SUPPORT FOR LEARNING

Supporting Learners at North Queensferry Primary

All children and young people need support to help them learn. We aim to deliver good quality learning and teaching to enable us to meet a diverse range of needs within our composite classes without additional support.

However, some of our learners will require support that is additional to, or different from, that received by their peers to ensure our provision meets individual needs. This can be in our ELCC, school or at times of transitions.

Additional support needs can be both long and short-term, or can simply refer to the help a child or young person needs in getting through a difficult period.

At times we work with a range of partners and professionals who can help us to coordinate support for our children.

These include:

• Colleagues from Health such as Community Paediatricians, GP’s, our school link Educational Psychologist, CAMHS, School Nurse, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists.
• Colleagues from the Supporting Learners Service where the following teams exist: Sensory support service, English as an additional language (EAL), Gypsy and Traveller education (GATE), Autism Spectrum information and support team (ASIST), Fife alternative and augmentative communication team (FAACT), Assistive Technology Support Service, Moving and Handling and Accessibility, Visual Impairment.

Support in school can take many different forms and can be offered in different ways.

These include:

• In class support from our Pupil Support Assistants
• Provision of additional resources or adaptations within the classroom
• Alternative approaches to teaching and learning or use of alternative resources
• Receiving additional support from our Support for Learning Teacher or Pupil Support Assistants in a small group with targeted teaching and resources
• Co-operative in class teaching with class teacher and a member of staff from the Support for Learning team
• Working in school with a visiting professional, for example, Speech and Language Therapist.

If you are concerned about your child’s progress and think he or she might have additional support needs, you can make an appointment to discuss this with our Headteacher or Support for Learning Teacher.  School staff will listen closely to your concerns and work together with families to decide on the next steps. Our Support for Learning Teacher  liaises with class teachers to support the provision of universal approaches within the class or coordinate a period of support from school staff.  If concerns have persisted with supports already in place, then it may be agreed that our Support for Learning Teacher carry out a Contextual Assessment to look more closely at the needs of the pupil and consider if any identifications or referrals to other services are appropriate.