Identification of Pupils Requiring Support
Effective identification and assessment of the additional support needs of pupils are essential for making good provision for those needs. Any member of staff may refer a pupil. Where a pupil is referred an assessment will be undertaken by the Learning Support Department.
Pupils are also identified prior to admission through primary/secondary liaison. The department provides an information session each year for identified P6 and P7 students where they are given a look at what support for learning at secondary school will be like by taking to: support staff; pupils who receive support at high school and their parents; the school’s educational psychologist; Home School Partnership Officer and their Pupil Support Teacher.
Information gathered is confidentially shared with staff to enable then to support the students in their classes.
Additional Support Plan
Pupils who have additional support needs and require support which their class teacher is unable to provide and which will last for more than one term will have an Additional Support Plan. This is planned by the pupil, parent, and staff providing support in collaboration with class teachers.
Coordinated Support Plan
A Coordinated Support plan will be provided for those pupils who require the support of other agencies where their needs affect their ability to access the curriculum, are significant and last for at least one year. It is a statutory document and it outlines the annual educational objectives and the methods by which other agencies which will work together to meet the pupil’s support needs.
Partnership with Other Agencies
Contacts have been well established with School Nurse, Audiology Services, Psychological Services, Social Work, Careers Scotland, Visual Impairment Service, Bilingual Support Service, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy. All of these will be maintained and nurtured and any other service which may be required at any time will be contacted.
Partnership with Parents
Parents have a vital role in ensuring that the individual needs of their children are being met. Their rights and responsibilities are respected and they have an active role in decisions made about approaches taken to meet these needs.
Involvement of Pupils
Pupils with Additional Support Needs are involved in the setting up of ASP/CSPs. They are also involved in all Review meetings. All pupils are involved in action planning at various stages of their education.
Intervention Strategies for Pupils with Additional Support Needs
- Ensuring staff have the information they require to support students who have additional support needs within their classes. This information is updated regularly and when required.
- Extract groups focusing on developing reading accuracy, comprehension, spelling, touch typing, auditory processing, and organisational skills.
- In-class support across the full range of subjects.
- Individual programmes of work.
- Assess for dyslexia and/or other specific learning difficulties.
- Monitor and track pupil progress in order to give appropriate feedback.
- Liaise with Partnership Services.
- Provide word processors for use in class as well as printing facilities.
- Support at Transition (to High School, to College/Work) for example: involving parents and students in meetings to prepare for transition to High School beginning in P6; working closely with Motherwell College through their Independent Link course in which S5/6 students get the opportunity to experience college life and which helps them make choices for their transition from school.
- Homework Club where pupils of all abilities are supported with their studies within an inclusive environment (Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri lunchtimes).
- Assessment Arrangements to enable students with additional support needs to fully access their exams.
- Peer Tutoring. This highly successful programme allows upper school students to work collaboratively with staff and with pupils who need support. This year one of our Peer Tutors was a finalist in the National Youth Worker of the Year Awards.
- ICT resources have an important role to play in the provision of support for learning. The department utilises ICT packages to support learning for example BBC Dancemat Typing, Interactive Maths, BBC Skillswise and word processing packages.
- Support for more able students for example using transition information
to inform staff of the students who have excelled in primary school and who will require extension in their learning.
The Support for Learning Department employs many strategies to enhance the education of pupils with additional needs. For some pupils this may be support within class whilst for others there may be a need for additional support within the department.
A small number of pupils are withdrawn from Modern Languages and follow a specific programme which addresses their literacy difficulties. This withdrawal is planned through the pupil, parents and the Modern Languages Department.
