Learning Difficulty Assessment (LDA) Guidance Notes on Completion

Introduction

This guidance documentation has been written to give practical advice to schools and professionals completing the Learning Difficulty Assessment (LDA) for learners with learning difficulties and disabilities. This should be used in conjunction with the statutory guidance for Local Authorities on Learning Difficulty Assessments (Section 139a) please see the Department for Education website and download the guidance documentation from the link:

Some key principles from the LDA statutory guidance

  • Local authorities must use the evidence from the LDA to make consistent, effective and robust decisions that will support the young person to move towards positive outcomes.
  • The LDA report must be specific about the level of need required and the support and learning provision required to meet those needs.
  • The LDA should have a specific focus on the learning programme that is required to enable the young person to progress towards greater independence and where appropriate employment.
  • The LDA should take account of the young person’s aspirations and views.
  • The LDA should build on the views, and where appropriate, expertise of other people who have already supported the person being assessed.
  • Unless the learner/parent/carer has expressly refused permission, the local authority should share the LDA with the college or other education or training provider and do so in sufficient time to ensure provision and support are in place from the outset.
  • The local authority should ensure that the young person and their parents/carers understand the Learning Difficulty Assessment process and the decisions that are made as part of that process.
  • LDAs should be shared with the young person and/or their parents or carers.
  • Local authorities should ensure that the young person and their parent/carers are aware of the duties and powers a local authority has in relation to learners with learning difficulties or disabilities, the procedure for obtaining a LDA and the complaints process.
  • The LDA should provide robust and impartial information.

Section 2 of the MOP

Section 2 of the combined MOP and Annual Review documentation is the Learning Difficulty Assessment (LDA). The LDA is the statutory and legal document conducted under Section 139A of the Learning and Skills Act 2000. The purpose of the LDA is to identify the young person's needs and suitable Post 16 provision to meet those needs. For more details please see introduction of this paper and follow the link attached.

LDA Part a – Identifying needs and the support required to meet those needs

My Difficulties and Disabilities – (Please ☒all that apply and indicate the primary difficulty)
☐Academic/Learning
☐Attendance
☐Behaviour
☐Medical and Health
☐Mental Health
☐Mobility
☐Personal Care and Hygiene
☐Personal and Social Relationships / ☐ Personal Safety and Vulnerability
☐ Physical Difficulty/Disability
☐ Sensory Impairment
☐ Other (for example a young carer)
If other, please specify below:

Recommended additional or specialist support required to meet identified needs and access the curriculum.
(Please ☒all that apply)
☐Additional Tuition
☐In Class Support (1 to 1)
☐In Class Support (Shared)
☐Personal care support
☐Equipment
☐Transition Mentor
/ ☐Independence training
☐Therapy and/or counselling
☐Ability to travel independently
☐Health/medical support
☐Speech and Language therapy
☐Social skills/behaviour management
☐Transitions Social Worker
☐Other (please specify below):
Please give any specific details of the support provision needed. For example the number of hours of 1-1 support or particular areas of the curriculum it is needed, the type and frequency of therapy, and the type of equipment (mobility, communication etc.)

Agencies that I am working with – please indicate the lead professional if applicable:
Current Report attached (within last 2 years) / Current Report attached (within last 2 years)
☐ Behaviour support worker
☐ Educational psychologists
☐ Education Welfare Service
☐ Health Professionals
☐ Learning mentor
☐ Looked After Children Service
☐ Mental Health Specialists / Yes
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐ / No
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐ / ☐ Physiotherapy service
☐ Sensory impairment service
☐ Social Services
☐ Speech and language therapy
☐ Youth Engagement Team
☐ Youth Offending Team
☐Other - if other, please specify / Yes
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐ / No
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐

LDA Part b – Identifying the type of learning programme, type of additional support and the type of provider to meet the needs identified in part 1.

Description of the type of learning programme required that will enable me to work towards achieving my goals, progress towards greater independence and meet my personal and individual needs (learning, health, social care, vocational). Include short and long term goals:

Type of provision identified as the most appropriate to meet my personal and individual needs (name of the Provider and the Learning Programme); including reasons why, where my needs cannot be met locally: Please note that this is a recommendation and does not constitute an agreement that placement will be made at the identified provision. Placement is subject to agreement by the Local Authority and in consultation with the appropriate provisions who will advise if they can meet the young person’s needs.

Student / Parent/Carer / School
Continue education at the current school in post 16 provision
Continue education at a different school in post 16 provision /
Continue education at a local FurtherEducationCollege (FE College)
Continue Education at an Alternative Learning Provider
Apprenticeship or other training
Employment
Continuing in education at a specialist day or residential specialist college (ISP)
Has a provision been secured?
☐Yes ☐ No
If NO, what action needs to be taken and who is responsible for this action?

LDA Part C – Predicted Level of Support needed by me at my Post16/19 Placement

Please indicate ☒the predicted level of support needed by this Young Person in Post-16 provision:
Level One: this Young Person requires additional support >£5K and <£19K that will be funded from the Additional Learning Support available to Post 16/19 placements (further education college or work related learning placement) as part of their allocation from the Education Funding Agency (EFA) / ☐
Level Two: this Young person requires a higher level of support >£19K, with the additional costs above £19K, negotiated on their behalf with a Post 16/19 placement (further education college or work related learning placement) and funded by the Learner’s with Learning Difficulties or Disabilities (LLDD) Specialist Placement Budget from the EFA. / ☐
Level Three: this Young Person requires a Specialist Placement with both programme of learning and support negotiated on their behalf and funded as part of the LLDD Specialist Placement budget from the EFA, which includes provision at Independent Specialist Providers (ISPs) where this Young Person’s needs cannot be met locally. / ☐

Other Key information to help when completing the Learning Difficulty Assessment and Moving on Plan:

Who should contribute?

It is good practice to include contributions from all or some of the following people depending on who is involved with the individual:

-Young Person

-Parents or carers of the young person (where appropriate)

-School the young person attends or previously attended

-Social Worker (if young person has a named Social Worker)

-Health Professionals (if the young person is working with Healthand contributions are able to be gained)

-Educational Psychologist

-Any other relevant professionals working with the individual

These contributions can come from discussion at the Transitional/ Annual review or written evidence such as a medical report or professional assessment.

What Evidence can inform the LDA?

Evidence can come from a variety of sources to inform the LDA. If an individual is Statemented then evidence from theirstatement of SEN must be included, however you should be mindfulabout the relevance of statements which are out of date or written prior to starting secondary education. The statement should be reviewed as part of the combined MOP and Annual Review.

Other evidence can come from:

-Transitional Review

-Annual Review

-Parent/ Carer views (this can come from the Transition/ AnnualReview, a separate meeting or a letter)

-Guidance Action Plan (this identifies career aims)

-Individual Education Plan (School)

-Behaviour Management Plan (School)

-Educational Psychologist Report

-Leaving Care Plan (Social Services)

-Personal Education Plan (Social Services)

-Social Care Assessment (Social Services)

-Health Assessment (for example of on-going medical needs)

-Any other relevant supporting evidence

Evidence must be relevant to support the needs of the individual and outline the support they require in order to reach their full potential. All information should be backed by evidence and evidence should be sent to Local Authority and the provider to support the application process and identification of additional support.