Terms and Conditions for Inclusion on the BDA Tutor Directory

Terms and Conditions for Inclusion on the BDA Tutor List

Effective Date: October 2026

Thank you for becoming a Professional Member of the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) and registering for inclusion on the BDA Tutor List. Your support helps us work towards a world where individuals with dyslexia can thrive.

The BDA Tutor List is an introductory professional directory of practitioners who meet the BDA's eligibility requirements for inclusion and who offer specialist tuition and/or diagnostic assessment relating to dyslexia and/or dyscalculia.

The Tutor List provides a way for members of the public to identify and make contact with practitioners who meet the BDA's stated requirements for inclusion. Inclusion on the Tutor List is not an endorsement, recommendation or guarantee of the quality, suitability or outcome of a practitioner's services.

Practitioners listed on the Tutor List are independent professionals and are responsible for the services they provide. Prospective clients are responsible for making their own enquiries and satisfying themselves that a practitioner is appropriately qualified, professionally accredited, insured and suitable for their individual needs before engaging their services.

By registering your details on the BDA Tutor List ("the Tutor List"), you ("the Practitioner") agree to the following Terms and Conditions. These terms govern your participation under the management of the British Dyslexia Association (registered charity no. 289243), Registered address: 1 Friar Street, Reading, RG1 1DA ("the BDA" or "we").

1. Eligibility for Inclusion

To be included on the Tutor List, you must meet the eligibility requirements relevant to the services you offer.

1.1 Qualifications and professional accreditation

You must:

• Hold an appropriate BDA-recognised qualification in specialist teaching and/or specific learning difficulties (SpLD) assessment relevant to the services you offer.
• If you offer specialist tuition, hold a current BDA accreditation appropriate to the service offered, such as ATS, APS, ATD or APD.
• If you offer diagnostic assessment, hold an appropriate specialist assessment qualification and current AMBDA or AMBDA Dyscalculia, as applicable.
• If you offer diagnostic assessment, hold a current Assessment Practising Certificate (APC) where required by the relevant professional and/or accreditation requirements.
• Maintain any professional accreditation, certification or membership required for inclusion in your Tutor List category.

1.2 BDA Professional Membership

You must maintain current BDA Professional Membership, which is a requirement of the relevant BDA accreditation and Tutor List category.

You must notify the BDA if your professional membership, accreditation or other eligibility status changes.

1.3 Professional indemnity insurance

You must maintain appropriate and valid professional indemnity insurance covering the services you provide.

You must be able to provide evidence of your current insurance to the BDA upon request.

You are responsible for ensuring that your insurance remains valid and appropriate for the full range of services you provide, including, where relevant, tuition, assessment and online services.

1.4 DBS and safeguarding

You must maintain an appropriate Enhanced DBS check for the work you undertake and comply with all applicable safeguarding requirements.

You must be able to provide evidence of your DBS status to the BDA upon request.

Evidence may include:

• a DBS certificate issued within the last three years; or
• the original DBS certificate together with evidence of current registration with the DBS Update Service, where applicable.

You are responsible for ensuring that your DBS status remains appropriate for the work you undertake and for complying with all relevant safeguarding legislation and guidance.

1.5 Professional and ethical requirements

You must:

• comply with relevant legislation and regulatory requirements;
• adhere to the BDA Code of Ethics and Conduct;
• maintain appropriate professional boundaries;
• maintain client confidentiality;
• securely store client, learner and assessment information;
• maintain appropriate professional records; and
• undertake continuing professional development relevant to your role and scope of practice.

The BDA reserves the right to request evidence of qualifications, accreditation, APC, membership, insurance, DBS or other eligibility requirements at any time.

Failure to provide requested evidence, or failure to maintain the requirements for inclusion, may result in suspension or removal from the Tutor List.

2. Professional Standards and Scope of Practice

Practitioners listed on the Tutor List are responsible for ensuring that the services they provide are appropriate to their qualifications, training, experience and professional scope of practice.

Practitioners must:

• provide services professionally and ethically;
• ensure that teaching and assessment methods are appropriate to the individual learner and their identified needs;
• work within the limits of their professional competence;
• ensure that any assessment undertaken is appropriate to their qualifications, training and accreditation;
• provide accurate information about their qualifications, professional status and services;
• avoid making claims about their expertise or services that could be misleading;
• maintain appropriate confidentiality and data security;
• communicate clearly with clients about fees, services, cancellation arrangements and other contractual matters; and
• maintain appropriate professional development.

Where a practitioner's qualifications, experience or professional remit do not extend to a particular area of need, they should make this clear and, where appropriate, recommend that the individual seeks support from another suitably qualified professional.

3. Information Provided to the BDA

Practitioners are responsible for ensuring that all information they provide to the BDA for publication on the Tutor List is accurate, current and not misleading.

This includes, where applicable:

• name and contact details;
• qualifications;
• professional accreditations;
• APC status;
• membership details;
• services offered;
• age ranges or learner groups supported;
• geographical areas covered;
• online or face-to-face provision;
• areas of specialist experience; and
• any other information included in the Tutor List profile.

You must notify the BDA promptly if any information relevant to your listing changes.

The BDA reserves the right to amend listing information where necessary to ensure that it accurately reflects a practitioner's current eligibility or professional status.

Practitioners must not describe themselves as BDA approved, BDA endorsed or recommended by the BDA solely as a result of being included on the Tutor List. The use of the BDA is logo is strictly prohibited. 

4. The Nature of the Tutor List

The Tutor List is an introductory directory.

Its purpose is to enable members of the public to identify practitioners who meet the BDA's stated eligibility requirements and to make initial contact with practitioners offering relevant services.

Inclusion on the Tutor List:

• does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of a practitioner's services;
• does not guarantee that a practitioner is suitable for a particular individual;
• does not guarantee the quality or outcome of tuition or assessment;
• does not guarantee client enquiries, referrals, bookings or income; and
• does not create a contractual relationship between the BDA and a client.

Prospective clients are responsible for making their own enquiries before engaging a practitioner.

This may include checking:

• relevant qualifications;
• current professional accreditation;
• APC status, where applicable;
• professional membership;
• DBS status;
• professional indemnity insurance;
• experience with the relevant age group and areas of need;
• references or testimonials; and
• the practitioner's suitability for the individual's particular circumstances.

Practitioners should respond appropriately to reasonable requests from prospective clients for information about their professional qualifications, accreditation, insurance, DBS and experience.

5. Independent Practitioners and Client Relationships

Practitioners listed on the Tutor List are independent professionals.

They are not employees, agents, representatives, partners or contractors of the BDA.

Any agreement for tuition, assessment or other services is made directly between the Practitioner and the client.

The Practitioner is solely responsible for:

• the services they provide;
• the terms of their agreement with the client;
• fees and payment arrangements;
• cancellation and refund arrangements;
• assessment processes and reports;
• tuition programmes;
• safeguarding within their own practice;
• data protection and record keeping;
• professional insurance; and
• responding to client concerns or complaints about their services.

The BDA is not a party to agreements between Practitioners and their clients.

6. Complaints and Concerns

Practitioners are responsible for having appropriate arrangements for dealing with complaints and concerns relating to the services they provide.

Where a client has a concern about a practitioner's services, they should normally raise this directly with the Practitioner in the first instance.

The BDA may consider concerns relating to a practitioner's eligibility for inclusion on the Tutor List, compliance with these Terms and Conditions, or relevant professional and ethical requirements.

The BDA does not act as the service provider, assessor or tutor and cannot guarantee or resolve contractual disputes between a Practitioner and a client.

The BDA reserves the right to investigate concerns where appropriate and to take action in accordance with these Terms and Conditions and any applicable BDA policies or procedures.

7. Referrals and Visibility

The BDA may make the Tutor List available through its website and other appropriate BDA channels.

Inclusion on the Tutor List does not guarantee:

• enquiries;
• referrals;
• bookings;
• income;
• a particular level of visibility; or
• any minimum number of contacts from prospective clients.

The BDA may determine how Tutor List entries are displayed, organised and presented.

The BDA reserves the right to amend, suspend or change the operation of the Tutor List at any time.

8. Removal or Suspension from the Tutor List

The BDA reserves the right to suspend or remove a Practitioner from the Tutor List where eligibility requirements are no longer met or where there are other reasonable grounds for doing so.

Reasons may include, but are not limited to:

• breach of these Terms and Conditions;
• provision of false, inaccurate or misleading information;
• failure to maintain required qualifications or accreditation;
• expiry or loss of required professional membership;
• failure to maintain a current APC where required or adhere to SASC guidance;
• failure to maintain appropriate professional indemnity insurance;
• failure to maintain an appropriate DBS check;
• failure to provide requested evidence of eligibility;
• serious or repeated concerns regarding professional practice;
• conduct that may bring the BDA or the Tutor List into disrepute;
• failure to respond to reasonable requests from the BDA;
• prolonged inactivity; or
• failure to comply with relevant BDA policies or professional requirements.

Where appropriate, the BDA may request further information or evidence before making a decision regarding continued inclusion.

Practitioners may choose to remove themselves from the Tutor List at any time and can do so via their membership area of the website.

Removal from the Tutor List does not, in itself, constitute a finding that a Practitioner has acted improperly. Equally, inclusion on the Tutor List should not be interpreted as a guarantee that no concerns exist or will arise regarding an individual practitioner.

9. Data Protection and Confidentiality

The BDA handles personal data in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation and its privacy policies.

By registering for the Tutor List, you consent to relevant professional information being displayed publicly for the purpose of enabling prospective clients to identify and contact you.

This may include:

• your name;
• professional qualifications;
• professional accreditation;
• services offered;
• location or geographical area;
• professional experience;
• website or other professional contact details; and
• other information you choose to include within your professional profile.

You are responsible for ensuring that the information you provide for publication is accurate and appropriate.

You should not include confidential information relating to clients, learners or other individuals within your Tutor List profile.

10. Use of BDA Name and Branding

Inclusion on the Tutor List does not give a Practitioner permission to imply that the BDA:

• endorses their services;
• recommends them to individual clients;
• guarantees their professional practice;
• guarantees the outcome of their services; or
• has approved a particular tuition programme, assessment or methodology.

Practitioners must not use the BDA name, logo or branding in a way that could reasonably imply endorsement or approval of their individual services unless expressly authorised by the BDA.

11. Amendments to the Terms and Conditions

The BDA reserves the right to amend, suspend or withdraw the Tutor List or change the eligibility requirements for inclusion.

We may update these Terms and Conditions from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, professional requirements, BDA policy or the operation of the Tutor List.

Where appropriate, Practitioners will be notified of significant changes.

Continued inclusion on the Tutor List following notification of revised Terms and Conditions will constitute acceptance of the revised terms.

12. Agreement

By registering for inclusion on the BDA Tutor List, you confirm that:

• you have read and understood these Terms and Conditions;
• the information you have provided to the BDA is accurate and current;
• you meet the eligibility requirements relevant to the services you offer;
• you will notify the BDA of any material changes to your professional status or eligibility;
• you will maintain the required qualifications, accreditation, membership, insurance and DBS arrangements;
• you will comply with relevant professional, ethical, safeguarding and legal requirements; and
• you understand that inclusion on the Tutor List is an introductory directory listing and does not constitute BDA endorsement or recommendation of your individual services.

You acknowledge that prospective clients are responsible for making their own enquiries and satisfying themselves that your services are appropriate for their individual needs before entering into an agreement with you.