Frequently Asked Questions...

Who can make a referral?

1st Class can accept referrals and requests from parents or schools (including colleges and nurseries). However, it is important that any parent wishing to have their child assessed discusses this with their child’s setting first. Any actions discussed during consultation or assessment feedback are likely to be much more accepted and successful if the setting is on board with the process. If a member of staff contacts 1^st Class to discuss involvement, the child must remain anonymous while the possible services are being discussed. In this way, settings can contact 1^st Class to determine which assessments would be appropriate, and then mention this to the child’s parents in a more informed way. Any requests for involvement that use the child’s information MUST have written permission from an adult with parental responsibility.

Prior to involvement, the setting making the referral needs to complete and send via email the 1st Class referral form, which can be found on the website. This ensures that those making a referral include the information that is useful to be shared at or before the first visit to school. You can download the form here. Parents wishing to refer will have already had an initial discussion with me by phone as to whether it is possible to use my services for their child. Following this, they can complete the referral form with as much detail as possible from their knowledge and perspective. 

Where will assessments take place? Do you assess children at home?

1st Class assessments will not take place in a child’s home or at my home. As outlined above, it is better for the child’s setting to be part of the process and, regardless of who has made the assessment request, it would normally be accepted by schools and nurseries that assessments are beneficial in helping the child make progress, therefore schools are usually very accepting of the assessment being done on the premises. It is better for the child to be in a familiar place, where all the items they may need are available and they can be given support from a familiar adult if this is possible in the assessment. Classroom observations are also extremely useful. Assessments will always be in person, not remotely, as I believe it is extremely important to be able to build rapport, carry out observations, hold discussions with the people involved with the child, see the child's environment and interactions, see examples of their work and support interventions etc, all of which require in person visits. Finally, depending on the type of assessment(s) done in school, feedback may be able to be given at the end of the visit. Whether the feedback meeting takes place the same day or a later date, it is again better if this occurs in school with the professionals who work with the child, as well as the parent(s).

Does it matter if you know the child already?

If the child being referred is someone I already know, that is up to the parent/carer whether or not they feel it is right for me to do the assessments. I have worked with children before who I have known, and with children I had not met before but whose parents I knew from other walks of life. I adhere to strict confidentiality, privacy and ethics codes therefore, as always, no information would be shared outside of the parties involved. Often, children feel much more at ease with somebody they know and will perform to their true ability in an assessment. It is best to give the parents the chance to make this decision. I have worked very successfully with parents I have known; they gave their permission prior to my involvement and felt comfortable during the meetings. Having somebody involved that they already know can be a benefit to some parents, especially if they may feel anxious about having other professionals involved in their child’s learning or about going into schools for meetings.

What assessments are available?

Please see the Services section of the website. As a general guide, assessments can be of learning abilities, learning styles and preferences, current levels of attainment, processing skills, and verbal and communication skills. If you require an assessment that is not mentioned, please get in touch as I may be able to offer it.

Do you prepare advice for EHCP requests?

Please see the paragraph within the Services section for information about assessments forming part of the EHCP process.

Do you offer training for staff?

It is not something I am offering regularly due to the amount of time it takes to develop bespoke sessions for each setting, and each setting being slightly different to others in how they want training to be delivered. However, I have developed and delivered many training packages in previous roles, therefore if you require training, please get in touch to discuss it.

Do you diagnose? (eg. ASD, ADHD, dyslexia)

This is a kind of Yes and No; read on for an explanation and contact me if you have any further questions. I will not be making formal diagnoses of conditions such as dyslexia, ADHD or autism as part of my involvement with children but I can observe, assess and discuss children's presentation in relation to these conditions and hold discussions with school staff and parents about my findings and how children can be supported. Conditions such as ASD and ADHD are complex and require involvement over time from a variety of professionals to make an accurate diagnosis that is appropriate and beneficial for the child’s long-term needs. A formal diagnosis of these conditions should not be made by one professional alone, nor on the basis of a small number of visits or observations.

The BPS (British Psychological Society) definition of Dyslexia comprises the important points that it is severe and persistent despite appropriate intervention. Therefore, to consider a dyslexia diagnosis, a child should be assessed and monitored over time, with much consideration given to their response to and progress using well-founded intervention(s).

If you have concerns that a child has a condition such as ASD, ADHD or dyslexia, I would be happy to carry out observations, learning assessments, and consultations to discuss their presentation and needs, and then go on to have discussions around support, curriculum access and resources. However it would not be my position to label or diagnose the child as part of the process. My role would be about identifying their needs and finding ways for settings to adapt to and meet those needs.

What are the costs?

We know it’s frustrating when exact prices aren’t listed on a website, but the services provided by 1^st Class Assessments really are so bespoke that it’s impossible to quote prices here. Please see the Prices section for information and examples of how services can be organised.

Can schools take out a block of time over the course of the year?

Yes, this would be encouraged because it is particularly helpful to make good relationships with settings and be able to return to review the children who have been assessed, and to promote the continuity of working with the same members of staff when assessing other children in the future. Cost reductions can be discussed where block bookings are made. If bookings are made over the course of the school year, it may be possible to split payments according to the amount of time bought by the school. Clearly, in this situation, the work requested would need to fit into the amount of time booked. If the setting asked for further work which would not be possible to fit into the time arranged at the start of the year or block booking, they could agree to have extra visits which would be an additional cost and would depend on time being available within the company. The benefit of this to schools would be that any additional time needed would be charged at the lower block-booking rate. Settings taking above a certain number of days can also access a free planning meeting at the beginning of the autumn term to forward plan their visits. Contact me to discuss this. Please note that a yearly block booking is not automatically renewed, but would have to be renegotiated during the summer term in order for it to renew for the autumn term, as it depends on time being available. 

How far will you travel?

1st Class is based in Lincolnshire, almost equidistant between Horncastle, Sleaford and Boston. In order to provide a regular high-quality service to local schools and to maintain lower waiting times, the majority of the work will be within a few miles of this area (ie. the towns and villages around Horncastle, Coningsby, Woodhall Spa, Boston, Sleaford, Spilsby, Louth). However, for the right piece of work, or ongoing blocks of work, and anything relating to particular areas of expertise, if you are outside of these areas, please do get in touch to discuss availability.

How and when are payments made?

Fees will be agreed before any work is undertaken. Please see Terms and Conditions for information about payment schedules and what happens if re-arrangements are needed or if cancellations occur. 

Privacy Notice

1st Class takes confidentiality and personal privacy very seriously. On 25th May 2018, the EU’s data protection law came into force, and the UK’s implementation of it is the Data Protection Act 2018 incorporating GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). 1st Class Assessments is committed to protecting personal data and respecting your privacy.

UK GDPR identifies Personal Data as: any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (‘data subject’); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person”. (www.ico.org.uk)

Consideration to BPS ethics and guidance has also been given in the development of this Privacy Notice.

Scope

This Privacy Notice applies to personal data collected by 1st Class Assessments Lincolnshire. In this notice, the person working for 1st Class Assessments is referred to as the Assessor.

Why is personal information collected by 1st Class Assessments?

Personal information is collected to deliver a service that has been commissioned by an education setting or parent/carer. The specific work will depend on what is required, such as assessment or consultation, and will therefore vary according to the commission. The assessor has a legitimate interest to collect relevant information about a child or young person, and the parents/carers, for the purpose of forming a professional opinion about the child’s strengths and needs and how the child’s needs can be met in their education setting, and sometimes in their home. Information collected is only that which is relevant to the purpose of that work and forming the assessment feedback.

What personal information is collected?

Personal information is only collected when parents/carers or legal guardians have provided their signed permission for an education setting to request involvement. Data will include: name, date of birth, gender, address, telephone number, education setting, parents’/carers’ names and address if different, phone numbers and home language information. Educational data will include former or recent school assessment data, health conditions particularly those relevant to learning, GP surgery, cognitive functioning, social functioning, personality, interests, and family history. Data may be obtained from sources including school records, Early Help forms, reports by us or other agencies, assessment notes, observation notes, consultation notes or case notes.

When parents/carers have supplied signed consent for the involvement of 1st Class Assessments, personal information detailed above may be collected from a third party, such as the education setting or other professionals or agencies involved in supporting the child (for example but not limited to: Speech and Language Therapy service, Behaviour Support, Occupational Therapy). This may be collected directly from the other agency or via school information.

How is information processed?

The information detailed above is collected for the purpose of the assessment and its findings and formulations and to determine future actions to support the child. This information is recorded in an assessment summary, feedback meeting or other report as required by the education setting, the format of which is discussed and agreed prior to assessment. Feedback is preferred to take place with relevant staff from the setting and also parents/carers at the same meeting. If parents/carers are not able to attend or do not wish to, the Assessor will request that the setting will copy and forward the assessment feedback summary to the parent/carer. The assessment outcomes and feedback summary can also be shared by the education setting with other professionals/agencies they work with in relation to the child, if they have in place the relevant authority to do so from the parent/carer.

How is information kept safe?

1st Class Assessments follows guidance and protocol about the safe storage of data and takes this very seriously. Information kept on IT systems is stored securely on a password protected laptop and on a password protected external hard drive for back up. Paper copies of assessments are scanned to the laptop and then destroyed. Email attachments that are utilised on a mobile device are accessed via a device that is secured by a fingerprint and pattern protected mobile. While paper assessment forms are still being used, they will be stored in a locked filing cabinet. Other paper records (eg. handwritten notes from meetings or phone calls) will also be kept in a locked filing cabinet and destroyed by a cross shredder when no longer needed. If needed, these notes will be scanned to the laptop and kept within the child’s file. If transported and used in education settings, the laptop will remain either in a locked environment or in the personal possession of the Assessor.

For how long is information stored? (Data retention policy)

According to GDPR rules, organisations can determine their own policy for how long personal data is kept. We will only keep your personal information for as long as the law specifies or where the law does not specify this, for the length of time determined by our business requirements Following BPS guidelines, 1st Class Assessments will keep assessment information, and relevant personal data that is needed alongside the assessment information, for up to 7 years. This is because assessment information can be useful further on in the child’s education if a child is re-referred or schools or other professionals need to revisit the information, for example to measure progress against earlier assessment information and/or baselines. If the information is not needed within that 7 years, it may be removed early (for example, data from children who are assessed during secondary school may be removed once they leave school). After 7 years, all personal data relating to the child will be removed. IT data will be removed from live and back up systems, and paper-based information will be shredded.  

People can make a Subject Access Request to see the data held on them, or on a child where they are the legal parent or guardian. The information can relate only to that individual. There can be restrictions on data shared if it may violate the safety of the young person’s interests. Charges can be made for Subject Access Requests at the discretion of 1st Class, for instance if they are “manifestly unfounded or excessive” such as for further copies of an individual’s data or if repeated requests are made.

If a Subject Access Request it made, it will be dealt with within one month. However, if the request is more complex it may require more time, up to three months after the request is received. All individuals have the “right to be forgotten” whereby they can request their data to be removed. However, this can only be done regarding children’s assessment information if 1st Class Assessments deems it appropriate in the child’s interests to remove that information.

Categories of personal data

In order to carry out these purposes we collect and obtain: Data from the 1st Class Referral Form submitted by the referrer, eg. child’s name, address, date of birth, ethnicity, primary language, gender, names, address and contact numbers for parents and information regarding any special requirements that parents may have. This may include information regarding concerns relating to the child, assessment results, observation notes, records of meetings/phone calls and reports received from other agencies detailing the findings of their assessments/concerns. Such agencies may include Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, CAMHS, Physiotherapy, Paediatricians, Social Care. 

Legal basis for processing

Consent for a service referral is the legal basis for processing personal data.

Information sharing/recipients. Personal information about the child and parents/carers gathered during our work with the child and/or during assessments may be shared with the school and with other agencies who request it. This is with the consent of parents obtained in the referral process. These agencies include other Council services, health partners, schools, colleges and other Local Authorities. We will not normally share your information with organisations other than our partner organisations; however, there may be certain circumstances where we would share without consent such as where we are required to do so by law, to safeguard public safety, and in risk of harm or emergency situations. Only the minimum information for the purpose will be shared.

Updates to the Privacy Notice

This information is regularly reviewed with regard to changes in law or guidance. Any changes to the privacy notice will be made on this website, so please refer to the version published on the website for the most up to date details.