Level 7 Diploma

Level 7 Diploma

Level 7 Diploma in Teaching and Assessing Learners with Dyslexia, Specific Learning Differences and Barriers to Literacy
This course is recognised by the BDA, PATOSS, The Dyslexia Guild and PASSHE and is SASC approved.

About this course

This Level 7 Diploma provides both theoretical and practical approaches to becoming a specialist teacher and Assessor, developing knowledge and understanding of the Special Educational Needs sector and the ability to assess, write diagnostic reports and deliver effective teaching sessions to learners with dyslexia/specific learning difficulties. It is a nationally and professionally recognised, accredited Ofqual qualification that was co-authored by the Directors of Dyslexia Matters’ themselves.

Specialists Trained

Pricing

The total cost of this Level 7 course is:

September 2025: £4,550

January 2026 onwards: £4,950

 

The course fees cover the cost of an Assessors and Zoom presenters who will guide and mark all of your work and be a point of contact throughout the whole time you study with us. Course fees 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. Payment by instalments is available upon request, if needed.

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/

Anyone with a Level 5 Diploma in teaching learners with dyslexia, specific learning differences and barriers to literacy. To find out more about the demands of the course, here is a link to Studying at Level 7′.

If you don’t currently hold a Level 5 qualification Level 5 Diploma in teaching learners with dyslexia, specific learning differences and barriers to literacy, we do offer this course: Level 5 Diploma(Click Here).

We are fortunate enough to have trained hundreds of Specialist Teachers. However, not all of those were from a teaching background to start with. Here are a few examples of their backgrounds prior to becoming a specialist teacher with us:

  • Teaching assistants
  • Speech and Language Therapists
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Tutors
  • SENDCOs
  • A parent who would like to make a difference
  • Anyone looking for a new career!

There is a requirement to hold a valid DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service). However this is not an immediate requirement, you will have time to apply for this once you start the course. For more information on this please visit:(https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service)

For this Level 5 Diploma, there is a requirement to have access to two learners. You will be teaching each learner for 10 hours, for a maximum of 1 hour a week. These two learners don’t necessarily need to be taught within a school or other educational setting. The learners typically are underperforming in literacy and/or numeracy, but do not have to have a diagnosis of dyslexia.

This course requires a time commitment of approximately one to two days a week outside of normal work. We appreciate this is a very big time commitment, however, we believe that to properly embed your knowledge, and to continue to progress, this amount of time each week is necessary.

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.

Eligibility

Eligibility

Anyone with a Level 5 Diploma in teaching learners with dyslexia, specific learning differences and barriers to literacy. To find out more about the demands of the course, here is a link to Studying at Level 7′.

If you don’t currently hold a Level 5 qualification Level 5 Diploma in teaching learners with dyslexia, specific learning differences and barriers to literacy, we do offer this course: Level 5 Diploma(Click Here).

We are fortunate enough to have trained hundreds of Specialist Teachers. However, not all of those were from a teaching background to start with. Here are a few examples of their backgrounds prior to becoming a specialist teacher with us:

  • Teaching assistants
  • Speech and Language Therapists
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Tutors
  • SENDCOs
  • A parent who would like to make a difference
  • Anyone looking for a new career!

There is a requirement to hold a valid DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service). However this is not an immediate requirement, you will have time to apply for this once you start the course. For more information on this please visit:(https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service)

For this Level 5 Diploma, there is a requirement to have access to two learners. You will be teaching each learner for 10 hours, for a maximum of 1 hour a week. These two learners don’t necessarily need to be taught within a school or other educational setting. The learners typically are underperforming in literacy and/or numeracy, but do not have to have a diagnosis of dyslexia.

This course requires a time commitment of approximately one to two days a week outside of normal work. We appreciate this is a very big time commitment, however, we believe that to properly embed your knowledge, and to continue to progress, this amount of time each week is necessary.

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

The total length of this course is 22 months.

On completion of your course, you will be able to start your specialist teaching and assessing straight away! Course certificates can take up to 6 months after your course end date to arrive from the awarding body, depending on when a portfolio of work is finalised.

We understand that there are often unforeseen circumstances that could potentially hinder the completion of the course. We endeavour to be as flexible as possible in any situation that arises.

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.

Weekly meetings are held via Zoom during the teaching practice, ensuring candidates have an in-depth understanding and any questions are answered.

Regular contact is maintained throughout this course. Candidates share their work directly with Assessors.

  • 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 as:
    • Candidates learn at different paces.
    • Candidates are available at different times.
    • Our team are able to adapt course content when needed and deliver the course in the best way possible for each cohort

Location

This course is remote.

Location

This course is remote.

  • 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 as:
    • Candidates learn at different paces.
    • Candidates are available at different times.
    • Our team are able to adapt course content when needed and deliver the course in the best way possible for each cohort

Weekly meetings are held via Zoom during the teaching practice, ensuring candidates have an in-depth understanding and any questions are answered.

Regular contact is maintained throughout this course. Candidates share their work directly with Assessors.

  • 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

This Level 7 Diploma provides both theoretical and practical approaches to becoming a specialist teacher and Assessor, developing knowledge and understanding of the Special Educational Needs sector and the ability to assess, write diagnostic reports and deliver effective teaching sessions to learners with dyslexia/specific learning difficulties.

Candidates are assigned an Assessor for the duration of their course. Regular communication is maintained between Assessor and candidate. Assignments are completed and shared with an Assessor in a shared Google Drive Folder. The Assessor provides feedback, guidance and where relevant signposting to develop the candidate’s skills further.

We regularly conduct internal quality assurance exercises alongside regular external quality assurance inspections. This ensures we maintain our high standards.

This course is delivered by co-authors of the course and active practitioners. 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.

The interaction with your Assessor is an ongoing dialogue and discussion. The Assessor’s remit is to help candidates develop into reflective practitioners. The Assessor provides feedback and comments to candidates on all activities. As it is an independent study course Assessors ask questions and prompt candidates to find solutions.

As the course is delivered remotely, there is, therefore, a requirement to have access to a computer. We do provide IT Support if required.

Cohorts are limited to small numbers, enabling candidates to become an active member of a network of specialist teachers for the future.

Speak with a specialist

Book an informal chat with Julia, who will explain the course in more detail and answer any questions you may have

Have a question?

Please fill out the contact form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

    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

    Apply now to start your journey to becoming a Specialist Teacher!

    What's included?

    The Assessor is a Specialist Teacher, who will work closely with each candidate on their assignments, providing feedback and guidance to help each candidate achieve the requirements of the course. Candidates share their assignments with their Assessor and rather than grading the work or marking it just as a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’, they will actively engage each candidate with informative feedback. This formative feedback includes questions and advice that will direct independent learning to optimise the development of the skills required to complete the course criteria. Therefore this Assessor will guide and mark all of the assignments and be a point of contact throughout the whole time the candidate studies with us.

    In addition, all candidates have the support of a second specialist tutor,  who meets remotely, via Zoom for one hour a week in term time, during the teaching practice. This second specialist tutor provides guidance as candidates embrace their new skills, and vocabulary, helping them to embed their growing knowledge and expertise. Each week this second specialist teacher will guide the independent learning tasks so that the candidates have completed the appropriate tasks and activities before the weekly Zoom session. During the session, the second specialist teacher will demonstrate tasks, review and revisit the more challenging skills and provide opportunities for colleagues to work together in small groups of 2-4 candidates to practice their developing professional dialogue and skill set.  These Zoom sessions ensure that candidates are able to consolidate what they have learnt, and provides them with the opportunity to answers to any questions they may have as your progress through the course.

    You will be provided with access to our online learning platform with lectures and activities that can be accessed as and when you require.

    The cost of the course covers the full cost of registration fees to awarding bodies through-out the course

    • Access to career opportunities that are brought to Dyslexia Matters’ attention
    • Remain a  part of the Dyslexia Matters family, accessing regular networking sessions and our annual Conference.

    Candidates source their own reading materials, via libraries, the internet or book retailers. Only a small and limited number of the assignments may need to be printed and posted to an Assessor if requested. All the materials and resources can be stored and accessed electronically.  Therefore there are no additional or unforeseen costs once enrolled on this course.