With one in five learners in further education now declaring a learning difficulty or disability – a proportion that has risen for four consecutive years – providers are under real pressure to identify and support needs systematically, not reactively. Ofsted’s new inspection framework, which includes a dedicated inclusion grade for the first time, raises the stakes further: inspectors want evidence of a culture of early and accurate identification, not a stack of referral letters.
The problem is that ‘assessment’ means very different things to different people, and the terminology used by psychologists, specialist assessors, Ofsted, and FE professionals doesn’t always align. This guide untangles the key concepts, explains when each type of assessment is appropriate, and describes the referral pathway that every post-16 provider should have in place.
What is cognitive screening?
Cognitive screening – sometimes called initial needs assessment – is a brief, structured process designed to identify whether a learner may have areas of cognitive challenge that could affect their ability to learn. It is not a diagnosis. It does not tell you definitively that a learner has dyslexia, ADHD, or dyscalculia. What it does is provide an evidence-based signal: this learner’s profile warrants closer attention and targeted support.
A good cognitive screening tool is fast, accessible, and can be used with all learners at the start of a programme – not just those who raise their hand or are flagged by a concerned tutor. This matters enormously, because research consistently shows that many learners with specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) do not self-identify. Some have masked their difficulties successfully for years. Others were never assessed at school, particularly those from lower-income households; data from the British Dyslexia Association shows that children from higher-income families are far more likely to have received a formal diagnosis than those from less affluent backgrounds. By the time a learner arrives at a college or training provider, the absence of a prior diagnosis tells you very little about the absence of a need.
Screening tools vary widely in their sophistication and the cognitive domains they assess. The most robust are grounded in established psychometric frameworks, such as the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model, and measure a range of abilities including working memory, processing speed, phonological awareness, and visual-spatial reasoning. These are the cognitive building blocks that underpin most learning and assessment tasks, and weaknesses in any of them can have significant consequences for how a learner engages with their programme.
Crucially, a screening does not require a qualified psychologist to administer. It can be delivered digitally, at scale, and at the point of enrolment; making it a realistic option for providers working with large and diverse learner cohorts.
What is a diagnostic assessment?
A diagnostic assessment is a much more in-depth process, typically conducted by a qualified specialist assessor – either a specialist teacher holding a current Assessment Practising Certificate (APC) or a practitioner psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). It takes three to four hours to complete and results in a detailed written report that can formally identify, or rule out, specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, or dyspraxia.
The report produced by a diagnostic assessment carries significant weight. It is accepted as evidence for the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), for examination access arrangements under JCQ guidelines, and increasingly by employers when considering reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010. For learners going on to higher education, a post-16 diagnostic report is a prerequisite for many forms of specialist support.
The cost of a diagnostic assessment reflects its depth. A specialist teacher assessment typically runs from around £350 to £500; a full educational psychologist assessment can reach £700 or more. Waiting times can be significant. Some assessment centres report waiting lists of several months, though the landscape varies by region. For providers managing large cohorts, commissioning a diagnostic assessment for every learner with a possible need is neither practical nor necessary.
The referral pathway explained
Understanding the relationship between screening and diagnosis helps providers build a proportionate, defensible, and learner-centred approach. The pathway below is not prescriptive – your context will shape the detail – but it reflects best practice in post-16 SEND identification.
| Stage | What happens and why |
|---|---|
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Step 1: Universal screening at enrolment |
Every learner completes a cognitive screening at the start of their programme. This removes reliance on self-identification and tutor observation alone. Results are reviewed by the learning support or SEND team. Learners are categorised into those with no identified indicators, those with indicators in specific cognitive areas, and those flagged for urgent follow-up. |
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Step 2: Immediate targeted support |
For learners with identified indicators, support should begin immediately before any further assessment is arranged. The Equality Act 2010 requires providers to make reasonable adjustments based on identified need. A screening result is sufficient evidence of need to trigger low-level adjustments: extended time for tasks, access to assistive technology, a learning support plan, and tutor briefings on the learner’s cognitive profile. |
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Step 3: Monitoring and review |
In many cases, targeted support based on screening results will be sufficient. Learning support staff monitor how the learner responds to adjustments over a period of weeks. If the learner is making good progress and engaging well, further assessment may not be required – unless the learner is seeking DSA funding or access arrangements that require a formal report. |
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Step 4: Referral for diagnostic assessment |
Referral to a specialist assessor is appropriate where: a formal report is needed for DSA or access arrangements; the learner and/or provider wants a definitive identification to inform a more specialist support plan; the learner’s difficulties are complex and the screening results alone don’t provide sufficient guidance for support; or the learner is preparing for progression to HE. Referral should be accompanied by the screening results and a summary of the support already provided. |
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Step 5: Post-diagnosis support planning |
Following a diagnostic assessment, the resulting report should be used to update the learner’s support plan, brief the relevant tutors, and, where appropriate, inform an EHCP review or DSA application. The screening result remains useful context alongside the diagnostic report. |
Do you need a diagnosis to provide support?
This is the question that stops many providers in their tracks, and the answer is clearly no.
Under the Equality Act 2010, all FE providers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled learners, including those with specific learning difficulties. Critically, this duty is not contingent on a formal diagnosis. A learner who presents with clear indicators of dyslexia – identified through screening, tutor observation, or their own account – is entitled to reasonable adjustments regardless of whether a diagnostic assessment has been completed.
In practice, this means providers can and should act on screening results. Adjustments such as extended time for written tasks, provision of digital text-to-speech tools, breaking down written instructions, or providing audio-recorded versions of key content can all be put in place based on identified cognitive indicators. Waiting for a diagnosis before making any adjustments is not only legally questionable – it often means weeks or months during which a learner is trying to engage with their programme without the support they need.
Where a formal diagnostic report is specifically required – for DSA funding, for JCQ access arrangements, or for an EHCP – providers should support learners to access this, including by signposting to funded options where available. But the report is a gateway to specific resources, not a prerequisite for day-to-day inclusive practice.
Putting the pathway into practice
For many providers, the barrier to implementing this model is not the diagnostic stage, it is the initial screening stage. Without a systematic tool that can be used at scale with all learners, providers remain dependent on tutor referrals and learner disclosure. Both of these mechanisms have significant blind spots: tutors may not recognise cognitive indicators in the absence of explicit training, and learners who have masked their difficulties for years are unlikely to raise their hand in week one.
A cognitive screening tool that is fast, engaging, and accessible across devices removes this barrier. When every learner completes a 15-30 minute assessment at the start of their programme, providers gain a consistent, comparable data set that makes it possible to identify who needs support, in which cognitive areas, and at what level – before difficulties have had a chance to affect engagement, confidence, or outcomes.
The assessment alone doesn’t complete the picture. What matters is what happens next: how results are interpreted, how support is planned, and how the referral pathway is communicated to learners, tutors, and employers. Screening is the beginning of a conversation with each learner about their cognitive profile and what support will help them succeed – not a box-ticking exercise.
Aptem Assess is a cognitive screening tool designed specifically for post-16 learners. Built on the Cattell-Horn-Carroll model of cognitive abilities and developed by Chartered Psychologists following British Psychological Society guidelines, it assesses eight key cognitive areas in an average of 15 minutes. Results are available immediately through an admin portal, with interpretation guides to support learning support teams in translating results into targeted support plans. It is accepted by the Department for Education and is used by FE colleges, apprenticeship providers, and universities across England.
If you’re building or reviewing your provider’s approach to learning needs identification, the first step is understanding your current baseline. How many of your learners might have unidentified cognitive needs right now? Aptem Assess makes it straightforward to find out.
Sources and further reading
British Dyslexia Association, ‘Set up for somebody else’: Young people with dyslexia in the education system (October 2025)
DfE / Ofsted, New Education Inspection Framework — inclusion grade guidance (November 2025)
SASC, Format for a Post-16 Years Diagnostic Assessment Report for Specific Learning Difficulties (2019)
McLoughlin, D & Doyle (2017) — cited in Aptem Assess product documentation re: 20% of adult learners with non-statemented learning difficulties
Equality Act 2010, Section 20: Duty to make reasonable adjustments
FE News, ‘Invisible Learners: The Challenge of Undiagnosed Neurodiversity in FE and HE’ (September 2025)