The roles and responsibilities of the Support for Learning Teachers include:

• Consultancy – advising subject teachers about the special educations needs of pupils and the implications of those needs for the curriculum. This may include:

– aiding curriculum development particularly by advising on methods of support for pupils with special educational needs;

– liasing with subject teachers on the selection of appropriate learning experiences for pupils with special educational needs;

– advising on contexts, resources and methods to ensure an effective learning environment for pupils.

– consulting with external support agencies and parents about learning and teaching aims.

• Co-op teaching – supporting the work of class and subject teachers by targeting assistance in a planned way to pupils experiencing difficulties in learning but also enriching the overall quality of teaching and learning.
• Tutoring and class teaching – teaching specialised programmes of work for pupils with special educational needs in a small group situtation. Classes may also be taken in order to free the class or subject teacher to work with individual pupils or groups (e.g. extending the work of more able pupils).
• Providing specialist service – supporting individual pupils under exceptional circumstances such as assisting those wiht difficulties in adjusting to school life or helping pupils catch up with work after prolonged absence.
• Contributing to staff development – contributing to colleagues’ professional development through the cross curricular interaction their roles demand as well as through seminars and in-service courses, the circulation of information on the needs of individual pupils and the exercise of the above roles.