Role of the Service:
The Learner Support Service works in partnership with children and young people, families, schools and professionals from other agencies in supporting pupils with special educational needs. These include visual impairment, hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorders, speech and language difficulties, complex learning difficulties and specific learning difficulties (Dyslexia) and Social, Emotional and Behaviour difficulties (SEBD). The Service employs both specialist teachers and a range of support staff to provide peripatetic support.
The Service plays an important role in supporting schools to identify, assess and make provision for children and young people with a range of additional learning needs, including those for whom English is an additional language.
The Learner Support Service aims to build the capacity of mainstream schools to include learners with additional learning needs successfully. The Service also supports schools by providing an advisory and consultative service on a range of additional learning needs. The Service works in partnership with those schools that host specialist classes, under the terms of a School/LA agreement.
Support services are provided for schools on three levels:
Support available from Learner Support Service on a strategic whole school basis includes:
- Advice and provision of training for teaching and non-teaching staff
- Whole school training on ALN issues to enhance inclusion
- Awareness raising on current initiatives
- Advice and guidance to SENCOs regarding appropriate targets, specialist strategies and resources
- Training/induction for new SENCOs, including the requirements of SEN Code of Practice for Wales
- Regular professional development days for all RCT SENCOs
- Facilitation of a multi-agency approach to SEN issues
- Early intervention approaches /Autism Aware and Dyslexia Friendly strategies and inclusive practices
- Supporting schools in raising achievement and improving school effectiveness
Support available to schools who wish the Learner Support service to support groups of learners Early Years/ School Action includes:
- Consultation, advice and intervention
- Organisation and facilitation of intervention strategies e.g. pupils with ASD
- Provision of specific training and guidance to enhance the skills of school support staff.
- Advice/training on curriculum planning/differentiation for pupils with learning difficulties Individual Level
Support available from the Learner Support service to pupils on a individual basis includes:
- Observation and assessment of learners, including liaison with other appropriate professionals
- Advice and guidance
- Provision of/monitoring of IEPs
- Provision of specialist tuition where appropriate
- Liaison with parents/carers and all appropriate professionals
- Working in partnership with all relevant professionals and agencies to identify specialist placement, where appropriate
- Attendance at appropriate reviews, including annual reviews
- Provision of advice as part of statutory assessment when required
- Advice/training for staff in specialist provisions
Please see information regarding EAL in early years training (information in English only):
Free on Future Learn English in Early Childhood: Language Learning and Development
www.futurelearn.com/courses/english-in-early-childhood
It is a British Council course and access is over 6 weeks. It’s very interesting and looks as if there’s a lot of signposting to free resources that can be used in the classroom and at home.