In order to access support at Higher Education, a student must show an assessment report post-16 years from a Psychologist registered with the Health Care Practitioner Council (HCPC), (£400-500) or a Specialist Dyslexia Teacher with a current Practising Certificate, (£300-400). Unfortunately, university funding may no longer be available for dyslexia assessments, and this creates another hurdle for would-be students with dyslexia. Free testing would help students to get the support they need, but in the meantime, for confirmation on alternative funding you should contact the student services/ support department at the university or college to which you are applying.
This is an important issue. If parents have to pay £400-500 for assessment reports, this is essentially acting as a tax on their child’s education. Not everyone can afford these assessments, and those on low incomes are less likely to be able to afford other supportive measures outside of the classroom.
As well as acting as a “dyslexia tax”, the fees associated with these assessments are potentially putting another barrier in the way of those students post-16 who are wishing to continue with their studies after GCSEs. If people are deterred from accessing higher/further education in this way, this will lead to fewer life choices for the individual, as well as a less diverse workforce.
