About Us

Previously Senior Teacher/ and Special Needs Coordinator in a large comprehensive school in North Wales and now an independent consultant and trainer, Neil MacKay originated the phrase and the concept “Dyslexia Friendly Schools". He set up and managed the first specialist Dyslexia facility in the UK to be based in a secondary school and funded by the Local Education Authority, a resource described by the British Dyslexia Association as a “flagship provision.”

	Contact Us Highlands, Pen y Ball Hill, Holywell, Flintshire CH8 8SZ  Tel 01352 715700

As a consultant specialising in Dyslexia and other SEN issues Neil has worked with Education Departments of Hong Kong, Jersey, Guernsey and Malta on teacher training and awareness initiatives, with the British Army and RAF in Germany and the UK to develop dyslexia friendly approaches and materials and he has written part of the Army “Education For Promotion” Manual. Also he has run successful writing skills courses for children from the international community in Hungary. He is co-author of the joint DfES/BDA booklet “Achieving Dyslexia Friendly Schools,” a contributor to “Dyslexia – Successful Inclusion in the Secondary School” by Peer and Reid and “Dyslexia in Context – Research Policy and Practice” by Reid and Fawcett. Neil also wrote much of the latest “Dyslexia Friendly Schools” pack published by the BDA and his first book, “Removing Dyslexia as a Barrier to Achievement” is now available

As a trainer, lecturer and conference speaker Neil speaks at conferences throughout the UK and beyond and has presented a number of papers to the International Dyslexia Conferences in the UK in 1997, 2001and 2004, to the European Dyslexia Conference in Dublin and Dyslexia Scotland in 2004 and Iceland Reading Conference in 2005.

A Teaching Fellow at Trinity College Carmarthan, Neil writes and presents courses for teachers and lecturers. He is visiting Lecturer to the MEd (Specific Learning Difficulties) course at UCNW Bangor, Course Moderator for the CFPS award, Course Tutor for a University of Wales post-graduate qualification and Distance Learning Tutor for the Hornsby International Dyslexia Centre.

Neil is consultant to the British Dyslexia Association’s “Dyslexia Friendly Schools Initiative” and delivers training in schools, FE colleges and on behalf of LEAs across the UK and abroad. He is Consultant Trainer for national training organisations and works on a consultative basis with a number of LEAs to spearhead their dyslexia friendly schools initiatives. Neil liaises with schools and LEAs across the UK to develop inclusive practice for pupils with Dyslexia and other specific learning needs and is an ESTYN team inspector. Over the past three years he has provided whole school training for a majority of primary, secondary and special schools in Liverpool as part of the City’s ground breaking “Dyslexia Friendly Schools Initiative” and supporting Liverpool’s successful application to the BDA to be recognised as the UK’s first “Dyslexia Friendly” Local Authority.

Neil is available to provide world wide training and consultancy as required.