About Patricia Fitzgerald

BAHons/PGCE/PostGrad Hdip SpLD/AMBDA/SpLD APC

Born in North Tipperary and attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart Secondary School, later emigrated and now returned to the area around Lough Derg in North Tipperary.

I’ve been in the field of education for over twenty years. With an Honours degree from Middlesex University in English Literary Studies and Education, I trained as a teacher in the University of East London. I spent most of my teaching career in very large inner city London schools. I have also taught in smaller schools in the leafy suburbs of Kent and East Sussex. Positions held within schools ranged from Literacy Leader in the earlier part of my career to Inclusion Manager and Assistant Headteacher towards the middle and latter end. My work as Inclusion Manager required me to ensure that the needs of our most vulnerable children, those learners, for example, with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, language disorder, emotional and behavioural difficulties, English as a second language, speech and language difficulties, were being met in the classroom.

Through this work, I learnt a great deal about children and how they learn best. I became particularly interested in children who were struggling to learn to read despite a great deal of effort and adequate opportunity. This caused me to pursue a postgraduate course of study with the University of London(IOE) and accredited by the British Dyslexia Association, in the specific learning difficulty dyslexia. I am passionate about supporting the dyslexic learner to gain a full understanding of the advantages and opportunities presented by this learning difference.

I am a member of the Dyslexia Association of Ireland and the Dyslexia Guild. I am also an Associate Member of the British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA status) and full professional member.