Kilcommon N.S.
Rural Two Teacher Mixed School
Class Group 1: Infants – 2nd.
Class Group 2: 3rd – 6th.
Learning Support
Policy
Shared Learning Support Service with
Rearcross N.S
Shared Resource Service (depending on school’s needs) with
neighbouring schools
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Principles
We, the teachers in Kilcommon National School, believe that each child should
be given every opportunity possible to succeed in basic literacy and numeracy.
We believe in:

Effective whole school policies

The provision of intensive early intervention and learning support in
English and Maths

A high level of collaboration and consultation involving the board of
Management, Principal, class teacher, learning support teacher, resource
teacher, parents, psychologists, speech therapists etc

The direction of resources towards pupils with greatest needs
Aims

To optimise the teaching and learning process in order to enable pupils
with learning difficulties to achieve adequate levels of proficiency in
literacy and numeracy before leaving primary school.

To enable pupils with specific or general learning difficulties/low
achievement to participate in the full curriculum for their class

To develop positive self-esteem and positive attitudes towards school and
learning in these pupils

To enable these pupils to monitor their own learning and become
independent learners

To provide supplementary teaching and additional support and resources
for pupils with learning difficulties in English and/or maths

To involve parents in supporting their children’s learning

To establish early intervention programmes to prevent/reduce learning
difficulties/low achievement
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Staff roles and responsibilities
The Principal

Will have overall responsibility for planning and monitoring the school’s
learning-support programme and the co-ordination of learning support and
special needs services

Will work co-operatively with the schools in the cluster to discuss the
arrangements in relation to general allocation (10 hours)

Will consult with the other class teacher re learning
difficulties/prevention programme, screening and identifying pupils with
general or specific learning difficulties, developing an individual profile
and learning programme for selected pupils and provision of long-term
support to pupils for whom learning support is no longer being provided by
the learning support teacher.

Will maintain a list of pupils who are receiving supplementary teaching

Will consult with the learning support teacher regarding the children’s
progress and keep records of same.

Will help to co-ordinate the case load of the learning support and
resource teachers.

Will advise parents on procedures for availing of special needs services

Will liase with external agencies-psychological services-to arrange
assessment with special provision for pupils with special needs

Will arrange classroom accommodation as required

Will facilitate communication between the class teacher and parents and
between the class teacher and learning support teacher.

Will support professional development by encouraging the class teacher
to attend courses on matters relating to difficulties in English and Maths.

Will ensure that the class teacher is involved in planning and directing
appropriate learning activities in the individual profile and learning
programme of each pupil in her class who is in receipt of supplementary
teaching.

Will frequently meet with the learning-support teacher to discuss the
implementation of the school plan on learning support.
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Class Teacher
The Class teacher will:

Have primary responsibility for the progress of all pupils in her class and
will be alert to the fact that some pupils may have specific or general
learning difficulties in English/or Maths

Implement the school’s policies on screening and selecting pupils for
support teaching in English and Maths

Maintain regular contact with the parents once supplementary teaching is
under way

Collaborate with the learning support teacher in the development of an
individual profile and learning programme by identifying appropriate
learning targets and by organising classroom activities to achieve those
targets.

Maintain a record of pupils’ progress towards achieving said targets.

Participate with the learning support teacher in reviewing pupils’ progress
at the end of each term and contribute to the revised profile and learning
programme where necessary.
Differentiate the class curriculum appropriately to meet the needs of all pupils
within the class.
Learning Support Teacher
The main role of the learning support teacher will be the provision of
supplementary teaching.
The learning support teacher will:

Assist in the implementation of a broad range of whole school strategies
to enhance early learning and prevent learning difficulties-programme
planning, approaches to language development, reading, writing and maths.

Consult with the class teachers on the identification of pupils who may
need diagnostic assessment-scores on standardised tests, teacher’s
observations of pupils difficulties and needs.
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
Carry out a comprehensive diagnostic assessment of each pupil who has
been identified as experiencing learning difficulties and identify the type
and level of learning support that is required to best suit the pupil, in
consultation with the class teacher and parents.

Develop an individual learning profile for each pupil who has been
identified as needing learning support, in consultation with class teachers
and parents.

Maintain a planning and progress report for pupils in receipt of learning
support and a record of attendance of pupils at teaching sessions. These
records will be kept in the school.

Deliver intensive early intervention programmes and supplementary
teaching in English and maths to pupils at infant level and supplementary
teaching to pupils from 1st-6th classes in English and maths, to attain the
learning targets set out in their individual learning plan.

Co-ordinate services for children with special needs and for those in
receipt of supplementary teaching and advise the principal on related
issues and on issues that arise in the day-to-day implementation of the
learning support programme in the school.

Meet with the parents before diagnostic assessment (if parents wish), to
provide general information about learning support in the school. Meet
with parents after diagnostic assessment to discuss the outcomes, the
learning targets in the child’s individual profile and learning programme,
the actions to be taken by the school to meet those targets and the ways
in which the attainment of the targets can be supported at home.

Communicate regularly with the parents to affirm progress, to anticipate
and avoid or address without delay, difficulties that may arise.

Communicate when supplementary teaching is to be discontinued to
identify and demonstrate ways in which pupil’s learning can be supported
at home
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Prevention Strategies

Development of a school plan to ensure progression and continuity from
class to class

Implementation of a programme that focuses on oral language skills,
phonological awareness, phonics development, early mathematical skills

An on-going strong emphasis on literacy development, giving opportunities
in school for silent reading time, paired-reading in school and pairedreading at home involving parents.

Ongoing structured observation and assessment of language, literacy and
numeracy skills in infant classes to facilitate early identification of
possible learning difficulties.

Early Intervention: Intensive early intervention programmes will be
provided for children in infant classes who experience low
achievement/learning difficulties in English and/or Maths. They will be
based on a shared expectation of success and will involve small groups or
one-to-one teaching. They will be frequent with a strong focus on oral
language; these programmes will stress the interconnected nature of
listening, speaking, reading and writing. In maths they will focus on
language development and the development of mathematical procedures
and concepts.
Parents
We are very aware of the vital role parents play in their child’s educational
development. Parents will be informed orally/by letter of their child’s progress
and will be made aware of any concerns the school has regarding their child’s
progress.
Written approval for diagnostic assessment and permission to attend
supplementary teaching will be sought by the learning support teacher.
Parents will be invited to discuss the outcome of diagnostic testing and the
child’s individual learning programme. They will be advised of ways in which to
support their child’s learning.
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Parents will be invited to contact the learning support teacher or class teacher
if any difficulties arise during the instructional term and to review their child’s
progress and new learning targets if necessary.
Outside Agents
When deemed necessary-because of lack of progress with supplementary
teaching, behavioural problems, sensory or speech difficulties etc, the principal
will consult with parents before liaising with psychologists, speech therapists,
school nurse and follow up as recommended and in accordance with the
guidelines of the D.E.S.
.Communication
There will be regular communication between the class teacher, the learning
support teacher, the principal and parents during each instructional term.
This policy is being passed on to members of The Board of Management and
the Committee of The Parents’ Association for their comments and
suggestions.
Monitoring and review
Meetings between the Principal, the class teacher and the learning support
teacher will take place each term to review the implementation and progress
of the learning support programme in the school.
The Board of Management will be informed of this policy and their support
will be sought when needed.
Ratification
This policy was ratified by the Board of Management in 2013
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