Additional Support for Learning : Assessment
The assessment of additional support needs may be considered when a child faces difficulties that would hinder them from benefiting from education. The purpose of assessment is to determine what action needs to be taken to enable a child or young person to make appropriate educational progress.
Parents and carers have the right to request the Council to undertake a process of assessment to establish whether or not their child has additional support needs.
The Assessment of Additional Support Needs booklet (PDF, 362Kb) will help you understand what is involved in assessment and how to ask for this to be done. Copies are also available in all schools and nurseries and local libraries.
The Code of Practice describes what the process of assessment will involve.
In the Code, "Assessment is seen as an ongoing process of gathering, structuring and making sense of information about a child or young person, and their circumstances. The purpose of assessment ultimately is to help identify the actions required to maximise development and learning."
Assessment is about gathering the widest possible range of information about a child's strengths and about the difficulties they face in their education.
Where a parent or carer has concerns about the progress their child is making at school, they can ask the school to undertake this process of assessment. This has to be done in writing. An outline for such a letter to the school is given at the end of the booklet.
Private assessments which parents have paid for themselves form a part of the overall evidence that will be gathered from other aspects of the child's/young person's work across the school curriculum. It is the overall impact of all the information gathered that will be used to set out the actions that need to be taken to address the needs of the child/young person.
All primary and nursery schools are equipped to undertake specific assessment of dyslexia (PDF, 502Kb) using computer programmes to establish in more detail what a child's or young person's difficulties might be.
All schools and nurseries have a designated educational psychologist. Where appropriate, the psychologist will help the school to gather and make sense of information about a child's or young person's difficulties. The psychologist may also offer advice to school staff about the kinds of strategies and resources that may offer the best support.