bursary | Helen Arkell

Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary provides free training for schools

Thanks to the Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary, launched in November 2023, an incredible 176 teachers and teaching assistants from UK state schools have already received free specialist training, enabling them to better support learners with dyslexia back in their classrooms.

The continuing generosity of Theo and Ryman Retail Limited means that we are able to offer even more teachers and teaching assistants from the state school sector free places on the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity’s six-week online Supporting Learners with Dyslexia course!

This practical course comprises six sessions on Fridays from 9.30 am, starting on 25 April 2025 and provides lots of useful, tried and tested strategies for supporting learners effectively. Recordings of each session are sent out after the live session for anyone who is unable to attend.

To apply for a bursary-funded place on this course, simply complete a short application form here.

Here’s what one of our past attendees had to say about the course:

‘I would like to say what an amazing course this has been!! I am a literacy practitioner at a secondary school, and the course was everything I was looking for and more! It has given me so much confidence delivering my literacy sessions, and I have gained so many tips and ideas. The presenters’ wealth of knowledge and information has been amazing, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every week.’

Please note, if you have already received a free place for this course, you will not be eligible for another free place. If your team found this course helpful you can book a paid-for place.

Helen Arkell’s aim is to remove barriers to learning, employment and life for more and more people with dyslexia, regardless of ability to pay, and we are indebted to Theo Paphitis and Ryman for helping us to achieve this.

By Helen Arkell|2025-03-25T13:48:58+00:00March 14th, 2025|Course news, Fundraising news|0 Comments

CEO’s blog – Supporting Learners with Dyslexia, and the Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary

Those of you who already subscribe to the Helen Arkell e-newsletter will have seen our latest exciting news. For those of you who don’t, here it is …

On behalf of all of us at Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity, I am absolutely thrilled to announce the launch of a new partnership with TV Dragon, Retail Entrepreneur and longstanding dyslexia champion Theo Paphitis and Ryman Retail Limited. Together we will launch the Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary, giving us the opportunity to offer free training to teachers and teaching assistants from state schools around the UK.

Starting with 50 free training spaces, the Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary will enable the state school sector to take part in the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity’s 6-week online ‘Supporting Learners with Dyslexia’ course, free of charge for teachers or teaching assistants.

To apply for a bursary-funded place on this course as part of the Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary, teachers and teaching assistants from state schools are invited to complete a basic application form here.

Other pay-as-you-go places are available on this course for people who do not work in state schools: simply book your place here.

The aim of the Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary is to particularly support state schools where there are young people from low-income families, by giving them access to the expertise and guidance of Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity regarding the best ways to support young people with dyslexia. Theo Paphitis said: “I am delighted to create the Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary, supported by one of our key partners, the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity. Many have a story with dyslexia, either through their own story or someone close to them, and through this Bursary and further work in the dyslexia area we want to make sure that as many stories as possible are positive ones.”

Helen Arkell’s aim is to remove barriers to learning, employment and life for more and more people with dyslexia, regardless of ability to pay, and we are indebted to Theo Paphitis and Ryman for helping us to achieve this.

Applications for the 50 free places on this course will be considered on a first-come-first-served basis.

It is important to stress that this course is also available to people who do not work in state schools, but a charge is made.

The course comprises 18 hours of learning. Participants will be shown lots of useful, tried and tested strategies to enable them to support learners effectively. Recordings will be sent out after each session so that participants can watch afterwards if unable to attend the live session, or if they would like to watch again!

Please do let your networks know about the above opportunities, whether they work in state schools and can apply for a free place, or whether they work in non-state schools, in which case they can book separately.

A huge, huge thank you to Theo Paphitis and Ryman Retail Limited for partnering with Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity on this initiative!

Onwards and upwards
Andy

PS If you’d like to subscribe to our e-news so you hear about these sorts of things first, just click here.

*Please note: all 50 Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary places have now been awarded. If you would like to be added to a waiting list, in the event that this opportunity is repeated in the future, simply complete a short application form: Application Form

Non bursary places are still available, but the normal fee will apply. Full details.

By Marcy Rice|2024-07-23T16:39:29+01:00December 14th, 2023|CEO blog|0 Comments

Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary – the power of working together

Theo Paphitis and the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity have this month, November 2023, launched the Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary to provide funding for schools to offer free training to teachers and teaching assistants around the UK.

The response to the free training for primary and secondary state schools was incredible and all 50 spaces filled quickly.

Successful applicants are taking part in the charity’s 6-week online ‘Supporting Learners with Dyslexia’ course.

We are delighted that, thanks to Theo and his team, another 50 training spaces will be released in Spring 2024.

TV Dragon, retail entrepreneur and dyslexia champion, Theo Paphitis, commented: “Dyslexia has been a huge part of my life and shaped me into who I am, but school and coping with what I now understand to be undiagnosed dyslexia, was tough to deal with. To have had access to teachers and TAs who understood how to identify, and more importantly, how to help people like me deal positively with dyslexia would have been a game changer.

I hope that this Bursary will grow and grow and help many more with dyslexia in education, but also in the workplace going forward. That all the teacher spaces were snapped up within the hour shows the need for this bursary and support for those with dyslexia.”

The aim of the Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary is to particularly support state schools where there are young people from low-income families, by giving them access to the expertise and guidance of Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity regarding the best ways to support young people with dyslexia.

Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity CEO, Andy Cook added: “Helen Arkell’s aim is to remove barriers to learning, employment and life for more and more people with dyslexia, regardless of ability to pay, and we are indebted to Theo Paphitis and Ryman for helping us to achieve this. The demand has been high for the online places with a waiting list already in place for the spring training spaces, showing the power of what we can do when we work together and offer the right support in the right places.”

Theo Paphitis and Andy Cook

By Marcy Rice|2024-07-23T16:40:50+01:00November 24th, 2023|Fundraising news|0 Comments

Launch of the Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary

On behalf of all of us at Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity, I am absolutely thrilled to announce the launch of a new partnership with TV Dragon, Retail Entrepreneur and longstanding dyslexia champion Theo Paphitis and Ryman Retail Limited.

Together we will launch the Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary, giving us the opportunity to offer free training to teachers and teaching assistants from state schools around the UK.

Starting with 50 free training spaces, the Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary will enable the state school sector to take part in the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity’s six-week online Supporting Learners with Dyslexia course, free of charge for teachers or teaching assistants.

The aim of the Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary is to particularly support state schools where there are young people from low-income families, by giving them access to the expertise and guidance of Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity regarding the best ways to support young people with dyslexia.

Theo Paphitis said: “I am delighted to create the Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary, supported by one of our key partners, the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity. Many have a story with dyslexia, either through their own story or someone close to them, and through this Bursary and further work in the dyslexia area we want to make sure that as many stories as possible are positive ones.”

Helen Arkell’s aim is to remove barriers to learning, employment and life for more and more people with dyslexia, regardless of ability to pay, and we are indebted to Theo Paphitis and Ryman for helping us to achieve this.

Andy Cook

CEO

*Please note: all 50 Theo Paphitis Dyslexia Bursary places have now been awarded.

Non bursary places are still available, but the normal fee will apply. Full details here.

Theo Paphitis and Andy Cook

By Marcy Rice|2024-07-23T16:42:11+01:00October 17th, 2023|Fundraising news|0 Comments

Between us we get the job done

It’s been a while since I jotted down a blog. Not for lack of things to say. Quite the opposite, actually. There’s just been so much going on, where do you start?

So maybe best just to focus on things that have taken place this week, and hope that somehow you’ve heard about the rest of the stuff from other sources, or maybe even from our own social media.

(On that note, I’ve reawakened my commitment to dip into LinkedIn more frequently, following our recent session with social media guru Fiona Service from Litus Digital. Are you on LinkedIn? If so, will you be my friend please?!).

This week our team have been as busy as ever, despite the holiday season, with a flurry of 1:1 assessments taking place around the country, and also online. In addition to assessments, our Farnham premises have also hosted 1:1 specialist teaching sessions with experts Ginny and Sally. Meanwhile, Claire has provided consultations over the phone to various parents who need some advice regarding the next step to take for their children.

Big news is the fact that our external Quality Assurance verifier has completed her evaluation of the coursework of our 55 candidates who have done their Level 5 and Level 7 Diplomas with us throughout the year. They (and we!) will all be waiting with bated breath to hear how they did, so there’ll be more news on that next week.

We all know that times are financially tough in the country at the moment, so we’re pleased to ‘do our bit’ by helping as many people as possible who are from lower-income backgrounds or struggling financially. So far this year we’ve already helped 450 people in this way, with the equivalent of over £230,000 of bursary-funded dyslexia support. A massive Thank You to all our brilliant donors for making it possible for us to do this, with donations big and small, transforming the lives of children and adults with dyslexia.

Of course, the main thing is to put everyone’s donations to good use, fulfilling our mission to remove barriers to learning, employment and life for people with dyslexia. So, I’ll finish with this note that came in this week from the parents of 15-year-old V:

‘We are sincerely grateful to Helen Arkell for your commitment to ensuring a thorough evaluation, as it has allowed us to take the necessary steps to support V.

Understanding his challenges and strengths through your assessment has been a turning point for our family. It has helped us comprehend his learning needs better and alleviated any feelings of guilt or uncertainty we may have had along the way. Once again, thank you for your invaluable contribution, and we truly appreciate all the effort and care Helen Arkell has put into this assessment, positively impacting V’s future.’

Thank you for playing your part in this big team effort!

Andy

By Marcy Rice|2024-07-23T16:44:18+01:00August 4th, 2023|CEO blog|0 Comments

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