Academic Educational Support LSC
LSC
LSC
Additional Learning Needs Provision, including Dyslexia
Aims
- To develop successful, independent learners
- To identify strengths and barriers to achievement with each child
- To promote self-esteem, a sense of pride and resilience in each child
- To help children to take responsibility for their learning
- To promote a positive perception of individual learning differences
The Centre The Learning Support Centre (LSC) is staffed by dyslexia specialists who work mainly with children in small groups to develop literacy skills. We are an integral part of the school, supporting staff in other curricular areas to ensure that best practice in respect of differentiation for additional learning is embedded in the school’s culture.
Our ethos is that children, given the will to succeed, can achieve high standards. We recognize that learning may be hard, even unsettling at times; however, with the right approach and teamwork, success is attainable. A sense of urgency to promote literacy and learning is balanced by opportunities to enable children to restore a sense of equilibrium in their lives. Through discussion and the development of reflective skills, they can begin to feel more in control of their learning.
Every concerned parent knows only too well that childhood is too precious a time to have unproductive years at school. With a sixty year tradition of believing unequivocally in the value and potential of our children, we can instill them with the confidence to dream big dreams and know they are attainable.
Assessment All children attending the LSC undergo thorough assessments which take into account existing specialist reports, discussions with the parents and with the child, combined with a range of assessments suited to the needs of the individual.
Typically these will include:
- Assessment of strengths and weaknesses in literacy skills
- Identification of barriers to achievement from a wider , more holistic perspective
- Assessment of learning style
If appropriate, a detailed neuro-developmental delay assessment of the child by the Director of the LSC may be discussed with the parents. This can establish whether there are any underlying immaturities in the child’s development which may be preventing the child from making the best of their abilities. Signs of neuro-developmental delay include frustration, underperformance, literacy difficulties, difficulties with fine and gross motor skills and balance. The child may also be finding it difficult to perform daily tasks to their true level of potential, while to all outward appearances there is no sign of this. Currently a very popular movement programme operates before the school day starts as part of this approach.
Curriculum The LSC is well-resourced to implement multi-sensory programmes which train and develop areas such as visual and auditory perception, discrimination and processing as well as memory, thinking and reasoning skills. Reading, writing and spelling are taught using research led strategies and with the benefit of software as well as more traditional resources. As children become more skilled, they pursue programmes to develop tactics in comprehension, grammar and vocabulary.
Dependent on age and maturity, children are expected to engage actively in monitoring their progress and in setting themselves realistic targets in partnership with their tutor. The development of metacognitive strategies is an essential part of this approach. Activities such as planning how to approach a given learning task, monitoring comprehension, and evaluating progress toward the completion of a task are metacognitive in nature. Metacognition plays a critical role in successful learning, and children can be taught to better apply their cognitive resources through metacognitive control (Livingston 1997).
In Conclusion Recognizing the consequence of failure which may have been experienced in varying degrees by those who attend the LSC, the school accepts children based on their potential for growth rather than their current performance.
We aim to make a sizeable contribution to the lives of those children striving to overcome learning differences and it is a combination of rigor and empathy which drives the LSC. Children know that they are secure and their difficulties are understood; they also know that there are high expectations of them.
We recognize that children who attend the LSC contribute a great deal in many ways to the diversity of our school community and we are proud when we are able to see them flourish.