The Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic Pupils

About CReSTeD

The Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic pupils is a registered charity (No. 1052103) set up in 1989 to provide some guidance and assurance to parents seeking a school for their child with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia).  It acts as a source of school names which parents can use as their first step towards making a placement decision which will be critical to their child's educational future. CReSTeD is proving to be a valuable resource for parents, educational advisers and schools.

The majority of schools on the Register are mainstream schools that offer excellent and appropriate provision for dyslexic pupils. This covers a wide range - from pupils who need only a small amount of extra tuition each week, to those who will benefit from a higher level of help.  Our experience suggests that the existence of these skills and awareness in schools enhances the education of all pupils.

CReSTeD's main activity is to produce a Register of schools that provide for pupils with SpLD  Of these the main difficulty is dyslexia.  There is, however, a general recognition that dyslexia rarely exists in isolation and latest research demonstrates a high level of co-morbidity with other difficulties.  These include Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, ADD, as well as Pragmatic and Semantic Language Difficulties.

From June 2008 schools listed in the Register have declared whether they have provision for pupils with SpLD - when linked with dyslexia.  From October 2008 all schools will have their provision for these additional needs assessed during their routine three yearly visits.

The Register is provided free of charge to help parents and those who advise them to choose schools for dyslexic children. It is a first step in making this choice. It includes a checklist to help parents decide if a school can meet their child's special needs. After reading the Register a parent should be able to decide which schools to ask for prospectuses, knowing that only schools which have been through an established registration procedure, including a visit by a CReSTeD selected consultant, are listed in the Register. At the back of the Register is a geographical index to help find the more local schools.

The main supporters of CReSTeD are the British Dyslexia Association and Dyslexia Action. With others, they established CReSTeD to produce an authoritative list of schools, both maintained and independent.

Copies of the Register are supplied free on request to CReSTeD, by email, phone or post, or from the British Dyslexia Association or Dyslexia Action. The Register is supplied to the DfES, local authorities, other advisory bodies and libraries.

The key will help in understanding the information about each school.  Where schools have identified provision for difficulties other than dyslexia, additional abbreviations appear under the individual school entries.  LEA schools do not charge tuition fees; some (not all) independent schools offer scholarships and bursaries, but it is necessary to ask the current situation in each case. Association membership gives clues about the school, as does the statement of examinations prepared for.

The Register is updated annually and schools are normally revisited at three yearly intervals. Any school that fails to meet CReSTeD standards will no longer be included in the Register.

1. Schools listed in this register have chosen to be visited and registered. Other schools may have chosen not to be listed at this time, though their teaching provision may be of an equally high standard. Some of this unregistered provision is run in partnership with dyslexia organisations who also teach part-time in their own centres. Parents should seek further guidance on alternative tuition from the sponsoring organisations of this publication.

2. A school's inclusion in one category may or may not mean that it additionally offers the sort of care offered by schools in a different, less intensive category. For example, a Category DU school may also offer care of a Category WS type. If a school seems in other ways appropriate, parents should enquire of the school.

3. CReSTeD examines the adequacy of the schools' provision for dyslexic pupils; registration with or approval by other educational associations or status with the DfES, Scottish Office or LEA takes account of schools' general professional competence and administration.

4.  The Register is updated twice a year.  Schools are normally revisited at three yearly intervals and every effort is made to ensure that the Register is accurate as at the date of publication.  It would be sensible to check either with the school or with CReSTeD to ascertain whether there is any more up-to-date relevant information.

5.  Any school that fails to meet CReSTeD's standards on a continuing basis will no longer be included in the Register.  The date of original registration is included in the registration number.

6.  CReSTeD examines the adequacy of the school's provision for dyslexic pupils.  Schools would also be registered with or approved by other education associations or with the DfES, Scottish Office, Welsh Office or LEA.  The school may also have been inspected by Ofsted or HM Inspectors of Schools and it would be sensible to obtain copies of any recent inspection report.  Parents may obtain a copy of the CReSTeD report on request from the school.

Key to information on schools

Below the name of the school is its registration number, the last four digits indicating the year of initial registration.   It is CReSTeD Council policy to revisit schools at three yearly intervals, or when major changes take place such as a change of premises, before renewing registration.  The symbol 'R' after a school's registration number means that a re-registration visit has been delayed and is due to take place shortly.

Numbers given after the sex of the pupils (eg 7-13) indicate the age range of pupils within the school (not necessarily within any dyslexia unit).

Association membership/Accreditation - those chosen for inclusion are felt to best indicate the type of school.

Examinations prepared for:

CReSTeD Registered office:

Greygarth, Littleworth, Winchcombe, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 5BT England

Tel: 01242 604852 

Email: crested@crested.org.uk

Administrator: Christine Hancock

Registered Charity No. 1052103