Meeting Individual Learning Needs and Additional Support Needs
Aims of the Support for Learning Department
- To work in partnership with staff, pupils and parents to identify learning needs and arrange appropriate support.
- To identify and understand the nature of pupils’ learning difficulties and/or learning disabilities.
- To arrange support provision to meet the learning needs of a wide range of pupils.
- To encourage all pupils to achieve their full potential.
- To help pupils to take more responsibility for their own learning.
- To identify priorities for support for learning, in consultation with school staff, and to help ensure an appropriate curriculum and appropriate learning experiences for all pupils.
PRESENT STAFFING
There are two full time Support for Learning teachers who are helped in providing support for pupils by a number of Additional Support Needs Assistants.
CONSULTATION WITH STAFF
The Principal Teacher of Support for Learning is a member of the Pupil Support Team, and works with subject teachers, management, the associated Primaries and various external support agencies to identify and meet pupils’ learning needs. Every effort is made by the school to make sure that staff work together to plan and review support for pupil’s learning to ensure that it is effective, timely and the least intrusive form of support.
Information is shared with subject departments to help ensure that pupils are given appropriate support for their learning. Learning Support and subject staff work together to plan and develop teaching and learning approaches to help all pupils achieve their potential.
The Support for Learning department works closely with the Pupil Support Team and Home/School Partnership staff to share information to ensure effective support for pupils.
SUPPORT IN CLASS
Support for Learning can work with subject teachers in class, in any subject area, and with pupils in any year group from S1 to S6. In line with school policy, support for S1 in English and Maths is a priority, especially in the period August to December when every pupil in the class can benefit from the extra support provided. In S3/4, some departments have smaller sections for pupils experiencing learning difficulties, while other departments have co-operative teaching where an extra teacher is in the class. This can be a Support for Learning or subject teacher.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT NEEDS
Cardinal Newman High School complies with Learning (Scotland) Act 2004 as amended by the Education Additional Support for Learning (Scotland) Act 2009. This framework provides support for children and young people in their school education, based on the idea of additional support needs. Through a process of staged intervention and, where appropriate, in conjunction with other appropriate agencies, the school will work to support these pupils and their families within the framework of this legislation and in line with the Code of Practice.
Pupils who are identified by Primary schools as having English as an additional language liaise with Nicola Morrison our Support for Learning PT who, in turn, can request support from the available EAL team to come to the school to provide appropriate levels of support and advice. Looked After Children i.e. children who are cared for directly or whose care is supervised by the local authority are deemed to have Additional Support Needs unless assessment determines otherwise. Acting Depute Head Mrs Helen McGhee works closely with Nicola Morrison to ensure the needs of all children with ASN are met.
North Lanarkshire Council’s policy is contained within “Support for Learning Policy into Practice 2”, a copy of which is available in the school. The school has a Support for Learning Policy, available from the school on request, which is consistent with North Lanarkshire guidelines.
Pupils who have been identified as having additional support needs may receive help through individualised homework programmes and/or individual or small group tuition in or out with class. Such tuition would be short term and would only take place with the agreement of the pupil and their parent. Parents and pupils are an essential part of the assessment, planning and review processes and your views will be actively sought. Parents and young people can request the authority to establish whether a child has additional support needs. They can also request an assessment at any time
Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) plans enable staff to plan for children with additional support needs. Some children may require significant support from education and at least one other agency, such as health, social work or voluntary agency to help them meet their learning targets. Where this support requires a high level of co-ordination, the opening of a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP) may be considered.
PLANNING
Additional Support Plans (ASPs) enable staff to plan effectively for children and young people with Additional Support Needs.
Some children and young people may require significant support from education and at least one other agency, such as health, social work and/or voluntary agency to help them meet their learning targets. Where this support requires a high level or co-ordination the opening of a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP) may ne considered. A CSP may be initiated by the school or another agency. Parents and young people can, if they wish, request that a CSP be considered and would be involved in the process. Parents will receive letters from the Education Authority throughout the CSP process. Parents and young people will be invited to take part in multi-agency meetings and their view will be recorded in the plan.
As stated previously, Looked After Children i.e. children who are cared for directly or whose care is supervised by the local authority are deemed to have Additional Support Needs unless assessment determines otherwise and this information is coordinated by Mrs Helen McGhee (Acting) DHT.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION
North Lanarkshire Council is committed to resolving any differences of views through discussion, dialogue and building on common ground. If the matter cannot be resolved with the Education Authority you have the right to request mediation. An independent mediation service is available to parents and young people through Resolve (see contact details at the back of this handbook). Mediation is free through Resolve and independent of the Education Authority. In the event that a disagreement cannot be resolved through mediation, then an application for Independent Adjudication (see contact details at the back of this handbook) can be made by parents free of charge. The Independent Adjudicator will make recommendations to the Education Authority about how the dispute should be resolved.
The Additional Support Needs Tribunal has been set up to hear appeals made by parents or young people on the decisions made by the Education Authority relating to Co-ordinated Support Plans, placing requests and post school transition. If you disagree with any decision relating to your child’s Co-ordinated Support Plan, either the creation of a CSP, or the content of it you may be entitled to refer to the Tribunal.
EXTERNAL SUPPORT AGENCIES
When further planning is required to further develop the wellbeing of our young people the Support for Learning PT along with Pupil support colleagues will request assistance from colleagues in partner support agencies such as:
Educational Psychology;
Behaviour Support;
Network Learning Support;
School Nurse;
School Medical Officer;
Speech and language Therapy;
Occupational Therapy;
Community Paediatrician ;
Physiotherapy;
Hearing Impairment;
Visual Impairment;
Early Learning Language and Communication and Transition (ELCaT);
Support with Assistive Media (SAM group);
English as an Additional Language Service
