The Support for Learning Department, which is part of the Pupil Support Faculty, in Moffat, looks at any areas in the school which give rise to difficulties in learning for pupils. These can result from specific learning difficulties that the young person experiences, difficulties associated with the learning environment or difficulties arising from the curriculum/work set by the teacher. The Support for Learning Service also has a role in providing for more able pupils and for behaviour support.
The Philosophy behind our work is based on ideas in current legislative and policy frameworks. A key idea contained in the legislation is that of Additional Support Needs. These are barriers to learning that can arise for a variety of different reasons and can be either temporary or permanent in nature. The school aims to recognise and address these needs in collaboration with the young people themselves, their families, staff within the school and, in some cases, outside agencies.
We regards the aims of education as the same for all young people although, the work they do may have to be differentiated in terms of content, pace of learning, depth of study and/or level of difficulty. Almost all pupils will experience difficulties in their learning at some point during their Education and it is our policy to address all needs as they arise.
How help is provided
Identification of a young person’s needs is an ongoing process. It will start before a child enters school and continue until he/she leaves school. The observations of class teachers are a crucial part of the identification process. Teachers will refer pupils who are experiencing difficulties in their learning to the Learning Support Specialist for that sector. They will carry out testing and recommend appropriate interventions or targeted support that will meet the pupils’ needs. At some point it may also be necessary to refer the pupils to agencies out with the school i.e. Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology etc. Pupils with longer term needs are identified early through this process allowing for appropriate planning and provision to be made for them on transition to Secondary. Information is also obtained at this point from standardised test results, extended transition visits, advice from staff and samples of work.
It is authority policy that all children should be included in mainstream schools and classes, where practical and possible and to this end the Support for Learning Staff work in classes alongside subject teachers for the majority of the time, providing support where needed. This kind of cooperative approach is felt to be the most appropriate form of assistance to give, particularly at this stage in a child’s education career and is therefore the main kind of help provided.
For some pupils, however, some of their education may take place outside the classroom with a focus on helping them to master the processes of language and computation and also develop skills for life, learning and work. This may take the form of one to one working or working within small groups and can be short term, using specific interventions or for more sustained periods of learning.
For a small number of pupils where their needs cannot be fully met in mainstream a significant proportion of their learning may take place outside the classroom and will be delivered by the PT ASN and SLAs in the Support for Learning Hub. This is more likely in the senior phase where pupils may do National 1-3 courses in Maths and English, the SQA Personal Achievement and Personal Finance Awards and a variety of Asdan Awards that are Lifeskills based.
Some pupils will have Additional Support Plans for a period of time when they are involved in intervention work and others will have an Individualised Education Plan, which will outline the steps to be taken to help the young person achieve specified learning outcomes. Staff, parents and pupils will all have a say in these and they will be reviewed at regular intervals throughout the year with achievements and progress noted and targets updated. A very small group of pupils may also have a Coordinated Support Plan. This is statutory plan that is used to identify, and ensure provision of, services for young people with complex or multiple additional support needs.
Other agencies and special services involved with children with Additional Support Needs may include:
These may include:
* E.A.L. Teacher;
* Speech & Language Therapist;
* Occupational Therapist;
* Physiotherapist;
* Careers Advisor Key Worker;
* SQA (Additional Assessment Arrangements
* Support for Learning Classroom Assistants.
We have assigned to the school an Educational Psychologist, whose services are available as, and when, required.
Team Teach
At all stages in the school, in line with Authority guidelines, the Team Teach approach for de-escalation of potentially dangerous behaviours may be adopted. A number of staff members are trained in this technique which may involve physical restraint of a kind designed and recommended to calm situations and to reassure children. Should parents wish more information about Team Teach, they are invited to contact Mrs S Orr. Unless parents have misgivings about Team Teach, the school must assume their approval of these methods being adopted in any situation where they are deemed necessary.
Learning Support Information
Dumfries and Galloway Council is committed to the well-being and educational development of all learners.
The process of inclusion requires all involved in the business of learning and teaching to demonstrate commitment, innovation and flexibility to ensure that all children and young people have access to quality learning opportunities and experiences.
The Authority aims to meet the needs of all children with additional support needs through a range of provision from inclusion in mainstream classes (with or without support) to part-time or full-time provision in a school with a learning centre or base.
This commitment to meeting the needs of all children is based upon the requirements of the Education (Additional Support for Learning ) ( Scotland) Act 2004 amended in 2009 and is translated into procedure and practice by Dumfries and Galloway Education Services’ Support Manual.
This Support Manual is available on line for all staff within schools and is able to be updated and kept alive. Mrs S Orr and Mrs A Rae are currently responsible for ASfL provision within the Moffat/Beattock Cluster. They are supported by a team of Learning Assistants.
The Presumption of Mainstream (https://www.gov. scot/publications/guidance-presumption-provide- education-mainstream-setting/) means that most children will be supported in their local school.
What is Additional Support for Learning?If your child needs extra help or support in addition to that which is usually provided in school they can be said to have ‘Additional Support Needs’. Children may need additional support for short or long periods of time and for a variety of reasons.
The reasons can include:
Social or emotional difficulties
Being a young parent
Problems at home
Having English as an additional language
Being particularly able
A learning disability
A physical disability
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Moving home frequently
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Behavioural difficulties
Health Problems
Bullying
Long-term absence
A sensory impairment
Dyslexia/Dyscalculia
Communication problems
Fine or gross motor problems
Being a young carer
Armed Forces family
If you have any concerns about your child, you should speak to a member of staff in the school in the first instance. The majority of children with additional support needs have them met in the classroom by their teacher, through differentiated teaching approaches.
If concerns persist the staged intervention process will escalate the response to an appropriate level of support.
There are several ways in which concerns can be followed up. This may involve the input of other educational professionals such as Specialist Teachers, Impairment Specialists and Educational Psychologists.
This may include a request for assistance to the Supporting Learners Service as part of the work of the Autism Support Officers and Looked After Children (LAC) Support Officers.
It may also involve your child being referred onto staff in external agencies such as Health staff (Speech and Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist etc.).
As a parent you will be closely involved in the whole process and your views sought throughout. If, after discussion with all concerned, it is felt appropriate your child will have an educational plan agreed which will identify how they are to be supported. Your child’s progress will be kept under review and any plans and support will be changed as necessary. As a parent you will be closely involved in any review process. There will be several opportunities for you to discuss your child’s progress. This may be through informal meetings arranged with teaching staff, at Parents’ Nights or at formal focused meetings with other agency involvement (Child Plan Meetings or ICP meetings).
A small number of children will require a more detailed planning process which co-ordinates the input of education and other agencies to fully support the child. This plan is called a Co-ordinated Support Plan. The Co-ordinated Support Plan process is overseen by the Supporting Learners Service with responsibility for Additional Support for Learning.
¨ Enquire – the Scottish advice and information service for additional support for learning, a charitable body registered in Scotland under registration number SC003527http://enquire.org.uk/
¨ Scottish Independence Advocacy Alliance, a charitable body registered in Scotland under registration number SC033576www.siaa.org.uk; or
¨ Scottish Child Law Centre, a charitable body registered in Scotland under registration number SC012741http://www.sclc.org.uk/
When you open any word document from SMHW you can get the computer to read it to you. If you look in the ribbon along the top you will see a button called add ins, second from the left. If you click on this you will see a set of yellow icons below that. If you put the cursor before the words you want to hear then click on the yellow speech bubble (first from the left) the computer will start reading. To stop, click on the speech icon button with the cross through it. You can listen to just one word, a paragraph or complete pages.
If you are using teams when you open the document look in the ribbon at the top and you will see an icon that looks like a light bulb with the word, search, beside it. If you type immersive reader into the box the computer will change the format. If you click on the play arrow it will read it to you.
The emphasis isn't great in either but if you are stuck on how to pronounce words or with reading it may prove helpful.
There is also a dictate button on the online version of word. If you have a microphone you can click on the dictate button and if you speak into your microphone the computer will type what you say. It is not always 100% accurate so if you are using this, check your work as you may need to make some changes here and there.
There is a free download for pupils who use coloured overlays.
