Specialist Teacher and Assessor Professional Training Pathway (SpLD/Dyslexia) Short Courses and CPD - Entry

The Specialist Teacher and Assessor Professional Training Pathway is designed for education professionals who wish to develop specialist knowledge and practical skills in supporting and assessing learners with literacy difficulties and dyslexia/Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD).

The pathway comprises three assessed, non-credit-bearing Bangor University continuing professional development (CPD) courses delivered through the Miles Dyslexia Centre. The courses may also be taken individually, subject to their entry requirements.

The courses do not carry Bangor University academic credit and successful completion does not lead to a Bangor University academic qualification.

Subject to the requirements of the relevant professional organisation, successful completion will enable eligible learners to apply separately for professional recognition, membership or an Assessment Practising Certificate.

The pathway combines current research, specialist teaching approaches and diagnostic assessment skills. Through the three courses, you will develop the knowledge and practical expertise needed to understand literacy difficulties, plan and deliver effective interventions, undertake specialist assessments and produce professional reports.

You may book the full pathway or study individual courses. The Miles Dyslexia Centre team can advise you on the most appropriate starting point based on your qualifications, experience and professional aims.

Who is this pathway for?

The pathway may be suitable for:

• teachers
• Additional Learning Needs practitioners
• teaching assistants and learning support staff
• specialist literacy tutors
• speech and language therapists
• professionals working with learners with dyslexia or literacy difficulties
• other professionals involved in assessment, intervention or learning support.

The professional recognition available will depend on your existing qualifications, professional experience and the requirements of the relevant professional body.

Why study this pathway?

The pathway provides a structured route from understanding the evidence surrounding literacy difficulties to developing specialist teaching and assessment practice.

You will have opportunities to:

• develop an evidence-informed understanding of literacy development, dyslexia and literacy difficulties
• apply specialist approaches when supporting children and young people
• plan, deliver and evaluate targeted literacy interventions
• develop practical assessment and professional report-writing skills
• learn flexibly online, with face-to-face sessions at Bangor where required
• access specialist Welsh-medium provision and complete eligible resources and assessments through Welsh or English
• work towards recognised professional accreditation or status, subject to eligibility and separate application.

How is the pathway delivered?

The courses are delivered flexibly and can be studied online. Depending on the course and the assessment materials available to you, delivery may include:

• live online teaching
• recorded learning materials
• online learning activities
• tutor support and mentoring
• face-to-face sessions at Bangor University
• practical teaching and assessment activities

Some face-to-face attendance may be required where learners need to use assessment materials provided by the Miles Dyslexia Centre. Please check the individual course pages for the delivery requirements of each course.

Teaching for all three courses is delivered through the medium of English, with additional specialist Welsh-medium sessions.

Resources and assessments for The Science of Literacy Difficulties for Intervention and Assessment and the Specialist Practitioner course can be completed through Welsh or English.

Some resources and assessed work on the Specialist Assessor course are also available through Welsh or English, but formal diagnostic assessment reports must be submitted in English.

Most learners should plan for approximately 12 hours of independent study each week alongside scheduled teaching and practical activity.

Professional recognition

Subject to the current requirements of the relevant professional organisation, successful completion of the Specialist Practitioner course will enable eligible learners to apply separately for appropriate specialist teacher or practitioner recognition.

Successful completion of all three courses will enable eligible learners to apply separately for specialist teacher-assessor professional recognition and an Assessment Practising Certificate through a SASC-approved professional association, such as the BDA, Patoss or Dyslexia Action.

Professional recognition, membership and an Assessment Practising Certificate are not awarded automatically by Bangor University. Learners must apply separately and meet the relevant organisation’s current eligibility, membership, application and fee requirements.

Teaching team

The pathway is delivered by experienced specialist teachers and assessors from the Miles Dyslexia Centre.
Full information about the teaching team is available on the individual course pages.

What will you study on this course?

The pathway comprises three assessed, non-credit bearing CPD courses.

1. The Science of Literacy Difficulties for Intervention and Assessment

This course explores current research and theory relating to literacy development, literacy difficulties and dyslexia.

You will consider the cognitive processes involved in reading, writing and spelling, and how assessment information can be used to identify support needs and inform intervention planning.

This course can be studied before or after the Specialist Practitioner course, but must be completed before beginning the Specialist Assessor course.

View The Science of Literacy Difficulties for Intervention and Assessment course

2. Specialist Practitioner: Teaching Learners with Literacy Difficulties and Dyslexia (SpLD)

This practical course develops the specialist teaching skills needed to support children and young people with literacy difficulties.

You will plan, deliver and evaluate targeted literacy interventions while developing your understanding of multisensory teaching and evidence-informed practice.

This course can be studied before or after The Science of Literacy Difficulties course.

View the Specialist Practitioner course

3. Specialist Assessor: Practical Assessment of Learners with Literacy Difficulties and Dyslexia (SpLD)

This course develops specialist assessment skills, including literacy assessment, psychometric testing, diagnostic assessment and professional report writing.

You will learn to administer and interpret assessments and use the findings to make informed, evidence-based recommendations.

Applicants must have successfully completed The Science of Literacy Difficulties course and the Specialist Practitioner course before beginning the Specialist Assessor course, unless equivalent prior learning has been formally accepted by the Miles Dyslexia Centre.

View the Specialist Assessor course

For the 2026/27 academic year, the fee is £4,750 when all three courses are booked together.

This is a discounted fee compared with booking the three courses separately. The full-pathway fee can be paid in three instalments over six months. Please contact the Miles Dyslexia Centre to discuss the instalment arrangement.

Learners who need to use assessment materials provided by the Miles Dyslexia Centre for the Specialist Assessor course will be charged an additional £120 for each assessment. This charge is reviewed each September.

Fees charged by external professional organisations for membership, professional recognition or an Assessment Practising Certificate are not included in the course fee.

Applicants should:

• have at least two years’ relevant experience of working with children and young people in an educational, therapeutic or learning-support role
• have the academic skills, professional experience and capacity needed to undertake demanding part-time professional study and assessed practical work
• have strong reading, writing and communication skills
• be able to meet the practical requirements of the individual courses.

The Specialist Practitioner course requires access to a child or young person aged 6–16 who would benefit from a literacy intervention in your workplace or an associated organisation.

Before beginning the Specialist Assessor course, applicants must have successfully completed The Science of Literacy Difficulties course and the Specialist Practitioner course, unless equivalent prior learning has been formally accepted by the Miles Dyslexia Centre.

Please contact the Miles Dyslexia Centre if you are unsure whether your qualifications, experience or previous study meet the requirements.

Apply for the full pathway or an individual course

To apply for the full Specialist Teacher and Assessor Professional Training Pathway (SpLD/Dyslexia), or for any one of the three individual CPD courses, complete the application form below.

The form will ask you to select whether you are applying for the full pathway or for an individual course.

Apply for the full pathway or an individual course

Need advice before applying?

If you would like to discuss your eligibility, professional accreditation aims or the most appropriate starting point, complete our enquiry form or contact the Miles Dyslexia Centre:

Email: mdc-training@bangor.ac.uk

Request advice from the Miles Dyslexia Centre

Professional accreditation

Applying for a Bangor University CPD course is separate from applying for professional accreditation, membership or an Assessment Practising Certificate through an external professional organisation.