This piece of work was commissioned by the Commission on Integration and Cohesion, a fixed-term advisory body set up by the Communities Secretary in September 2006. It is being published alongside the Commission's final report as a piece of independent thinking. The findings and recommendations are those of the authors, and do not represent the views of Ministers, or of officials within the Department of Communities and Local Government.

In March 2004, the LSC National Council endorsed the need for a strategic review of its planning and funding of provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

This report summarises the responses received during the consultation. (Consultation period covered 16 weeks from the launch of the report on 8 November 2005 to a revised deadline for responses of 28 February 2006.)

The LSC received 216 responses from a wide range of stakeholders and individuals. There were significant responses from key representative organisations and from partners. Substantial responses were received from a wide range of providers, including many further education colleges, reflecting their predominance in delivery to learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

The key recommendations from the report are:

• A policy of 'investment for change' is required to achieve systemic transformation and increased supply of high quality, local provision.



• The LSC should strengthen its regional staffing structures to ensure effective strategic and operational oversight of the development of appropriate, coordinated, collaborative and consistent provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.



• The LSC should consider the development of a common funding approach across the whole of the sector.



• To help address the current high levels of LSC spend on health/care costs, there needs to be a national agreement between appropriate Ministers in appropriate Government departments about funding responsibilities and partnership working.



• The DfES and LSC should give greater prominence and clarity to provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities as being a priority.