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DfE Changes to the Requirements for Assessment Practising Certificates (APC)

Monday 8 April 2019

The Department of Education (DfE) announced in November 2018 that a diagnostic assessment conducted at any age, which results in a diagnosis of dyslexia, will be accepted as part of an application for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA). It is no longer necessary that a report used for a DSA application is carried out post-16.

In March 2019, the DfE confirmed that a report completed at any age will be accepted by Student Finance England (SFE) in support of a DSA application only if conducted and written by an assessor holding a valid Assessment Practising Certificate (APC), or by an HCPC-registered psychologist, at the time of the assessment.

As reports conducted at any age may be used for DSA purposes, it is recommended that all assessors should now hold an APC, to future proof assessments for dyslexic individuals so that no further diagnostic assessment will be required should the dyslexic individual wish to apply for DSA in the future.

We appreciate that this is a substantial change and will mean that many specialist teachers will now need to apply for an APC where previously one was not required.

Follow this link for information on how to apply for an APC with the BDA