South Yorkshire
Dyslexia Assessment in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is four very different places sharing one county name. A family in Penistone, an adult in Wickersley and a student in the middle of Sheffield are all looking for the same thing, a full diagnostic dyslexia assessment, but they reach it by quite different routes, through four separate councils with four separate SEND services.
This page explains what is the same everywhere: what a diagnostic assessment is, who can have one, what it costs, and who carries it out. Each borough then has its own page for the local detail. If you already know your area, go straight there.
- Children from age 8, adults and students
- Face-to-face across the county, or remote UK-wide
- Mark, PATOSS-registered specialist dyslexia assessor
- £495 including the full written report
Choose your area
The four South Yorkshire boroughs
Each borough page carries the local detail that actually matters: the council's Local Offer, the free SENDIAS advice service, the parent carer forum, the towns and villages regularly travelled to, and the questions families in that area ask most often.
Dyslexia assessments in Sheffield
The city and its edges, from Stocksbridge and Chapeltown round to Mosborough and the Dronfield border. Also the page for University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam students needing DSA evidence.
Open the Sheffield pageDyslexia assessments in Rotherham
The town and the outlying communities, including Maltby, Wickersley, Dinnington and Wath upon Dearne. A high proportion of enquiries here come from adults seeking an assessment for work.
Open the Rotherham pageDyslexia assessments in Barnsley
The borough from Penistone in the west out to Cudworth and Royston, including families weighing up how long to wait while school-based support is tried.
Open the Barnsley pageDyslexia assessments in Doncaster
A large, spread-out borough taking in Mexborough, Conisbrough, Thorne, Askern and Bawtry, where travelling to the family is usually the only sensible arrangement.
Open the Doncaster pageJust outside the county boundary, Chesterfield and the Peak District are covered from the same base, and remote assessment is available anywhere in the UK.
The regional picture
Four councils, four SEND systems, one gap in common
Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster each run their own SEND service and publish their own Local Offer, and practice varies between them. What does not vary is the gap families arrive at: a school can identify concerns, put support in place and apply for exam access arrangements, but it cannot diagnose dyslexia, and there is no routine NHS route to a diagnosis either.
That leaves a private diagnostic assessment as the realistic way to get a formal answer, whichever of the four boroughs you live in. Academy trusts add a further wrinkle across the region: children move between schools and trusts more often than people expect, and a diagnostic report is a document that belongs to you and travels with your child when they do.
The region also has two large universities and several sixth form and further education colleges. Students needing evidence for a Disabled Students' Allowance application, or for support in higher education, need a diagnostic report from an assessor holding a current Assessment Practising Certificate.
Transparent pricing
£495
A full diagnostic dyslexia assessment anywhere in South Yorkshire, including the written report and practical recommendations. Where a venue has to be hired, or an adult assessment includes screening for co-occurring difficulties, any additional fee is agreed with you before anything is confirmed.
- A full diagnostic report written to SASC standards
- A clear picture of strengths as well as difficulties
- A formal diagnostic outcome where the criteria are met
- Practical recommendations for school, work or study
- A follow-up conversation to talk the findings through
About your assessor
One assessor, across the county
Every assessment in South Yorkshire is carried out by Mark personally. He is a qualified teacher and former SENCo, a PATOSS-registered specialist assessor with fifteen years of experience across mainstream and SEND education, and he holds a current Assessment Practising Certificate, working to the standards set by SASC.
You will not be allocated to an unknown assessor by a national company. You speak to Mark at enquiry, he carries out the assessment, and he writes the report, which is part of why the recommendations tend to be usable by the people who actually receive them.
Knowledge Centre
Worth reading before you decide
My child's school says they can't diagnose dyslexia: what now?
Where the school's role ends and a diagnostic assessment begins.
ReadHow to choose a dyslexia assessor: 8 things to check
The questions worth asking before you pay anyone, anywhere.
ReadSigns of dyslexia in adults
For adults across the region who have managed for years without an explanation.
ReadQuestions we are asked across the region
South Yorkshire: frequently asked questions
01Is there one dyslexia assessment page for the whole of South Yorkshire?
This page is the regional overview. Each borough then has its own page, because the practical detail genuinely differs: the council's Local Offer, the SENDIAS service, the parent carer forum and the travel arrangements are all different in Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster. Start here, then open the page for your area.
02Is there an assessment centre in South Yorkshire?
No, and that is deliberate. Defining Dyslexia has no clinic or office. Assessments take place at your home, at your child's school where the school agrees, or at a suitable local venue arranged for the session. Where a room has to be hired, any small additional fee is agreed with you before anything is booked.
03Who carries out the assessment?
Mark, personally, in every case. He is a qualified teacher and former SENCo, a PATOSS-registered specialist assessor, and holds a current Assessment Practising Certificate, working to the standards set by SASC. You speak to him at enquiry, he carries out the assessment, and he writes the report.
04What does a dyslexia assessment cost in South Yorkshire?
£495 for a full diagnostic assessment including the written report and practical recommendations. That is the same fee across every area covered. Where a venue has to be hired, or an adult assessment includes screening for co-occurring difficulties, any additional fee is discussed and agreed in advance.
05Can adults as well as children be assessed?
Yes. Children are assessed from age 8, and adults and students aged 16 and over are assessed regularly, including people who were at school long before dyslexia was routinely identified.
06What if I live just outside South Yorkshire?
Chesterfield, Dronfield and the Peak District are covered from the same Sheffield base, and remote assessment is available anywhere in the UK to exactly the same standards.
Arranging an assessment in South Yorkshire
Tell us roughly where you are and what has been happening, and we will reply within one working day, including an honest view of whether an assessment is the right next step.