Dear Colleagues,

SLC are proposing that quotes are tendered for delivery of study support 
for SpLD/ dyslexic students.

Below are my arguments about comparison of quotes as a method for making 
decisions about study support. I would be very interested to hear what 
anyone else thinks about the proposal for quotes.

To add to the recent discussion about fees: At a meeting last week, 
rates were said to show regional variations at a meeting recently, 
depending on the cost of living in different parts of the country.

Best wishes
Ginny Stacey

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For a quote you specify a price to deliver a particular product. Support 
tutors can state a rate of pay; they can outline their approach to 
support; but they cannot specify the outcome of support. The SpLD/ 
dyslexic group of students don’t learn by standard methods, to standard 
programmes or at standard rates. They have individual learning needs 
which only become apparent as their course develops; their precise needs 
can’t be specified at the outset, nor can the length of time needed to 
achieve the skills development that results in the student using their 
full potential.

I’ve know it happen that one student and I thought she had all skills in 
place and didn’t need support any more, but the next course presented 
her with considerable difficulties and it took a fair bit of time to get 
new skills developed and to get her confidence back.

The needs evaluation interview takes 1 – 3 hours for a dyslexic/ SpLD 
student. The assessor can get a feel for how well skilled a student 
sounds to be. Until the students encounter the new course they won’t 
know what problems they will face. They may not recognise where the SpLD 
is holding them back, either. So during the interview the student may 
not be able to give the assessor an accurate account of the needs that 
will be encountered during study.

As a needs assessor I found my recommendations ranged from:
is likely to need support throughout the course
through combinations of needing support during the first year, at the 
beginning of the second year and while doing a dissertation
to may not need support, but four sessions should be available 
immediately if problems arise; I would usually recommend a review by a 
support tutor. The emergency four sessions meant that problems could be 
dealt with as soon as possible and without having to wait while 
negotiations took place for DSA funding.

The aim of support is that the students become independent learners, but 
the hours and way of working needed to achieve this aim cannot be 
specified in advance, therefore quotes are not a suitable mechanism for 
making decisions about study support for SpLD/ dyslexic students. 
Setting up a system for quotes makes no sense to me at all.

[To the physicists amongst you: In quantum physics, if you don’t ask the 
right question about a system in the right way, you don’t get 
consistent, reliable answers. In a parallel way, the quotes idea for 
study support just doesn’t fit the reality of supporting students & 
won’t result in cost effective, reliable decisions about support.]

-- 
Dr Ginny Stacey
Research Associate, Stein Lab Group

Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics
Sherrington Building
Parks Road
Oxford OX1 3PT