Terms & Conditions

Thank you for choosing Adult Dyslexia Services by Sarah Hickinbotham.

Below are the terms and conditions that outline how we work together to ensure the best tutoring, assessment and training experience.

Definitions

“Client” refers to the person or persons who request, arrange, and pay for the service. This is assumed to be the person who makes initial contact with Adult Dyslexia Services by Sarah Hickinbotham (ADS).

“Assessee” refers to the person receiving tutoring or assessment from ADS. This may also be the Client in the case of adult assessments and tutoring.

“Consultancy” is the provision of education advice or consultation provided by ADS, charged at an hourly rate.

“School holidays” is any period of non-term time, inclusive of all school dates within the UK.

“Working day” refers a typical working day of 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, excluding statutory Bank Holidays.

“Education establishment” refers to a school, college, university, or other place of learning the client is currently attending or has attended historically.

“Booking date” refers to the date that has been booked for the piece of work.

Payment

A deposit of at least 20% of the total agreed fee is required to secure any bookings, unless otherwise specified.
The assessment/tutoring/training date will be held for 7 days. If the agreed deposit is not received within this time, the date will be released. This is due to high demand and to avoid delaying the services required by other clients.
Remaining payments must be made within 48 hours prior to assessment or within 7 days from receipt of the invoice if for training services, unless otherwise specified. Interest will be charged on any payment outstanding for more than 14 days, accruing at 4% per month from the due date until payment is received by Adult Dyslexia Services by Sarah Hickinbotham (ADS).

Expenses

All expenses will be covered in the agreed fee unless otherwise specified.
Mileage is charged at £0.60p per mile, unless otherwise stated.

Cancellation and Refunds

Cancellations should be advised via email or telephone.

A refund will be given if cancellation is more than 14 working days before the event, tutoring session, or assessment, minus the deposit.
Cancellations received 14 days or less before the event will incur a 50% charge.

Cancellations received up to 5 working days before the event will be charged at 100%.
The full fee is payable if no cancellation is made and the client fails to attend the booking.
A discretionary £50 fee will apply if transferring the booking to a different date less than 14 days prior to the booking.
Clients will be liable for any non-refundable costs associated with the booking that cannot be cancelled regardless of when notice is given.
Any test papers sent by ADS for online assessments must be returned.

Cancellation by Adult Dyslexia Services by Sarah Hickinbotham

ADS reserves the right to cancel bookings due to viability, adverse weather, illness, unforeseen reasons, or if there is any reputational risk. ADS may cancel for specific reasons and rearrange at a mutually convenient time.

Your Responsibilities

Diagnostic assessment and tutoring

Background information will be gathered from the client/assessee and, with consent, other relevant sources such as schools/further education/higher education/workplaces before the assessment via questionnaires.
Follow-up calls may be made to the sources of background information, if required.
Assessments and/or tutoring cannot go ahead until sufficient background information is provided.

For all diagnostic assessments:

Assessees must have had an eye test with a suitably qualified professional within the last two years prior to assessment. Failure to provide evidence of this will lead to the assessment being delayed.
Any traits of visual difficulties and discomforts, such as text moving and blurring, should be discussed with a suitably qualified optometrist before the assessment.
If the assessee has a prescription for glasses or contacts, these must be worn during the assessment or the assessment cannot go ahead.
If the assessee uses coloured overlays, these must be used during the assessment.
If the assessee experiences hearing difficulties, these need to have been investigated with a suitably qualified professional and discussed with ADS prior to assessment.
If the assessee requires aids for hearing, they must wear these during the assessment.
The assessee must have been speaking English regularly and lived in an English-speaking country for at least 7 years prior to the assessment date. They must also be able to read and write in English. This is because many of the tests are centred in English speaking culture.
Discuss any additional needs or accommodations with ADS prior to assessment (please see Accessibility Statement).
All assessment content, papers and processes must remain confidential and must not be shared by you with anyone else.

Follow-up tests may be needed, with no additional charge.

A report will be written within 15 working days, unless otherwise agreed.

A post-assessment session will be arranged with the client at no extra charge.

Assessees under 18 will not be left unattended during tuition or assessments and a responsible guardian must remain, in accordance with the ADS Safeguarding Policy.
Due to the need for concentration, siblings or other relatives cannot be accommodated in addition to the assessee's chosen person.
Payment ensures an assessment for dyslexia or an evaluation of needs within the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC) guideline but it does not guarantee a diagnosis of dyslexia.
Full cooperation is essential. Failure to do so may result in termination of the assessment and the client charged the full fee.
If the assessee becomes distressed during the assessment process, the session may be paused or postponed.

Additional conditions for online diagnostic assessments:

You must be alone and in a private place away from interruptions, noises and distractions (specific terms and conditions apply for under 18s and vulnerable adults – please refer to our Safeguarding Policy).
You will need a sufficient internet connection and a laptop, desktop computer or large tablet (9.7” diagonally and over) with a suitable microphone, camera and audio.
Small tablets and mobile phones are not suitable for the majority of the assessment, however, a second camera device will be required to observe writing tasks.
You will need adequate charge for several hours of testing.

The assessment will be completed using an online platform such as Teams or Zoom; it is your responsibility to ensure that you can access this platform before the assessment takes place.
Test papers will be posted to the client in good time prior to the day of testing.
The envelope containing test papers MUST remain sealed until the assessor gives verbal permission to open it once the assessment appointment begins.
You must not record the remote session, nor take any screenshots or photos of testing materials or the assessor. If this behaviour is suspected, the assessor will immediately end the assessment and it will be void. The client will still be required to pay the full cost of the assessment.
All test papers must be returned to the assessor. This includes if the assessment does not go ahead for any reason.

Exam Access Arrangements Assessments

ADS will maintain knowledge of JCQ regulations and current assessment tools.
They will liaise with the SENDCo and assess learners in accordance with their history and needs.
Schools are responsible for completing Form 8, Part 1 before the assessment and arranging the day’s timetable.
ADS will maintain an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate on the update service. The certificate number will be provided upon request.

Reports

Reports will be completed within 15 working days and sent securely via a password-protected sharing platform.
ADS will make every effort to send the report within the stated time limit but does not accept liability for failure to deliver within the sated time where circumstances are beyond reasonable control.
Amendments to background information only must be requested within 30 calendar days of receiving the report. After this time, the report is considered final.
Reports will not be released until payment has been received in full.

Education and Workplace Support Packages

The minimum duration of the package is three terms for educational establishments or six months for businesses. Visits must be spread over these terms and cannot be carried over unless agreed with ADS. Follow-up work must be part of contracted visits or chargeable extras. Invoices are sent at the start of the contract, and payments must be made within 7 days. A 20% deposit is required to secure bookings. On booking the package, a 14-day cooling-off period applies and the deposit will be returned if the package is cancelled. After that, no refund is permitted. Unspent visits within the package will not be refunded or carried over unless agreed with ADS.

Intellectual Property

All training materials, reports, and resources provided by ADS remain the intellectual property of Sarah Hickinbotham, unless otherwise agreed. Education establishments receive a non-exclusive license to use these materials for internal purposes only.

Code of Ethics

ADS is an Associate Member of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA), the Professional Association of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (PATOSS), the Dyslexia Guild, and SASC and abides by their codes of ethics. For more information , please refer to the each organisation's Code of Ethics.

ADS respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. All personal data will be handled in line with our Privacy Notice, which is available on this website.

Limitation of Liability

Whilst every effort is made to provide high-quality, evidence-based diagnostic assessment and research-informed tutoring and training, no guarantees can be made regarding outcomes, diagnoses, or acceptance of reports by external bodies (e.g. local authorities, organisations, private enterprises, universities, Student Finance England, etc.). It is the client's responsibility to confirm in advance whether the report format will meet specific institutional requirements.

Safeguarding

Sarah Hickinbotham holds an Enhanced DBS certificate and is committed to safeguarding all children, young people, and adults. Safeguarding concerns raised before, during, or after the assessment will be followed up in line with statutory guidance and may be reported to the appropriate authorities if necessary. For more information, please read the Safeguarding Policy available on this website.

Complaints

For concerns relating to any service provided by ADS, please contact us for an informal discussion. If unresolved, the ADS complaints procedure is available.

General

ADS reserves the right to alter these terms and conditions at any time. These Terms and Conditions prevail unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Last reviewed: 17/05/25