Frequently Asked Questions – Capturing Additional Barriers to Learning in Cognassist

What is included in this update?

This update allows tutors and SEND teams to record additional barriers to learning within the Tutor Report, even if these barriers were identified outside of the Cognassist cognitive assessment.

Once barriers are selected, relevant reasonable adjustments will be automatically recommended, helping tutors identify appropriate support more quickly.

What types of barriers to learning can be recorded?

You can select barriers from a predefined list across several categories, including:

• Neurodiversity
• Mental and emotional health
• Behavioural and social factors
• Literacy and numeracy
• Contextual barriers
• Cognitive differences outside of the Cognassist assessment

These barriers may be identified through sources such as EHCPs, prior diagnoses, tutor observations, or learner self-declaration.

Can this be used for learners who have not taken the Cognassist assessment?

Yes. One of the key benefits of this update is that you can record barriers and generate recommended reasonable adjustments even if a learner has not completed the cognitive assessment.

This means Cognassist can still support learners where barriers are already known.

How are recommended adjustments selected for a learner?

Recommended adjustments are generated based on the barriers to learning you select for the learner.

These adjustments appear alongside any adjustments already generated from the learner's Cognassist cognitive assessment, helping create a more complete support plan.

How are the adjustments developed?

All adjustments are curated by the Cognassist Cognitive Science team and supported by our internal LLM, ensuring they follow the same structure and quality as existing adjustments within the platform.

Each adjustment includes a clear breakdown aligned to the Ofsted "3 I's" framework:

• Intent – the purpose of the adjustment
• Implementation – how the support can be delivered
• Impact – how it can support the learner's progress

Where available, course details are also considered to make recommendations more relevant to the learner's context.

What if a learner's barrier to learning is not listed?

This first release includes a curated list of commonly identified barriers to learning.

We recognise that some learners may have more specific or unique circumstances, and work is already planned to support custom barriers to learning in a future release.

Where can barriers to learning be recorded?

Barriers can be added within the Tutor Report in two places:

• Review space – when reviewing a learner's report
• Presentation mode – when discussing support with the learner

This allows tutors to record barriers either independently or collaboratively with the learner.

Where will the adjustments appear?

Once barriers to learning have been selected, you will be able to review and choose recommended adjustments from the "All Adjustments" tab within the Reasonable Adjustments section of the Tutor Report.

Adjustments that you then assign to the learner will also be included in the PDF export of the Tutor Report, ensuring agreed support can be clearly recorded and shared where needed.

How can I see which barrier an adjustment relates to?

The adjustments table now shows linked barriers and cognitive domains directly within the list view.

For example, if an adjustment relates to Autism, the barrier will appear as a visible tag without needing to expand the adjustment.

This makes it easier to quickly identify adjustments relevant to specific barriers.

Is this feature available for all learners?

Yes. You can now open the Tutor Report for any learner and record known barriers to learning. Once barriers are selected, recommended adjustments will be generated automatically.

Will more functionality be added in the future?

Yes. This early access release is the first step towards capturing a fuller picture of learner support needs within Cognassist.

Future improvements will include features such as custom barriers to learning and additional ways to tailor adjustments.