News

The Dyslexia Guild Annual Summer Conference was held on Friday 8 July 2022 at the University of Bath. After three years, it was great to finally meet face-to-face again and network with our wonderful members!

The conference provided a great opportunity to meet with dyslexia/SpLD specialists and discuss topical issues relating to literacy, maths, dyslexia and so much more. This year is extra special as we are also celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Dyslexia Action! Our logo transformed from yellow to gold as our attendees celebrated with some delicious cupcakes. We had a number of speakers presenting on a wide variety of topics: 

Visual processing in children with dyslexia and children with autism – Dr. Catherine Manning

Including all learners in schools through student-teacher dialogues – Professor Kiki Messiou

Dyslexia and the Phonology-Reading Disconnection Hypothesis: Why It Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story! – Dr Valerie Muter 

Making mathematics fun through creativity and toys – Professor Chris Budd OBE

Online Teaching – Showcasing the Dyslexia Action Literacy Programme (DALP) Rachel Adkins, Katy Parnell and Tania Rogers (Available to purchase)

Here’s what our delegates had to say about the presentations:

“Interesting and engaging. Theories and knowledge could be applied to all ages which made it very applicable”

“Gained more insight into differences between single and multiple deficit models to inform my practice”

We would like to thank our exhibitors for joining us, including:

Auris Tech                        British Association of Behavioural Optometrists

Phonic Books                   SEN Books 

Dyslexia Action Shop

Plans are now in full-swing for the 2023 conference which we plan to hold in London! Keep an eye out for the dates, venues and location on our website and across all our social media channels.

The Dyslexia Guild Annual Summer Guild Conference will be held on Friday 8 July 2022 at the University of Bath. The Dyslexia Guild membership body, welcomes all those with a professional interest in dyslexia and SpLDs, including specialist teachers and assessors, psychologists, learning support tutors and assistants. Guild members enjoy a preferential rate and we welcome new members to our community from all settings. 

The conference provides, as always, a great opportunity to meet and network with dyslexia/SpLD specialists, it enables practitioners to hear expert views and examine current topical issues relating to literacy and dyslexia/SpLD in a warm and vibrant conference setting. 

What can I expect during the Dyslexia Guild Annual Summer Conference?

You can expect a warm welcome from our friendly Dyslexia Guild and Dyslexia Action teams, meet researchers and other professionals working in the sector, browse our Dyslexia Action Shop and a selection of other exhibitors, and enjoy a networking lunch. Why not benefit from taking time out of your daily schedule to learn, debate and reflect on cutting-edge practice. An attendance certificate will be provided for your CPD portfolio. View our brochure to give you an idea of what to expect from the day.

Speakers

Confirmed speakers are Dr Valerie Muter, Dr Catherine Manning, Professor Kiki Messiou, Professor Chris Budd OBE. Topics include playful maths, mental wellbeing, literacy difficulties, inclusion, and autism. 

Select your preferred option for attendance – Thursday 7 July and Friday 8 July
Includes evening (networking) two-course buffet dinner, small double ensuite accommodation Thursday evening (Woodlands Court), breakfast, conference, lunch and refreshments Friday.

• Guild Members £165+VAT (£198 inc. VAT)
  Non-Guild Members £195+VAT (£234 inc. VAT)

Select your preferred option for attendance – Friday 8 July – Day Delegate
Includes Friday Conference only, refreshments and lunch.

• Guild Members   £95+VAT (£114 inc. VAT)
• Non-Guild Members £145+VAT (£174 inc. VAT) 

Not yet a member of the Dyslexia Guild? Join now to attend at the member rate.

Full details can be found here

Please note: if you are joining the Guild to receive the members’ conference rate you must join and have confirmation of your membership BEFORE you register for the annual summer conference, the discount cannot be applied in retrospect.

For a detailed brochure and to book your place click here

Dyslexia Action Training are delighted to announce the launch of their validated Master of Education: Professional Practice in Dyslexia and Literacy and its related programmes.

This online distance learning programme was developed and is delivered and assessed, by Dyslexia Action Training.

Dyslexia Action’s validated Postgraduate Programme is awarded and quality assured by Middlesex University. The Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma programmes are also recognised by several professional SpLD membership bodies for accredited specialist teacher/practitioner/assessor status (subject to approval).

Our next cohort starts in April 2022. Read more here.

How is Dyslexia Action’s validated Postgraduate Programme delivered?

The MEd Professional Practice programmes use the VLE Moodle and will allow candidates to benefit from expert tutor support through forums and connect with their peers.

Learn whilst you study, with our practice-led approach helping embed your new theoretical knowledge in your real-world circumstances. Some of the six-month modules may also require you to be involved in practical teaching and assessment whilst others are more theoretically based.

The core curriculum is delivered by means of a range of e-learning resources. These include presentations, articles, exercises, videos and follow-up activities and tasks for participants to carry out at intervals.

There is no attendance required for this course or expectations to be online at specific times for ‘live’ learning. This gives candidates the flexibility to organise their study time around professional and personal commitments.

Other benefits

Exclusive access to the Dyslexia Action Literacy Programme (DALP), a comprehensive specialist literacy programme for SpLD Specialist Teachers.  DALP provides a pathway for learners with literacy difficulties of all ages, through individual placement identification

Candidates will automatically become student members of The Dyslexia Guild for the first year of their course while they are actively studying on a Professional Certificate or Diploma Programme with Dyslexia Action.

Would you like to become a member of the Dyslexia Guild?  Join now to attend at the member rate. Full details can be found here.

Celebrating Dyslexia Awareness Week is an amazing opportunity for us to continue to promote conversations, information and research for those whose interest is to help support learners with dyslexia and other literacy difficulties. As part of Dyslexia Awareness Week, our sister company Dyslexia Action Training has put together some information for professionals who have an interest in Dyslexia and SpLD training or becoming part of a professional body. The full article is available to read here. 

Four Key Facts About The Dyslexia Guild 

There are many SpLD membership organisations including The Dyslexia Guild, the British Dyslexia Association, PATOSS and ADSHe.  All have the same goal but can offer different benefits.

1. Established in 1994, The Dyslexia Guild is a network of SpLD professionals who are keen to maintain contact and further their specialist teaching, assessment and support for those with dyslexia and other literacy difficulties. The Dyslexia Guild aims to promote discussion, information and research as well as keeping members informed of developments in the field through publication and distribution.
2. Our members. Professional members include primary and secondary teachers, SENCOs and teaching assistants as well as Further and Higher Education support tutors and advisory specialists. Our network is also highly relevant to dyslexia and specific learning disability assessors, librarians and other specialists through Affiliate membership.
3. Membership Benefits.  Gaining professional membership with The Dyslexia Guild allows its members to access a wealth of benefits to its members including access to a range of publications available through our unique online library, membership journal, and e-newsletter, discounted professional development, and online forums. Members benefit from post-nominals as well as the unique heritage of this specialist professional body. 
4. Join Today. The Dyslexia Guild provides a wealth of benefits to its members including online forums, a vibrant annual conference and a range of publications available through our unique online library, membership journal, and e-newsletter. Members benefit from post-nominals as well as the unique heritage of this specialist professional organisation, If you are not a member but you are considering starting your journey towards gaining professional membership, you can join the Guild here.

Support reading skills during 2021 World Book Day

The recent and ongoing pandemic has changed the way we currently teach our children. It has often been challenging for parents and teachers to consistently provide suitable educational resources to help pupils continue to develop their skills. Recent articles and resources shared by education professionals highlight the importance of supporting pupils’ wellbeing during this unprecedented time. Focusing on educational resources that can help support reading skills and implementing strategies that encourage children to read for pleasure at home has been crucial. 

A recent survey by the National Literacy Trust found that 59.3% of children and young people told us during the first lockdown that reading makes them feel better. This survey shows that today, on World Book Day, it has never been more important to celebrate the love of books and reading with children and young people.  

What is World Book Day? 

Launched by UNESCO in 1995, World Book Day was created as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. It is marked in over 100 countries around the globe. The first World Book Day in the UK and Ireland took place in 1997 to encourage young people to discover the pleasure of reading. This event aims to promote books and reading skills in educational establishments by letting children wear a fancy dress of a character that inspires them. This year, over 15 million £1 World Book Day book tokens will be distributed to children and young people around the country via their schools. Other activities include the possibility of attending live virtual events and online masterclasses.

Find out more about how Dyslexia Action Training courses can help support reading skills

Dyslexia Action is a leading provider of specialist SpLD teacher/practitioner training and specialist SpLD teacher/practitioner assessor training. We offer a range of pathways to achieve specialist teacher/practitioner assessor accredited status. Our courses are designed to strengthen the expertise and confidence of teachers, SENCOs, practitioners, teaching assistants, learning support staff, language therapists, tutors, and lecturers who support students with literacy difficulties, dyslexia, and other specific learning difficulties (SpLD).

me useful links to our main areas of training where you will find details for our courses and useful syllabus brochures for each course:

• CPD Programme – 3-star winner of the Teach Secondary Awards 2020
• Routes to train as a Specialist SpLD Teacher/Practitioner at Level 5 or Level 7
• A Route to train as a Specialist SpLD Assessor
• MEd Professional Practice in Dyslexia and Literacy
• Courses for Qualified SpLD Specialist Teacher/Assessors

The Dyslexia Guild

You may also be interested in membership in The Dyslexia Guild. This membership organisation is open to those with a general interest in dyslexia and specific learning difficulties and is a SASC APC awarding body. 

Access professional resources, support forums, and advice, membership also includes free access to our specialist library/National Dyslexia Resource Centre.  

Membership also offers many other benefits including designatory letters and listing in our professional directory.

The Dyslexia Action Shop

You may have noticed that the Dyslexia Action Shop has many new and popular psychological assessments and resources available.  

As a result of continuing surveys and discussions with customers, the shop team is pleased to announce that the ART3ED-Product Range, Access Reading Tests, Third Edition can now be purchased via the Shop website.

Real Group and The National Tutoring Programme

One way that we are currently able to support literacy skills is by being part of the National Tutoring Programme, as lead partners in the Professional Tutoring Partnership. We are the only provider with all tutors being specialist teachers. Visit the website to learn more about our SpLD-specialist tutoring provision, available nationwide and subsidised by the NTP.

The Professional Tutoring Partnership (PTP) has been appointed to deliver dedicated tuition to over 4,500 disadvantaged children. This partnership brings together extensive experience in the education of pupils with special educational needs. The Professional Tutoring Partnership is run by Real Group Ltd in collaboration with Patoss, British Dyslexia Association, Dyslexia Action, The Dyslexia Guild and Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity. It will work alongside 31 other organisations to offer tutoring (subsidised by 75 per cent), as well as training, support and mentoring to tutors themselves, to schools across England.

We are delighted to be centrally involved in this exciting and important initiative.

More info…

Qualified specialist teachers may be interested to learn more about the initiative to set up the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) as part of the Government’s response to the effects of the recent pandemic.

A joint group of providers including The Dyslexia Guild have written to the Secretary of State for Education indicating that they wish to support the NTP by offering access to their joint resources of professionally qualified and experienced specialist teachers and assessors of learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD). Read more

It is now possible for our members to access our new free toolkit.

We are pleased to launch our free toolkit which was mentioned in the May 2020 version of our Guild Gallery newsletter.

The toolkit is only available to Dyslexia Guild members’ and is suitable for those supporting adults. The materials will also be relevant to practitioners working with children with literacy difficulties as many of the ideas within it can be adapted for use with younger learners.

If you are a Dyslexia Guild member and would like to access this free toolkit, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

Please note

 This will not be recognised as CPD for ADG FE/HE provisional membership status ie. for those who have not yet completed The Certificate in Supporting Adults with Dyslexia and Co-occurring Difficulties (DACRT56), but may be suitable CPD for qualified Guild members’ to add to their CPD Log (total 4 hours, no certificate is provided).

Our parent company Real Group in conjunction with Real Training are pleased to announce that a brand new Effective SEN Support Provision – Middle Leaders course, created in partnership with Whole School SEND is now live – and all educators can access it free of charge!

This course is aimed at current and aspiring middle leaders who want to develop, embed and enact new skills in SEN support and provision.

You can learn more about the Middle Leaders course and how it could benefit your teams by accessing the dedicated page here. 

Please note: The Effective SEN Support Provision – Middle Leaders courses free course is not recognised as CPD for ADG FE/HE Dyslexia Guild members who have not yet completed
The Certificate in Supporting Adults with Dyslexia and Co-occurring Difficulties (DACRT56) but may be suitable CPD for qualified Guild members.

How this course benefits participants and their schools?

By completing this free CPD course, delegates will be able to:

• Understand how middle leaders can support strategic SEND provision while identifying opportunities to coordinate with other leaders in the school #

• Consider how effectively whole school approaches are implemented in their subject area

• Reflect on how line management can support effective SEND provision.

• Identify strategies and resources to support colleagues, including early career teachers, within a department to develop their practice

• Reflect on how subject-specific content can be presented to pupils with SEND

• Consider how assessment and tracking can support the identification of pupils with SEND

• Assess the learning environment for pupils with different needs, then identify and implement key strategies and resources that will support them

How is the course delivered and how long does it take?

The Effective SEN Support Provision – Middle Leaders course is delivered fully online and should take most current or aspiring middle leaders no more than 15 hours. The great news is you’ll be able to access the course for 12 months, so you can enjoy the course at a time, place and pace which works for you. However, there is no time like the present to continue to develop your inclusive leadership skills and knowledge.