Academic or Cognitive Assessment? A Parent’s Guide to JLW’s Online Services
When school reports leave you unsure what your child needs, an assessment can seem like the next step. Begin by naming the question you want answered. Do you need clearer evidence about reading and maths, or a better understanding of your child's reasoning profile? Those questions lead to different services.
JLW offers two online educational assessment packages for parents in the UK and overseas. Both include professional interpretation, written guidance and a 60-minute online parent consultation. This guide explains their different purposes so you can discuss a suitable starting point before purchasing.
Academic assessment: what can your child currently demonstrate?
The £750 Online Academic Assessment for Children focuses on taught attainment. It includes selected online reading and mathematics assessments, with spelling or written-English review where appropriate. Results are considered alongside your child's age, education history, language and curriculum.
The package includes a detailed Academic Performance Report, a personalised six-month Educational Action Plan and a 60-minute online parent consultation. The plan sets practical priorities; it does not guarantee a particular level of progress within six months.
Useful questions to bring include: Which reading skills need attention? Are there gaps in maths after a school move? What should a tutor prioritise? Does my child need greater challenge in a subject?
Cognitive abilities assessment: how does your child reason?
The £650 Online Cognitive Abilities Assessment for Children explores verbal, numerical, non-verbal and spatial reasoning. It looks at reasoning with words, numbers, patterns and visual information. Its purpose differs from checking the reading, writing or maths content a child has been taught.
The package includes an online reasoning assessment, a detailed written Educational Profile, a personalised Educational Action Plan and a 60-minute online parent consultation. The results are interpreted alongside the educational information you provide.
Useful questions to bring include: Does my child show different strengths across reasoning tasks? What educational questions should we explore before a school transition? How could the profile inform conversations about support or enrichment?
Choosing a starting point
If the concern centres on reading, written work or maths attainment, discuss the academic assessment.
If the question centres on differences across reasoning areas, discuss the cognitive abilities assessment.
If you are moving between countries or curricula, explain the transition and the decision you need to make.
If your main aim is school selection, explain that before buying an assessment; assessment and school-selection advice have different scopes.
These are starting points for a conversation, not a conclusion about what your child needs. Age, educational history, language and the suitability of the available assessments matter. Bring recent school feedback and explain the outcome you hope to achieve.
Do you need both assessments?
Some families may find both attainment and reasoning information relevant. Others may need only one service, a more focused consultation or a different kind of support. Discuss the purpose first. If a combined package is appropriate, its scope and price should be agreed before purchase.
What changes when your child studies internationally?
Explain the current curriculum, previous school systems and languages used for learning. A change of curriculum can affect which topics have been taught and how performance is described. JLW's academic service considers relevant UK expectations where appropriate, rather than treating every international curriculum as an exact equivalent.
Also discuss the practical arrangements for remote assessment: the appropriate device, internet connection, quiet working space and the support permitted during tasks. The exact assessment components and instructions are agreed around suitability.
What these services do not provide
These are educational services, not clinical or diagnostic assessments. They do not replace a school's required admissions examination, guarantee an offer of a school place or predict particular examination grades. Read each service's exclusions before deciding whether its purpose matches yours.
Prepare for your free discovery call
Your child's age and current school or curriculum.
The main concern or decision you need help with.
Any recent school or country changes.
What the school has already explained and any support currently in place.
What you would like to understand or decide after the assessment.
Request an available time through the free 15-minute discovery-call calendar. Your request is reviewed before confirmation. The introductory call helps us discuss suitability and the next step; it does not include either paid assessment, testing or a written report.
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