Assessment in school

This service is for any student who has problems using a standard computer, and can also help students with reading and writing problems.

Why an assessment

A wide variety of children can benefit from an assessment of IT needs:

any child who already has a statement of special educational needs (SEN) and may have been allocated learning support, can significantly increase their independent learning and academic achievements with appropriately adapted IT
any child who has reading, spelling or writing issues, often associated with dyslexia or dyspraxia, or a child with English as a second language, can often get round problems by making simple adjustments and adaptations to school and home computer
with increased independence and achievements, teachers and support assistants’ time is freed up to be used even more productively

"Their professionalism and expertise is always impressive…at an assessment it was obvious that the consultant had meticulously researched the child’s situation beforehand, making the appointment easier to manage for both child and school staff." Judy Hiscox, Student Assessment Service, Cambridgeshire County Council.

Simply call our Advice and Information service.

IT has become a valued teaching aid, but any disability, including unseen issues with vision or learning, can make using and reading from a standard computer difficult or uncomfortable, which in turn affects attitudes to work. Disruptive younger students are often those who are struggling and developing avoidance strategies.

The assessment process ensures that students with additional support needs or disabilities can use IT appropriately. Essential to the student’s success is both selecting the most appropriate equipment and understanding how it will be used.

An assessment by AbilityNet

We have extensive experience of working with students’ ICT requirements through work within the Communication Aids Project (CAP) and with parents, schools, local authorities and other professionals working with children and young adults.

The AbilityNet assessment consists of a number of stages. These are designed to ensure that not only do we reach the right solution for the student but a solution that will work within the learning environment:

gathering information before the assessment - where available previous documentation and reports on the student are reviewed in preparation for the assessment and visit
drawing together a team of those involved in supporting the child - this might include teachers, SENCos, IT support, specialist support services from both health and education and. not least. the parents
discussion with the support team - to gain a clear understanding of the child, their needs and the desired outcomes from the assessment. Here we will also build a picture of the environment in which the solution will be operating
observing the student at work - this may be discreet classroom observation and will certainly involve one-to-one work with the student in the assessment room
exploring solutions - this will involve demonstration and hands-on trial of a range of relevant hardware and software solutions
discussing and agreeing the recommendations - this discussion would likely include target setting and the discussion of strategies and support needed to ensure a successful implementation of the solutions selected

Assessment options

Schools and authorities are able to select a service which matches both the needs of the student and budgetary considerations. There are three levels of service available:

Full assessment with report. This report would give extensive background on the individual and the assessment process. It would detail the options explored and give full rationale for the final recommendations. The strategies and support needed to ensure successful implementation of the solutions would be fully outlined and the report can include targets which could be linked with the student’s IEP.
Full assessment and report with follow-up independence, inclusion and achievement review visit. The assessment and report would be as outlined above but we would revisit the child after six months or so to conduct a review and implement steps to ensure that the student was able to gain maximum benefit from their equipment. Here we would make any necessary tweaks to the system, giving additional tips on using it and also look at teaching and learning strategies which could be employed to maximise the impact of the technology for the student.
Multiple assessments in one day. We can conduct up 2 full assessments or 4 mini assessments at the same location in one day. For mini assessments we will have less time with the child and the report will be much shorter - outlining just the recommended solutions with prices and suppliers. It will also give a short overview of the strategies suggested to support implementation.

Costs

Full assessment and standard report - £545 plus travel

Full assessment and report with follow-up independence and achievement review visit - £750 plus travel

Multiple assessments day - £850 plus travel

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