Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to require assessors of Disabled Students' Allowance to hold an Assessment Practising Certificate.

Study needs assessors of Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) determine the specific support a student requires. They are currently not required to hold an Assessment Practising Certificate.

We recently announced the decision to allow students with Specific Learning Difficulties, such as dyslexia, who are applying for DSA to use evidence of their diagnosis from before 16 years of age. Currently, for the purposes of DSA, the person carrying out this diagnostic assessment must hold an Assessment Practising Certificate, but we are considering whether to allow alternative accreditation routes.