Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity held a very special graduation ceremony on Wednesday for students of its professional qualifications.

The 41 graduates now hold Level 5 Diplomas in Teaching Learners with Dyslexia/Specific Learning Difficulties or Level 7 Diplomas in Teaching and Assessing Learners with Dyslexia/Specific Learning Difficulties.

Both year-long courses are run from our Centre in Frensham and consist of weekly lectures as well as teaching practice in local primary and secondary schools. The teaching practice demands a level of creativity from the students, and they were congratulated on their inspiring and memorable teaching methods which included a pop-up pirate, funky glasses and dressing up hats!

Graduation certificates were presented by long-time friend of the Charity, Fintan O’Regan, an expert in the world of neurodivergence, and the ceremony was attended by families of the students, course tutors, charity trustees, and members of the Helen Arkell team.

The graduation was all the more special because some of these students had waited over a year to celebrate their graduation with their courses disrupted and their qualifications delayed by the pandemic. These students were delighted to be back at the Centre to hear all the news from the charity about how it has stepped up to support more children and adults with dyslexia than ever.

CEO Andy Cook said, ‘Congratulations to all our graduates. We are so proud of them. Being ‘Helen Arkell trained’ really means something in this field and these graduates are valued ambassadors and members of the Helen Arkell family.’

Find out more about our professional courses.