Individual Learning Plan (ILP) Factsheet

Please read this leaflet carefully and in full

Will I automatically be awarded DSA support for additional Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD) tuition each year?

The DSA Office will not automatically awardsupport for additional SpLD tuition each year.SpLD (e.g. dyslexia) tuition teaches generic skills which can be transferred from module to module. Therefore, any additional SpLD tuition award will not be based on your level of study, the duration of your module/s or the number of assignments and/or exams you are required to complete in a given year.

It is important to note that the DSA Office does not expect students to need SpLD tuition for the duration of their studies. If you make a request for additional SpLD tuition, you will need to submit supporting evidence in the form of an Individual Learning Plan (ILP).

What is an ILP?

An ILP is not simply an overview of how you are affected by your SpLD, it is a record of how SpLD tuition hours have been used and why further hours are needed.

SpLD tuition should, in conjunction with any specialist equipment and/or software, aim to develop your skills for autonomy in the learning environment. The support should be tailored to your individual needs. This will require your professional SpLD tutor to formulate an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) with you. The ILP will show exactly how earlier DSA-funded support has been used. It will also set out any remaining goals and measurable timescales for achieving those goals.

What type of support should my SpLD tutor be providing?

A DSA award for SpLD tuition can only be used for professional support provided by a suitably qualified, skilled and experienced SpLD tutor who can develop your skills for autonomy in the learning environment. DSAs are not intended for the costs of extra academic tuition or support in the main subject area(s) being studied.

SpLD tuition is a highly specialised type of support. Your SpLD tutor should be teaching you techniques for overcoming your SpLD rather than carrying out tasks on your behalf. Your SpLD tutor should not be providing any other type of support, for example, proof reading, typing, structuring assignments, interpreting questions.

Who formulates the ILP?

You will work with your SpLD tutor to identify goals and targets related to your individual learning needs and styles. You will also set measurable timescales for achieving these goals. Your progress will bemonitored and reviewed jointly then recorded regularly in your ILP. Your professional SpLD tutor will be familiar with the process of formulating ILPs.

Why does the DSA Office need a copy of my ILP?

DSA can only be used for the cost of specialised individual support you are obliged to incur by reason of your disability. The aim of SpLD tuition is to maximise your abilities and remove the barriers caused by your SpLD. The DSA Office must satisfy itself that the associated cost is reasonable and appropriate.

Although the DSA Office does not expect students to need SpLD tuition for the duration of their studies, we realise that some students may need additional one to one specialist SpLD support as their qualification progresses. Requests like this are considered on a case-by-case basis.

The DSA Office may make a supplementary award for additional SpLD tuition. However, the DSA Office still expects the student’s need for SpLD tuition to reduce over the duration of their studies. Therefore, no DSA award can be made for additional SpLD tuition until the DSA Office receives evidence that you are benefitting from the SpLD tuition being provided by becoming more autonomous in your learning environment.The DSA Office also needs to establish that your SpLD tutor is not simply repeating the same SpLD tuition plan each academic year.

What must my ILP show?

The ILP mustinclude a section which clearly summarises:

  • Goals already achieved during previous SpLD tuition sessions. This must account for all the hours of SpLD tuition previously funded through your DSA.
  • All remaining goals
  • The specific number of additional hours being requested in which to achieve the remaining goals

We cannot consider an award for additional hours of SpLD tuition unless we receive all this essential information. An example of what we expect an ILP summary section to include is shown at the end of this fact sheet.

How will my ILP be used?

If your request for DSA funding for additional SpLD tuition is granted, the award will be based on the information provided in your ILP. The ILP will form the basis of any subsequent audit by the Government’s Department for Business Innovation and Skills (DBIS) or DSA Quality Assurance Group (QAG).

Can I have additional SpLD tuition before the DSA Office has made a supplementary award for the associated costs?

The DSA Office cannot prevent you from employing someone to carry out any type of study assistance, nor would we necessarily wish to do so. However, The DSA Office can only fund the help for which you have been formally awarded DSA support.

Although the DSA Office may sometimes provide funding for SpLD tuition, your SpLD tutor is employed by you. They are not employed by the Open University or DSA Office. As the employer of your SpLD tutor, you will be liable for all costs which have not be approved in advance by the DSA Office.

What should I do next?

If your ILP demonstrates that you need further SpLD tuition, please submit a copy to the DSA Office in order for an Awards Officer to consider a supplementary DSA award.

Please note that, if you make a further request for DSA funding for additional SpLD tuition in the future, you will need to submit an updated ILP. That updated ILP will need to show why you did not achieve your remaining goals within the timescales shown on your existing ILP and/or why any new goals were not identified earlier.

Below is an example of ILP summary sheet. Your own ILP summary sheet should set out clear baseline goals for support and a review point. Please note that the information in the box below is not a full ILP, it is simply an example of an ILP summary sheet.

Non-Subject Specific Dyslexia Tuition (one to one support)
Student: Annie Patterson
OU Personal Identifier: Q1234567
Hours used: 30
Goals achieved so far:
Research Strategies (2 hours)
Skimming, scanning, highlighting and summarising;
Composition Strategies (5 hours)
Organising research materials to form the basis of an essay;
Developing techniques for planning written responses;
Proofreading Strategies (4 hours)
Using structured proofreading strategies.
Note taking Strategies (10 hours)
Using the mapping or Cornell method to note information;
Following and discerning key points in discussions / lectures using active learning principles;
Time management Strategies (6 hours)
Organising files and study materials;
Examination Strategies (3 hours)
Techniques for pacing in examinations.
Additional hours requested in which to achieve remaining goals: 28
Goals remaining:
Research Strategies (7 hours)
Forming research mind maps, memory techniques.
Composition Strategies (7 hours)
Working systematically.
Note taking Strategies (7 hours)
Embellishing outline notes using research material (including recordings or downloaded material).
Time management Strategies (7 hours)
Managing / prioritising time within the context of coursework deadlines
Student (sign and date)
Tutor (sign and date)

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