Learning Support

Bit of a grey area unfortunately as the ESFA are somewhat reluctant to explicitly specify what can and cannot be claimed for as every apprentice will be subject to different circumstances. I'd suggest this, whilst being a bit old, is a worthwhile read - Exploring the funding and support for apprentices with additional support needs (publishing.service.gov.uk)

If it's not a learning difficulty that you can classify, then it's unlikely to be fundable. "Lacking confidence" in and of itself doesn't sound like a learning difficulty to me, it sounds like something that a lot/most learners need to learn?

Cognassist are doing some interesting work about how we can identify and help neuro diverse learners, although this doesn't automatically mean you can generate Learning Support for them.

[full disclosure: I happened to have a chat to Louise from Cognassist yesterday, but I'm not being paid by them and have neither used nor do I endorse their product]

Thanks for your reply, Steve. 

I'd be interested in seeing more on this as it's often an area people struggle with.

The definition in the Act referred to in the funding rules is:

a person has a learning difficulty if—

(a)the person has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of persons of the same age, or

(b)the person has a disability which either prevents or hinders the person from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided by institutions providing education or training for persons who are over compulsory school age.

As long as you carry an assessment to identify any learning support that applies to those in the above definition then this would be acceptable under the funding rules.

HTH

There's only one caveat in the next subsection:

4)But a person is not to be taken to have a learning difficulty solely because the language (or form of language) in which the person is or will be taught is different from a language (or form of language) which has at any time been spoken in the person's home.

So, needing English support alone isn't a de facto learning difficulty.

Thanks Martin.

I looked at the Act and felt point A could be quite subjective and that's why I wondered if anyone had some good information on this. In the example of lack of confidence, couldn't it be argued that someone with less confidence than the average learner would have greater difficulty in learning?

Agree its not a learning difficulty in those specific circumstances Steveh has quoted but where it is not you can claim for learning support and that could include extremes in lack of confidence above that of normal.

HTH

I think that's a bit of stretch myself...over the years I have seen many Providers try to stretch this particular point. Indeed, I remember being marched in front of a  College Principalship that were a Lead Provider of ours (at a previous Organisation I worked for)  to justify why we were claiming LSF for Hay Fever!  There's enough pickles to avertedly get into in this Sector without creating potential new ones, so my advice is the same as I gave Pupils at Give Way signs, as a Driving Instructor...If in doubt...Don't!

I don't know, I think *where it is definitely costing you more money* to deliver to one learner than the rest of their cohort that we should do what we can to make sure we can provide that support to give the learner the best chance of succeeding without bankrupting ourselves? Yes, there will always be variation in a group, but where that variation is a proper outlier have we done what we can to support the learner?

We know as well that it's historically underclaimed on Apps vs classroom (even in the same provider)...

I suppose this kind of goes back to my favourite maxim though:

If it sounds like a fiddle, don't do it ;)

Ben James was just searching for information on ALS funding and came across this post, albeit from a year ago -  is the guidance you provided a link to still relevant as it is from 2018?

Thanks, Christine