2. June 2026

Dyslexia Assessments in Peterborough: A Local Guide for Parents and Adults

If you are searching for a dyslexia assessment in Peterborough, you are probably feeling a mix of worry and frustration. Perhaps your child is struggling at school, and you are not getting clear answers. Perhaps you are an adult who has wondered for years. Either way, this guide explains how assessment works locally, and where we fit in.

The local picture, honestly

It helps to understand how things actually work in Peterborough. The local authority runs a SEND Local Offer, which lists the support available across the city and the surrounding areas. It is a useful starting point, and worth a look.

There is an important gap to know about, though. Peterborough City Council employs educational psychologists, yet their service does not routinely carry out dyslexia assessments for individual families. Schools can put support in place, and they can apply for exam access arrangements, but a school cannot give your child a formal dyslexia diagnosis. Additionally, there is no routine NHS route for dyslexia assessment. So for most families, a private specialist assessment is the realistic path to clear answers.

That is not said to alarm you. It simply explains why so many local parents reach the same point, where they need to look beyond the school and the council for a formal assessment.

What schools in the area can and cannot do

Your child's school is still an important part of the picture. A good SENCo will know your child well, and can put classroom support in place without any formal diagnosis. So your first step is always a conversation with the school.

What the school cannot usually do is provide a full diagnostic assessment. Teachers are not trained or qualified to diagnose dyslexia, and most schools do not have a specialist assessor on staff. A school screener can flag a concern, yet it is not the same as a diagnosis, and it will not secure exam access arrangements on its own. So if the school has raised a worry, or if you feel one is being missed, a specialist assessment is the next step.

Where we work across Peterborough and beyond

We assess across Peterborough and the wider area, so you do not need to travel far. That includes the city itself, and surrounding places such as Stamford, Rutland, and the villages across Cambridgeshire. For families a little further out, we also cover the Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire borders.

For those who prefer it, we offer remote assessments too, carried out online from the comfort of home. These are just as valid as in person assessments, and they suit busy families, or anyone who would rather not travel. So the choice is simply about what feels right for you.

How a private assessment works

A full diagnostic assessment is a calm, careful process. It looks at reading, spelling, memory, and how your child processes information. The session itself usually takes two to three hours, at a relaxed pace, so your child stays comfortable throughout.

Afterwards, you receive a detailed written report, with clear findings and practical recommendations for school and home. We also include time to talk the findings through together, so you understand the results rather than facing a document alone. You can see our full prices, with no hidden extras, in our guide to how much a dyslexia assessment costs.

For adults in Peterborough

This is not only for children. Many adults across Peterborough come to us having wondered about dyslexia for years, often since their own school days. An assessment can bring real clarity, and it can open the door to support at work, or at university. The process is similar, and just as thorough. If that is you, you are very welcome to get in touch.

A local assessor who knows the area

There is a personal side to this for me. I was born and bred in Peterborough, and I went to school here myself, at Deacon's (now TDA). So this is very much my home patch, not a region I simply cover.

I also spent years teaching in schools across the area, from Peterborough out to Stamford and the surrounding villages. That means I understand local schools from the inside, and I know the pressures that families and teachers are under. When you work with me, you are working with someone who genuinely knows the area, and the people in it.

Taking the next step

Every assessment is carried out by me, Mark, a PATOSS-registered specialist assessor with fifteen years of experience. I am local, I am independent, and I take the time to understand each person I assess.

If you would like to talk things through, please do get in touch. You can read more about our local service on our Peterborough assessments page, or contact us directly via our contact page. There is no obligation, and sometimes a short conversation is all it takes to feel clearer about what to do next.

How Defining Dyslexia can help

At Defining Dyslexia, we offer full diagnostic SpLD assessments for children and adults across Peterborough and Cambrdigeshire, with remote assessments available across the UK. Every assessment includes time at the end to talk through findings together, so you leave with a clear understanding of the results, not just a document to decipher on your own.

If you have questions, or you are wondering whether an assessment might be the right next step, we are happy to have an initial conversation. There is no obligation, and sometimes a short chat is all it takes to feel clearer about where to go next.

You can get in touch via the contact page at https://www.definingdyslexia.org/contact-us/