Additional Support Needs

Additional support for Learning (ASL) What does it mean?

Additional support for learning means giving children extra help or support so they can get the most out of their education.

A child or young person is said to have ‘additional support needs’ if they need more, or different support to what is normally provided in schools or pre-schools to children of the same age.

It doesn’t just apply to children who have long-term learning difficulties or disabilities. Children can need support for many reasons. Some may need a lot of support all the way through school. Others will only need a small amount for a short time.

The terms “additional support for learning” and “additional support needs” can be confusing. Many people think they only apply to children with long-term learning difficulties or disabilities but children can need support for many other reasons. These include:

• • Difficulty in controlling behaviour
  • Missing school because of an illness or long-term condition
  • Having a physical disability
  • Being a young carer
  • Communication difficulties
  • Being particularly able
  • Changing school a lot
  • Being looked after or in care
  • Having a difficult family situation
  • Suffering a bereavement
  • Being bullied

Some children need only a small amount of support for a short time. Other children may need a lot of support for a longer period of time.

How is additional support provided?

There is no one way to support children. How support is provided in the class and wider school will depend on an individual child’s needs. Support is usually provided through the normal learning and teaching that takes place in class however additional support might include:

• Short bursts of intensive work, 1 to 1 or in a group, with either a teacher or learning support assistant
• Working with a child on a specific learning programme
• Adapting the classroom environment to suit a child’s needs
• Providing coping strategies or a quiet space to help children with their behaviour
• A teacher adapting how he or she teaches a lesson
• Adapting learning materials to a child’s needs
• Using special equipment or IT

Sometimes different types of support, particularly behaviour support, have to be tried and tested to see which ones work best for the child.

For information regarding your child’s needs please contact Angela Hancock our Additional Support Needs Teacher.

St Andrews Staged Intervention Policy

Please follow the link below to access the Enquire website for Advice and information about additional support for learning.

Enquire

Support for dyslexia

Dyslexia Action reading leaflet May 15 – advice about how to read with your dyslexic child

dyslexia_friendly_book_guide_May 2015 – a guide to some books that are more accessible to dyslexic children. School has a wide selection of dyslexic accessible books, please ask us.