Additional learning support (ALS) management software for inclusion leads

Inclusion leads, ALS managers and learning support managers carry the whole support process: who has asked for help, what was agreed, whether it happened and whether it worked. This page describes what Inclusion Studio, as additional learning support software, is designed to give you, and what it deliberately does not.

What does an inclusion lead’s day look like?

A typical day mixes urgent and slow work. In the morning there are new requests from tutors, learners and transition contacts. Then there are plan conversations with learners, queries from tutors about what an adjustment means, notes of support that did not happen because a support worker was off sick, and a review meeting with a learner whose plan is due. Meanwhile, a manager asks for evidence for a quality visit, and an apprenticeship employer wants to know what to change at work.

The problem is rarely lack of care. It is that information sits in inboxes, spreadsheets and people’s heads, so chasing, re-asking and rebuilding take the time that learners need.

What do inclusion leads need from ALS management software?

Whatever tool you use, additional learning support software should give you:

• One place to see new requests and how urgent they are.
• A way to hear what helps in the learner’s own words, before deciding anything.
• Plans that tutors can find and use, written in clear language.
• A record of support delivered and support missed, with how it was put right.
• Reviews that ask the learner, and lead to a decision to keep, change or stop.
• Evidence that can be pulled together without a week of work.

What do you see in Inclusion Studio?

Following the Understand, Agree, Deliver, Review journey, you see:

1. Requests and triage. New support requests and a triage view to set priority and owner.
2. Learner voice. What the learner has said helps, in their words. See learner voice.
3. Support plans. Draft, agreed and disputed plans. See support plans.
4. Delivery and missed support. What was delivered, what was missed, and recovery. See delivery tracking and missed support recovery.
5. Reviews. Learner feedback and the keep, change or stop decision. See reviews.
6. Evidence. Controlled exports. See evidence export.

Today a clickable prototype demonstrates the workspace with five fictional learners. The production application is in development.

What can you not see or do?

Visibility depends on your role, your organisation and your relationship to the learner. Permissions are enforced on the server by organisation, relationship and field, so a hidden button is never the safeguard. You see only your organisation’s data. Where a learner’s plan involves an employer, the employer sees only the workplace adjustments and their own actions, not the history you hold. See permissions and roles.

The product does not diagnose, refuse support or make decisions for you. It does not calculate an inclusion score. See AI drafts: AI is optional, drafts are labelled, and a person reviews before saving. The whole journey works without AI.

How does it help with the duties you carry?

You are already working to the Equality Act 2010 duty to make reasonable adjustments, and the SEND code of practice for learners up to 25. Inclusion Studio helps you show what was agreed, delivered and reviewed, which supports your own quality processes. It does not make a provider compliant. Responsibility stays with the provider. See reasonable adjustments in further education and how to write a learner support plan.

How would you start?

Start by mapping your current routine against the four steps. A free support process health check can help. Then look at the FE colleges, apprenticeship providers or adult community learning pages. A learning support policy template can help you write the process down. If you would like to help shape the pilot, which starts with FE colleges and apprenticeship providers, see the pilot page or contact us. There are no customers or certifications yet; launch prices are on the pricing page.

What might a fictional example look like?

This is a fictional example, not a real learner. A tutor sends a request for a learner who has missed three sessions and seems anxious about group work. The inclusion lead sees it in triage, marks it as needing a conversation this week, and meets the learner. The learner says they would prefer to know the group in advance and to present to the tutor alone. The plan records both and notes that the learner did not agree to a suggested peer mentor. The tutor records the first two sessions as delivered. The third is missed because the room changed, and the recovery is booked. At the review, the learner says it is helping but wants group work reintroduced slowly, so the plan is changed rather than ended.

Where else should you look?

Tutors and assessors have their own view: see tutors and assessors. Senior leaders see aggregate patterns: see senior leaders. Learners see their own plans: see learners. Use the role overview to compare all views. For groups who often need a more joined-up approach, see care-experienced learners in FE and neurodivergent learners in FE. For how SEND and ALS records work, see SEND and ALS support.