Learner voice in further education
How to hear what helps a learner in their own words, record it faithfully and use it to shape support in FE colleges and apprenticeship providers.
Platform · Understand
Learner voice software: what helps, in the learner's own words
Learner voice software that keeps the learner's own words at the centre of every support record, from first request to review. What the prototype shows today.
In short
Learner voice in Inclusion Studio means the learner's own words about what helps are captured first, shown beside the plan and revisited at each review. The prototype shows this with fictional learners.
Support works best when it starts from what the learner says helps. Inclusion Studio treats the learner’s own words as the first thing in the record, not a box at the bottom of a form. That is what learner voice software should do. This page explains how that works, who can see it and what you can try today.
What problem does learner voice software solve?
Support plans often describe a learner in the third person, written by staff, using the language of need. Months later nobody can tell whether the learner agreed with it. Quotes get lost when a tutor changes, and review meetings start from the plan rather than from the person.
Putting the learner’s words at the top of the record fixes three things. The plan stays tied to what the learner actually asked for. A new tutor or assessor can understand the person quickly. And reviews have something concrete to check: did the thing the learner said would help actually help? For background on the practice, read our guide to learner voice in further education.
How will learner voice work, step by step?
This is the intended design for the pilot build. The prototype shows the display of voice entries, not the capture forms.
- A support request or conversation starts the record. The learner, or a member of staff on their behalf, describes what is hard and what might help. See support requests.
- Staff capture the words. A voice entry holds the learner’s words, who recorded them, when, and whether the learner has seen the wording.
- The entry travels with the plan. When a plan is drafted, the voice entry is shown beside each proposed action so the link between “what I said” and “what we agreed” is visible.
- Each review starts with fresh voice. Before a review, the learner is asked whether the support is helping. Their answer is stored as a new dated entry, not written over the old one.
- Change over time is visible. Staff can read the sequence of entries to see what changed, and the learner’s feedback feeds the keep, change or stop decision. See reviews.
What are the good-practice rules built in?
- Words are attributed. An entry says whether it is a direct quote, a staff paraphrase or something the learner typed themselves.
- Nothing is silently edited. Corrections are new versions, so the history shows what was said first.
- Plain, non-clinical language is encouraged. The structure asks “what helps” before “what is the barrier”.
- Capacity to take part varies. Learners can contribute through conversation, a short form or with an advocate or support person. Providers decide how to adapt for learners who communicate differently.
Our free learner voice conversation template and question bank work without any software.
Who sees what?
Permissions are enforced on the server by organisation, relationship and field. The intended pattern for voice entries is:
| Role | Intended access to learner voice |
|---|---|
| Learner | Their own entries, and the wording used in their plan |
| Inclusion lead | Entries for learners in their organisation they are responsible for |
| Tutor or assessor | Entries for learners they teach or assess, as relevant to the plan |
| Apprenticeship employer contact | Only the workplace adjustments that came from the voice entry, never the entry itself unless the learner agrees |
| Organisation admin | Managing accounts and settings, not reading entries by default |
Final rules will be agreed with each pilot provider and tested before real learner data is used. See permissions and roles.
What is in the prototype today, and what is being built?
In the prototype (fictional learners only):
- Each of five fictional learners has a quote, shown prominently on their summary, in their plan and in the review screen.
- The review screen lets a member of staff record how the learner was involved: “To discuss with learner”, “Agreed with learner” or “Learner requested a different approach”.
- The sample learner feedback appears as evidence behind the sample draft.
Being built for the pilot (not yet available):
- Capture forms for voice entries, including attribution and versioning.
- Learner-facing views and learner-initiated feedback.
- Linking each plan action to the voice entry that prompted it.
- Voice history across reviews.
The production application is in development and uses synthetic data only. There are no live learner records and no customers yet.
Who is this for?
Inclusion leads and learning support managers who want plans that the learner recognises. Tutors and assessors who need a quick, human summary before a session. Learners, who should be able to see their words used with respect. See the roles pages for inclusion leads and learners.
What does this look like in practice? (fictional example)
Aisha, a fictional Level 3 business administration learner, says: “The instructions help. I need more time to ask questions.” Her tutor records the words as a direct quote. When the plan is drafted, the action “instructions shared in advance” sits beside that quote, and a second action, “a short question check-in after each session”, is proposed because of the second sentence. At review, Aisha is asked again. She says the written instructions still help and the check-ins are useful, so both are kept. If she had said the check-ins felt awkward, that answer would be stored as a new entry and the action would be changed, with the original words still visible in the history. This is a fictional example, not a real learner.
Related guides and next steps
To see the prototype or talk about a pilot, visit the pilot page.
Frequently asked questions
Does the learner have to write their own words?
No. A member of staff can record what the learner said in conversation, and the record should show whose words they are. The aim is for the learner to recognise the entry as theirs.
Is learner voice the same as a learner survey?
No. A survey asks everyone the same questions at a set time. Learner voice here is an ongoing record of what an individual says helps, taken at the start and at every review.
Can a learner see what has been written about them?
That is the design intent for the pilot: the learner sees their own voice entry and the plan built from it. Exact visibility rules will be agreed with each pilot provider.
What happens if the learner and staff disagree?
The disagreement is recorded rather than hidden, and the plan shows what was agreed, what was not and why. See agreed and disputed plans on the support plans page.
Sources and further reading
Official guidance changes. Check the source before relying on any detail, and take professional advice for individual cases.
Help shape the pilot
We are working with a small number of England FE colleges and apprenticeship providers first. Tell us about your learner support and we will be in touch.