Support for Learning staff work closely with Pupil Support, subject teachers and other professionals from outwith the school to provide Additional Support for Learning. The Principal Teacher meets weekly with SMT and Pupil Support to share information and support individuals throughout their time in school.
Support for Learning Department (SfL)
This is a team of nine full and part time staff. Our main responsibilities lie with pupils who have Additional Support Needs (ASN). A very wide range of factors may lead to pupils having a need for additional support. These factors fall broadly into four overlapping themes: learning environment, family circumstances, disability or health need, and social and emotional factors.
We provide Additional Support for Learning in many ways including:
In-class support – we work with subject teachers to ensure that any pupils requiring additional support receive the right kind of help.
Tutorial support – in discussion with the pupils themselves and their parents we may decide that it is appropriate for them to receive 1:1 or small group support. The support we provide includes: consolidation of and/or completion of class work; help with homework; preparation for assessments; specific programme to help improve reading, spelling, comprehension and/or handwriting; literacy skills; numeracy skills; life skills; and time out and time to talk.
Transition – some pupils require extra support to cope with the changes and choices during the move from primary to secondary school and from secondary school to a positive destination beyond, such as college or a workplace. At these times we liaise with the pupils and their parents, Pupil Support and other professionals from outwith the school (e.g. primary school teachers and Skills Development Scotland) at transition meetings, to ensure that transition is a well-planned, positive experience for that pupil.
Pupil Profiles – these confidential documents are written following P7 transition meetings and distributed to subject staff. Each profile outlines both the strengths and difficulties experienced by an individual pupil. It also lists strategies to ensure that appropriate support is provided to increase access to the curriculum for that pupil.
Child Plans – to ensure that the support pupils receive is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound we may decide in discussion with a pupil, their parents, other members of staff and other professionals that a Childs Plan is needed. A solution-focused meeting is held for all those involved and an action plan is drawn up. This is then reviewed and updated at regular intervals for as long as is appropriate.
Monitoring – pupils can require Additional Support for Learning at any time and there is a ‘staged approach’ in education, which is a pathway for assessing learning needs and accessing additional services to support pupils within school. It emphasizes early intervention to identify, record and assess pupils with Additional Support Needs and necessitates a co-operative approach between SfL staff, Pupil Support staff, outside agencies, including Careers, and parents in line with GIRFEC (Getting it Right for Every Child).
Alternative Assessment Arrangements (AAA) – pupils can access support from SfL staff with assessments such as reading and scribing, once evidence indicates that they would be at a substantial disadvantage without this.
Paired Reading – is a scheme that involves pairing younger pupils (who need to develop their confidence in reading) with sixth year pupils and together they read every week. This is coordinated with the School Buddy system.
Effective learning and teaching demands that a range of methods, materials and approaches are employed to successfully cater for the wide variety of needs amongst our pupils. The aim of SfL is to ensure that our pupils are given their best chance of achieving personal success.
