Following the 3 tier delivery model of the Outreach Partnership, the Cognition and Learning Outreach Development Service is a small team of Cognition and Learning Officers with specialist knowledge and experience in helping to support learning difficulties. Cognition refers to the mental processes involved in acquiring, processing, and understanding knowledge. This includes attention, memory, reasoning, and information processing. 

What the Cognition and Learning Service does: 

We provide training and advice for schools to help them support and meet the needs of students with Cognition and Learning difficulties.  

Tier 1: Schools can engage in the universal offer of whole-school and SENCO training (training schedule can be found at the bottom of this page) 

Tier 2: Schools can request specific training after engaging in the universal offer. 

Tier 3: Schools can refer for support with individuals. Support may include curriculum planning, environment mapping and specific psychometric assessments. 

The service provides a variety of support methods which are personalised both to the needs of the pupil and the setting. We are a needs-led service, so the level of support varies. 

Schools must have engaged in the universal training offer before making referrals. For individual referrals schools must show evidence of the graduated response, quality first teaching and personalised learning plans when referring. 

Who do we support: 

Pupils between age 3 and 18 in mainstream settings who are identified as having Cognition and Learning difficulties. This can include students who are experiencing difficulties with: 

Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD): e.g. Dyslexia; Dyscalculia 

Moderate to Severe learning difficulties: Pupils with intellectual impairments requiring support across most of the academic curriculum. 

Cognitive/Processing Impairments: difficulties with executive functions such as short-term memory and sequencing.  

The Cognition and Learning Outreach service does not support individuals with gaps in learning as a result of other areas of need, school absence, behavioural issues or neurodiversity.