Learning Support

 

Our Learning Support Programme at PCPS is streamlined, progressive and research evidence based. We provide learning support school wide, catering for students across Years 1-6, to ensure an equitable approach to learning support, and to cater for the needs of all students throughout our school.

 

Padbury Catholic Primary School believes all children can learn and succeed. We provide a range of learning support programs that enable individual students experiencing challenges in their learning with Mathematics and Literacy, to reach their full potential. These include:

- Differentiated Curriculum
- Individual Education Plans
- Learning Support Programs

 

Educational Learning Support is based upon data analysis and the needs of the individual child. At Padbury Catholic Primary data may be derived from NAPLAN, regular standardised testing, Learning Support testing, classroom assessments, psych reports and therapist reports.

 

Whenever there is a concern teachers complete a Managing Student Concerns Profile. This is then discussed with the Leadership Team. A meeting occurs with parents to gather further background information and make them aware of the school concerns. The Leadership Team collaborates with the teachers, CEWA consultants and external agencies (when necessary) to determine an action plan which may include:

· Feedback and recommendations to class teacher

· Referral to external agencies such as Speech/ OT/ Paediatrician

· Referral to Child Development Services

· Consultation with CEWA Students with Disability Consultant

· Social Work / counselling intervention

· Developing a behaviour support plan

· Psychometric assessment by CEWA non-government psychologist

· Other interventions as per recommendations from external agencies

 

The class teacher then meets with the parents to discuss the action plan and recommended strategies.

 

Differentiated Classroom Programs
Within the classroom, teachers develop and implement programs that are tailored to individual needs. We use flexible groupings, technology, visual timetables and scaffolded supported learning. It is not unusual to have Educational Assistants supporting the teaching and learning in the classroom. Teachers use a range of assessment tools, including standardised testing to identify what students know and where a student may require support.

Short-term and targeted intervention, with flexible entry and exit points is supported by excellent classroom instructors. This involves a combination of high-quality classroom teaching and intensive small-group intervention lessons, enabling learners to make accelerated progress where possible.

 

Individual Education Plans
Classroom teachers, in collaboration with families, external agencies, the Leadership Team and Learning Support Teachers, implement environmental and / or curriculum adjustments which are designed to support the child achieve their individual goals.

 

Learning Support
Classroom teachers work closely with the Leadership Team and Learning Support Teachers, to provide scaffolded support and extra assistance which aims to meet individual needs.

 

Learning Support takes a variety of forms:

· Teacher support - identifying specific learning needs of individual students; assistance in implementing environmental and / or curriculum adjustments, strategies and programs.

· Small groups or individual students may be withdrawn during the course of the week to participate in further scaffolded and sequential learning intervention activities. These groups are fluid and are identified through teacher assessment, learning support assessment and Staff Case Management Meetings. They may change as the learning needs of the students change.

· Working with the student's support network, often consisting of CEWA educational support consultants, teachers, therapists, school psychologist and parents, to ensure facilitation of processes and strategies to maximise learning opportunities for students.

The Learning Support program may operate both in the classroom and / or Learning Support rooms, thus providing a purposeful learning environment that is able to cater for a variety of learning styles and needs.

 

Literacy Support

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At Padbury Catholic Primary School we believe that the earlier a difficulty is identified via processes such as Kindergarten screening, Speech Therapy and On Entry Data, the better the student with additional needs can participate meaningfully within the school community.

OLI (Online Literacy Interview) is a programme designed to assess students in Pre-Primary and can assist with:

· assessing the progress of students in literacy, numeracy and phonological awareness.

· analysing individual student work and providing data to indicate in which areas students are achieving or underachieving.

· predicting future performance in order to identify and monitor individual students who might benefit from early intervention.

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Observation Surveys are completed individually for all students Years 1 during Term 1. Additionally, all new students in Year 2 and those who have been identified as requiring additional support are assessed using the Observation Surveys.

 

The Observation Survey incorporates six literacy tasks, all of which are necessary for describing a young child’s emerging reading and writing behaviours.

They include: Letter Identification; Burt Word Test; Concepts about Print; Writing Vocabulary; Hearing and Recording Sounds in Words and Text Reading.

Observation Surveys are also completed for children in Year 3 with a reading level of 19 or lower.

 

MiniLit is an evidence-based, explicit and effective early literacy intervention program for teaching reading skills to children who fall in the bottom 25% of the expected range for their age group in Year 1 or Year 2.

 

MacqLit is an explicit and systematic reading intervention program for small groups of older low-progress readers. It is ideal for students who fall in the bottom 25% of a standardised reading test or curriculum-based measure, and who have particular difficulties in the area of word recognition.

This program is specifically aimed at struggling readers in Year 3 – Year 6.

It provides teachers with a comprehensive sequence of lessons that includes all the key components necessary for effective reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

 

Levelled Literacy Intervention (LLI) is a small group, supplementary intervention program designed to support students who are experiencing difficulty in meeting their year level achievement goals. The aim of the intervention is to help students to meet year level targets in literacy.

 

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding). Dyslexia affects areas of the brain that process language. At Padbury Catholic Primary School many of our Learning Support Programs are suited for children with Dyslexia.

 

Sounds Write is a highly successful intervention approach to the teaching of reading, spelling and writing utilising a linguistic phonic approach. It teaches the skills, conceptual knowledge and code knowledge that are essential for learning to read and spell successfully.

The Sounds Write program is currently being trialled for beginning readers in Year 1, with the aim to develop this well-developed synthetic phonic program as an intervention program for older students where appropriate.

 

Numeracy Support

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The Mathematical Assessment Interview (MAI) is a one-on-one conversation between teacher and student that features a number of numeracy-based activities. All Year One and those children not reaching the year level benchmark in Year Two, are individually tested in Term One of each year. Data from these assessments can be used by teachers to pinpoint a student’s progress in Mathematics.

 

Mathematics Recovery small group work is run with students from Year One to Year Two who require support with key concepts in early numeracy skills. Children are actively involved in ‘hands on’ mathematical learning. They use equipment to assist in developing mathematical knowledge, share and listen to the learning of their peers and reflect on and record their understandings in a supportive, fun and challenging environment.

 

We have mathematics support through our Maths Recovery Programmes in Year 3-6.

Intensive learning opportunities, including a small group intervention led by a Specialist Teacher, are provided to students who are not meeting the year level benchmark. Programs provided cater for individual/groups specific needs and strategies used are based upon a research-based intervention approach, enhancing mathematical understanding through rich mathematical experiences.