Free tool

The Cost of Delay Calculator

Early identification is usually framed as a nice-to-have. It isn't, it's a cost decision. This puts a number on what a delay between "teacher notices something" and "support actually starts" is quietly costing, in both money and reading age.

Students currently waiting on identification or assessment15Average weeks between concern flagged and support starting6Cost per student per week of catch-up intervention (once identified late)45Cost per student per week of early, in-class support (if identified immediately)18Estimated reading age lost per week of unaddressed need (years)0.15 yrs

What the current delay is costing

£4,050

Cost if support waits 6 weeks

£1,620

Cost if support starts immediately

£2,430

Extra cost the delay creates

At current delay length, affected students lose an estimated 0.9 years of reading age progress before support begins. That gap doesn't close itself, catch-up intervention costs more per week precisely because it's fighting a widening deficit rather than preventing one.

OMNIA's early identification screening is built to shorten the exact gap this calculator measures, flagging patterns in attendance, behaviour, and academic data before they compound.

See how early identification works →