 and others are working towards or have completed the new PAPAA qualification. In so far as members of staff are concerned, the courses that they attended were well organised. The administration was effective and efficient. Course requirements were set out clearly. There was plenty of support at various levels.
I would most definitely recommend Dyslexia Matters. We are a specialist school for pupils with dyslexia and associated specific learning difficulties. At our school, all staff teaching literacy, as well as those doing 1 to 1 tuition must have a specialist dyslexia teaching qualification.
