PRESS RELEASE

Volcanic Ash to Gold Dust
The recent events with the Volcanic Ash has caused concerns all round but CPD Bytes would like to suggest a solution that could turn the ash into Gold Dust.  

A number of Councils are requesting school staff who missed school because of the disrupted air travel to undertake additional duties in order to make up this time. Given the current workload of most teaching staff, this approach raises issues of how and when this can be done. CPD Bytes would like to suggest that - instead of manufacturing tasks for education staff, you encourage them to take on additional CPD time - a win-win approach that will benefit both staff (improved professional skills) and become Gold Dust for the Council. 

A CPD Bytes online course will deliver:
  • courses available for both teaching and support staff
  • an electronic log of the time spent on the course
  • issue of a CPD certificate describing the learning outcomes of each course
  • staff can do this pay ‘back time’ at a time and place that suits them
  • Learning Teaching Scotland registered CPD providers
  • great value for money, at £10 per person per course

We are making this offer in conjunction with our Corporate Client Scheme where the council chooses how many staff they want to participate at only £10 per member of staff. This would give that number of staff access to any of our online courses for a full year.

What Sir Jackie has to say.............

 SPCTraining in dyslexia is being introduced to all Teacher Training colleges in Scotland.  However, an even bigger challenge is the training of teachers already out in the field, with no previous experience in early recognition of children with learning difficulties, or knowledge of how to assist them.  I therefore welcome this online training initiative from CPD Bytes, that West Lothian Council has recognised as the way forward for their schools. It has been suggested that one in five children are still leaving primary school unable to read or write correctly, and with recent Government funded research clearly showing a
link between children failing and dyslexia, it is clear that if we want to remain a nation proud of our education system, we have to tackle the issue of dyslexia head on.
Comment from Sir Jackie Stewart, President of Dyslexia Scotland

Published in Dyslexia Awareness Week:  3rd- 9th November 2008

Sir Jackie Stewart commends new online dyslexia training courses where an unlimited number of teachers can be trained at one time!

Sir Jackie Stewart, racing legend who is dedicated to improving education for dyslexic children throughout Scotland, today praised a new initiative enabling all teachers to receive training in dyslexia.  Sir Jackie Stewart was the driving force behind dyslexia training becoming compulsory for all new trainee teachers in Scotland.


HMIe Report Published 28 October 2008
A report by HMIe, released on 28 October 2008, identified the content and quality of courses on additional support needs and the extent of professional development in schools and across authorities as areas requiring development.

CPD Bytes offers a solution - not just for the UK but overseas too
Alasdair Andrew from CPD Bytes stated, “It is clear that there is a huge demand from teachers throughout the UK for training in dyslexia.  Our courses will be developed for all UK education sectors and will also include English speaking schools overseas.  Since the research indicates just how many teachers are keen for dyslexia training, it became obvious to us that online training was the best way to reach to as many teachers as possible.”

The online format of courses

  • enables unlimited numbers of teachers to be trained at the same time
  • offers a popular self-paced approach to learning
  • provides a cost-effective alternative to other CPD formats
  • are fully interactive allowing teachers to communicate directly with the tutor and many other professionals undertaking the course
  • are ideal for teachers from remote areas throughout the country who otherwise need several days out of school to attend courses


Technical Director of CPD Bytes, Alasdair Andrew, commented 'We are currently developing a portfolio of online dyslexia courses and are delighted to launch with Hidden Dyslexia - an essential course for all teachers wishing to raise their awareness of how dyslexia can be masked in the classroom environment and discover the impact of unrecognised dyslexia on learning and behaviour.  We have received excellent feedback so far.  Teachers enjoy the flexibility of being able to study at a time, place and pace that suits them.  They like the fact that they are led to further reading and research at a click of a button and are pleased to be able to join interactive forums where they can share ideas with other professionals and have contact with the course tutor'

'We are a small team with a shared interest in dyslexia and are committed to providing high quality training for teachers throughout the UK and beyond'  Alasdair added.


West Lothian teachers discover the benefits of CPD Bytes’ online training in Dyslexia at a special course preview on 7th November 2008


On 7th November a group of teachers from schools throughout West Lothian previewed the new online course Hidden Dyslexia which will be rolled out throughout the region shortly.

 Comment from Gordon Ford, Director of Education and Cultural Services, West Lothian Council
West Lothian Council is committed to delivering the highest quality education for all our children and young people.  The provision of well designed continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities is essential in ensuring that our teaching workforce continues to develop skills that enable teachers to support the needs of all learners.   The provision of online training enables all West Lothian teachers to access good quality CPD in Dyslexia at a time and place suited to their professional development.

Why training on dyslexia is needed
Dyslexia is a complex condition and children often find coping strategies that mask the symptoms.  Dyslexia is often misdiagnosed as other problems –e.g. behaviour problems or developmental delay. 
Recent research shows that less than 14 per cent of teachers feel confident that they can recognise a dyslexic child in their class. Less than nine per cent feel confident that they can teach one, and four out of five teachers would like dyslexia training.

CPD Bytes, a new online training provider for teachers, is developing a range of courses specifically tailored for an e-learning format by LTS registered CPD providers.  They are launching this month with Hidden Dyslexia, by Moira Thomson - a highly regarded training course for all teachers wishing to raise their awareness of how dyslexia can be masked in the classroom environment and discover the impact of unrecognised dyslexia on learning and behaviour.