Dyslexia Assessment in Kent: School Support and Private Options (2026)

Editorial correction, 22 September 2026: Clarified assessment routes, school support and exam evidence. Removed unverified local prices, clinic availability and fixed report-expiry claims. This is an AI-assisted source review, not professional assessment or legal sign-off.

When reading or spelling is difficult

Dyslexia can affect reading, spelling and written work; it is not a measure of intelligence. Persistent difficulties deserve attention, but a checklist cannot diagnose their cause. The NHS guide to dyslexia in children explains signs and assessment routes.

Bring a few examples to the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO): a piece of work your child found difficult, what help they needed, and what made the task easier. Include your child's own view. Ask about their strengths as well as difficulties; a single reading-age score should not be the whole conversation.

• What has the school noticed, and in which lessons?
• What support will be tried, by whom and how often?
• How will we know whether it is helping, and when will we meet again?
• Would a screening or specialist assessment answer a question that current information cannot?

Our SEN Support guide explains the school support process in England. You can discuss support while an assessment is being considered.

School, NHS and specialist assessment routes

The NHS describes schools as a starting point for screening and support. A GP does not diagnose dyslexia, but can investigate other relevant concerns, such as hearing difficulties. A diagnostic assessment is usually carried out by an educational psychologist or a specialist teacher. Schools may help with referral; many families pay for an assessment, but a privately purchased report is not the only possible route. NHS assessment information.

Educational psychology is not simply an NHS referral service. Ask the school how it accesses the local authority's educational psychology service and whether an assessment is already planned. See our education and private EP routes comparison.

Check the assessor before booking

The SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC) sets standards for specific learning difficulties assessment and provides an assessor list. For a specialist teacher, ask about relevant qualifications and a current Assessment Practising Certificate (APC). For an educational psychologist, check the named person on the HCPC register. A clinic name or directory listing is not an individual registration check.

Explain the intended purpose before booking: understanding learning needs, planning teaching, an education decision or student-finance evidence. Ask whether the assessor works with your child's age group, what information they need from school, and how they will adapt the session to your child. Do not assume that one report meets every organisation's requirements.

Use our questions for choosing a professional to compare scope, safeguarding, communication and costs. The educational psychology directory is a starting point for enquiries, not an endorsement or a live availability check.

What will an assessment cost?

We do not currently have a verified countywide price range or a confirmed low-cost university clinic to recommend. Ask each service for a dated, itemised quote. Compare equivalent work rather than choosing by the number of report pages.

• Does the fee include school liaison, assessment, the written report and a feedback discussion?
• Are travel, a second appointment, extra reports or later meetings charged separately?
• What happens if assessment cannot be completed or the findings are inconclusive?
• What are the cancellation terms and expected report date?
• Is school-funded assessment, a concession or a payment plan actually available in this case?

Ask about free school support first. A charity's general work with disabled children does not establish that it funds a dyslexia assessment. Check the exact scheme and obtain a decision before committing to expenditure. Our Kent grants guide explains named schemes and their limits.

A diagnosis does not automatically give extra exam time

Discuss exam access with the SENCO before commissioning a report for that purpose. JCQ describes arrangements as based on evidence of need and the student's usual way of working. The centre must apply the relevant rules; a private report recommending extra time does not settle the decision. JCQ access-arrangement guidance.

Ask which qualification and exam-series rules apply, what evidence school needs, and whether the proposed assessor must work with the centre before assessment. Different arrangements have different requirements. There is no universal three-year expiry rule for every report or automatic entitlement to 25% extra time.

At this review, JCQ's public interactive guide still displayed the 2025/26 validity period. We have therefore not reproduced detailed scoring thresholds or claimed they are the 2026/27 rules. Ask the exams officer to confirm the current edition and any supplementary guidance for your child's exams.

Using evidence in an EHC needs assessment request

For England, the assessment test in section 36(8) concerns whether a child or young person has or may have special educational needs and whether provision through an EHC plan may be necessary. It is not a requirement to buy a private report or complete a fixed number of school terms first. The later decision whether to issue a plan is a separate decision.

Describe the difficulties, support already tried, its effect and questions that remain. Include existing relevant evidence and your child's views. A report may inform that picture; its length, price or private status does not guarantee an outcome. Our Kent assessment-request guide covers the process.

Make the findings useful

1. Ask the assessor to explain unfamiliar terms and the limits of the findings.
2. Share relevant recommendations with the SENCO and agree which actions school will take.
3. Record a review date and how progress and your child's experience will be considered.
4. Keep the report securely. Ask the intended recipient before paying for an update; a report does not become useless solely because an arbitrary birthday has passed.

For higher education, Student Finance England's DSA evidence guidance asks for a diagnostic assessment from a practitioner psychologist or suitably qualified specialist teacher for a specific learning difficulty. It does not state a blanket requirement for diagnosis after age 16. Course, residence and other eligibility rules also apply; check with student finance or the university disability team.

Free advice in Kent

IASK, Kent's SEND information, advice and support service, provides free, impartial and confidential help for children and young people up to 25 and their families. Its helpline is 03000 41 3000, Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm. Ask about school support, assessment requests and preparing for meetings. Check its current service arrangements before planning an appointment.

The British Dyslexia Association has further information about dyslexia and assessment. These links provide information; SENDPath has not assessed your child or verified an individual assessor's suitability.