SpLD (Dyslexia) with AMBDA/ATS PGCert
Develop the expertise to enhance provision in educational settings for learners with specific learning difficulties dyslexia on a course accredited by the British Dyslexia Association.
Overview
| Course length: | 18 months part-time |
|---|---|
| Start dates: | January 2026 September 2026 |
| Location: | Edge Hill University and Online study |
| Example offers: | A relevant degree (or equivalent) View full entry criteria |
| Subject(s): | Education and Teaching |
| Faculty: | Education |
| Department: | Primary and Childhood Education |
This programme enables you to investigate research and literature relevant to SpLD dyslexia and evaluate this in terms of specialist teaching and learning practice. You will gain a critical understanding of the social, emotional and community issues that may affect dyslexic learners and their families and develop your knowledge of the practice and principles involved in enhancing the learning experience for children and young people with SpLD dyslexia. Demonstrating the ability to critically evaluate and reflect upon your own practice in relation to the identification, assessment and subsequent interventions within the role of a specialist teacher forms a central part of the programme.
Please note, as an alternative to completing this PGCert, it is also possible to gain eligibility to apply to the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) for recognition as a Specialist Dyslexia Teacher/Practitioner with Approved Teacher Status or Approved Practitioner Status (ATS/APS) by completing module Identification, Assessment and Intervention for Students with SpLD Dyslexia (AP) on a standalone basis. On completion of one module, you can do screening tests and teach learners with dyslexia but not do the full diagnostic report. You will also not be awarded AMBDA. To be awarded AMBDA you would need to undertake and successfully complete the PGCert SpLD (Dyslexia) including all three modules.
Once the full course is completed, graduates are able to obtain professional membership and apply for an Assessment Practicing Certificate (APC) from any of the three professional bodies: British Dyslexia Association, The Dyslexia Guild and Patoss.
In addition to your tuition fees, you will be required to purchase your own diagnostic assessments. The estimated cost for Dyslexia PG certificate assessment materials is approximately £1650. Please note, that this cost is estimated and the actual cost may differ. For full details and an up-to-date breakdown of costs please email [email protected] and we will send you the information you need.
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What you'll study
The rationale and philosophy of the programme emphasises the key relationship between critical thinking, evaluation and practical action. This is related to your professional experiences and interests as well as the ways in which these can be synthesised.
Emphasis is placed on effective practice, particularly improving the provision that settings offer, through the teacher/tutor, for learners with specific learning difficulties dyslexia.
This will involve active exploration of a range of issues including:
- Complexities of identification, assessment and multi-sensory learning environments.
- Critical analysis of a range of intervention strategies and teaching approaches.
- Principles underlying structured, sequential, multi-sensory teaching.
- The role and impact of legislation.
- Current research, theory and practice of psychometrics.
- Diagnostic assessment.
- Validity and reliability of testing.
- Practice of other teachers supporting pupils with dyslexia within a different context.
- Analysis of the potential impact of dyslexia on social and emotional development.
- Analysis of potential barriers to learning.
- Dyslexia and society.
How you'll study
You will be required to attend eight face-to-face teaching days and four online teaching days during the programme.
In module 1 (CPD 4518) you will also need to carry out at least 20 hours of evaluated specialist teaching, of which twelve hours must be with the same pupil (the remaining eight hours may be with two different pupils, one of which could be taught in a group). You will be observed and assessed by a tutor who holds AMBDA for at least three hours of teaching. In module 3 (CPD 4520)you will complete a further 10 hours of valuated specialist teaching with a pupil, one hour will be observed. For module 2 (CPD 4519) you will complete three diagnostic assessments with three pupils, of which one hour will be observed.
For the standalone module 1 (CPD 4518) Identification, Assessment and Intervention for Students with SpLD Dyslexia (AP), there are four face-to-face lectures and two online teaching days over the 9-month duration of the module.
The dates and times for the delivery of the following modules are expected to run as follows:
Jan 25 cohort: Group A
CPD4519 Specialist Dyslexia Training Work-based Practice
- Monday 29th September 2025: online induction 5-6pm group all groups
- Friday 10th October, Friday 17th October, Friday 24th October, Friday 14th November 2025: face to face at Edge Hill University Campus, Ormskirk 9.30-5pm
- Friday 21st November and Friday 12th December 2025: online
Applications to close for January 2025 cohort on Friday 17th January 2025
Sept 25 cohort: Group A (A further group will likely be offered if numbers are high, following the same pattern on a Wednesday. This will be communicated nearer the time via the website)
CPD4518 Identification, Assessment and Intervention for Students with SpLD Dyslexia (AP)
- Monday 8th September 2025: online induction 4-6pm
- Tuesday 16th September, Tuesday 23rd September, Tuesday 7th October, Tuesday 28th October: face to face at Edge Hill University Campus, Ormskirk 9.30-5pm
- Tuesday 13th and 27th January 2026: online 9.30-5pm
CPD4519 Specialist Dyslexia Training Work-based Practice
- Tuesday 5th May 2026: online induction 5-6pm
- Tuesday 12th May, Tuesday 19th May, Tuesday 2nd June, Tuesday 9th June 2026: face to face at Edge Hill University Campus, Ormskirk 9.30-5pm
- Tuesday 23rd June and Tuesday 7th July 2026: online
Applications to close for September 2025 cohort on Friday 5th September 2025
CPD4518 Identification, Assessment and Intervention for Students with SpLD Dyslexia (AP)
- Thursday 22nd January 2026: online induction 6-7.30pm
- Thursday 29th January, Thursday 5th February, Thursday 26th February and Thursday 5th March 2025: face to face at Edge Hill University Campus, Ormskirk 9.30-5pm
- Thursday 14th May and Thursday 11th June 2026: online 9.30-5pm
CPD4519 Specialist Dyslexia Training Work-based Practice
- Thursday 24th September 2026: online induction 6-7pm
- Thursday 1st October, Thursday 15th October, Thursday 22nd October, Thursday 12th November 2026: face to face at Edge Hill University Campus, Ormskirk 9.30-5pm
- Thursday 19th November and Thursday 10thDecember 2026: online 9.30-5pm
Applications to close for January 2026 cohort on Friday 9th January 2026
How you'll be assessed
Modules are assessed using case studies, diagnostic assessment reports, specialist teaching evaluations, annotated lesson plans and observations of teaching practice.
Assessments and activities on the Specialist Dyslexia Training programme give you the opportunity to analyse current practice, utilising and reflecting upon current research and debate to bring about change with clear impact.
Assessment tasks have been designed to allow choice and flexibility to ensure that individual needs are met and that impact on provision and practice within your setting is maximised. In this way the assessments form an integral part of the learning process which will be captured through portfolio evidence of impact on pupils, your own professional practice and the practice of other professionals in your school.
To successfully complete the Specialist Dyslexia Training Work-Based Practice module, you will need to have access to a range of diagnostic assessments to undertake a full diagnostic assessment of dyslexia. You will be responsible for sourcing and purchasing your own diagnostic assessments. Please contact Course Enquiries by emailing [email protected] for an up-to-date breakdown of costs.
Who will be teaching you
The modules in the programme will be taught by experienced and knowledgeable tutors, supplemented by face-to-face and blended learning opportunities. All teaching observations will be carried out by tutors who hold Associate Membership of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA) status.
The University tutors have expertise in a variety of academic disciplines, including SEN / Inclusion, Dyslexia, Leadership and Management, educational research and systematic enquiry.
Entry criteria
You need to have a relevant degree (or equivalent).
You will require a written statement from your head teacher / manager supporting your suitability as a specialist teacher and confirming you satisfy the Disclosure and Barring Service’s (DBS) mandatory criteria of ‘Clearance to Work with Children and/or Vulnerable Adults’.
How to apply
Applications for module 2 running in May 2025 are open until April 2025 for students requesting to complete Recognised Prior Learning.
There is an online application form for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred mode of study.
To study the module CPD4518 Identification, Assessment and Intervention for Students with SpLD Dyslexia (AP) on a standalone basis, please use the application link below.
The course for which you are applying is accredited by the BDA. This means that if you successfully complete all elements of that course, you can then apply for the appropriate BDA award. See: www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/services/professional-accreditation
‘Accreditation’ means that the course has been evaluated by a Liaison Team from the BDA Accreditation Board. Members of the Liaison Team are independent of the course providers and therefore have no responsibility for the day-to-day running of the courses at that establishment. They check that the course has met the relevant BDA criteria and advise accordingly if this is not the case. Only courses which meet the criteria gain BDA recognised awards. Criteria for the various awards can be had on application to the BDA Accreditation Department.
If you have any concerns about the content or assessment of the course, regarding compliance with the BDA course Accreditation Criteria, you can contact the BDA at [email protected].
However, the BDA can take no responsibility for the delivery of the course, e.g. inter alia, its tutors, facilities, registration, fees, continuance, etc.
These are entirely a matter for course providers. It is your responsibility to satisfy yourself that these are satisfactory and meet your needs.
If you have any concerns regarding these matters you should, in the first instance, contact the Course Leader and, if this does not produce a satisfactory result, a representative of the Course Provider.
Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.
There’s plenty of opportunities to come take a look around campus. Attend one of our open days to see what life at Edge Hill University is all about.
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Facilities
The Faculty of Education enjoys the enviable position of being one of the country’s leading providers of transformative education, training and research for the teaching and education workforce. Housed in a state-of-the-art £9m building, the Faculty of Education enjoys a stunning setting from both its lakeside and piazza buildings.
Facilities in the lakeside building include a 300-seat lecture theatre, five well-equipped ICT suites, and 18 teaching rooms complete with the latest technology.
Our nearby piazza building houses our Research Hub and our Secondary and Further Education department including a lecture theatre and a number of seminar rooms.
Finance
Tuition fees
UK Part-Time
£2,440
for Year 1
Tuition fees for Year 1, studied in 2025/26, are £2440.
Tuition fees for Year 2, studied in academic year 2026/27, are £640.
The cost of studying module CPD4518 Identification, Assessment and Intervention for Students with SpLD Dyslexia (AP) on a standalone basis in academic year 2025/26 is £1800.
In addition to your tuition fees, you will be required to purchase your own diagnostic assessments. The estimated cost for Dyslexia PG certificate assessment materials is approximately £1650. Please note, that this cost is estimated and the actual cost may differ. For full details and an up-to-date breakdown of costs please email [email protected] and we will send you the information you need.
The University may administer a small inflationary rise in tuition fees, in line with Government policy, in subsequent academic years as you progress through the course.
EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.
Your future career
The programme has been designed to equip you with the professional attributes, skills, knowledge, attitudes and confidence necessary to act as a specialist teacher for dyslexia.
These skills and the AMBDA / ATS status allow specialist teachers to make access arrangements for examinations as well as diagnostic screenings for dyslexia in both their own workplace and other Local Authority settings.
If you are considering developing your skills further in an alternative age phase, there is an opportunity to engage with our AMBDA CPD or AMBDA FE/HE CPD. Further information related to this can be accessed via the link below:
Dyslexia Alternative Pathway CPD (Online)
Course changes
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.
Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.
