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There is nothing to prevent the original assessor establishing a (relatively high) annual maximum for individual study skills support. The DO or dyslexia support tutor can then work within that, explaining with their invoices what the support was and why it was necessary. Of course, if the DO or others wish to increase the maximum, the LA is likely to refer the matter back to the original assessor. Alternatively, the assessor can refer the LA to the dysexia support tutor as the person best placed to guage the precise requirements of an individual student in this area. My standard phrasing for this is 'that is usual to allow students up to 40 hours a year of such support at a cost of up to £45 an hour.' I have yet to have a problem with any LA on this. There are two reasons for this: first, I am expected to guage what will be required over the next three to four years on unpredicatable courses (no one has any idea what modules a student will select moving through a degree). Secondly, these figures came out of a fractious debate between DOs, AOs and assessors several years ago. Support for the idea that these figures were accepted as being a standard might be inferred from the DSA Office of the OU (established shortly after the debate) which uses a maximum of 20 hours, the reasoning being that their students are part time. While I am aware of the labour-intensive nature of supporting some students, I blench at the higher charges for support I have heard of from some institutions and would be extremely reluctant to recommend them. I suspect the real probelm is not that LAs believe that students are being indulged but that some institutions are expoiting what has until now been a comparatively unregulated indirect income stream. As in virtually every matter of this kind, it would be helpful if people on all sides simply said what or who they thought were the real problems. That way we might devise some concrete solutions for particular situations rather than aiming for consensus on generalities that are meaningless to specific cases. I do not expect this to happen. Bernard Bernard Doherty Cambridge Access Centre LINDA WALKER <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Hi All Page 9 of the new (06/07) Bridging the Gap specifies "Your disability advisor should not carry out your DSA-needs assessment." Regards Linda Linda Walker Blackpool & The Fylde College HE Support Co-ordinator Tel: 01253 504357 minicom: 01253 355755 >>> [log in to unmask] 06/08/06 11:25 am >>> Dear All This question has not gone away. Having talked to an LEA this morning, they are intending to bring in a policy for 1:1 tuition based on a gospel truth attititude to the example of 23 hours quoted in Claire Jamieson's report. Despite the DfES assurance that recommendations will still be based on student need, we need to be more pro-active about this now or the implications for the next academic year are not pleasant. Is anyone actually doing anything about this with the powers that be?? Also, the LEA refuses to take Disability Officers recommendations and insists on going back to an Access Centre for even very small changes to recommendations - apparently DSOs are considered to have an interest if they are arranging a student's support. This is despite the DfES guidance to the contrary. Any comments? Regards Liz Liz Thompson Learning Support Officer Student Services University of Brighton Room 2, Manor House Moulsecoomb Place Brighton BN2 4GA Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com