ADDITIONAL LEARNING NEEDS

The ALN aims of our school are:

• To ensure that all pupils receive a broad and balanced curriculum.
• To provide differentiated activities suited to children’s needs and abilities.
• To ensure that early identification of additional needs takes place.
• To ensure that parents of ALN pupils are fully involved from the beginning and are kept regularly informed of their child’s progress.
• To ensure that ALN pupils are involved, where practical, in decisions affecting their future ALN provision
• An open and honest dialogue about your child’s strengths and needs.
• Work in partnership with parents, pupils and other agencies e.g. Educational Psychologist, Speech Therapists, Social Workers, School Nurse etc.
• All children play an active part in their school life.

Additional Needs Provision (ALN)

Children who have ALN will need additional or different support from that given to other children of the same age. At our school, we offer support centred around the needs our children with ALN, reviewing and revising when needed.

In addition to good practice, outside agencies and effective in- school support, here are some of the main resources we use-

All our nursery children are screened using the Wellcomm assessment tool which identifies children with delayed understanding and/or expression of language, these children are then supported through play based language activities within the Nursery setting.

Speech link and language link are used for children aged 4-8 years old. The online screening assessments identify whether a child’s speech production and understanding is as it should be for their age. If a child is identified as needing support, it is provided as a short term intervention taking place either in a small group or individually.

If a teacher or parent has concerns about pupils in other year groups this tool is used to identify if there are any traits alongside a visual stress screener. From these screens we can give the child strategies and tools to support in class. This includes coloured overlays, vocabulary mats, etc.

 We use the thrive approach as a whole school to help support children. The Thrive Approach is a dynamic, developmental and trauma-sensitive approach to meeting the emotional and social needs of children. This intervention is provided either in small groups or individually for a set period of time.

 We run a DCD group, which meets twice a week with a qualified TA to support children who have significant fine motor, handwriting or gross motor, larger body coordination difficulties.

In addition to this we also run Sensory Circuits groups. These provide the child/young person with the right type of sensory input in order to calm and organise them for the day ahead, ready for daily activities.

We have experienced, trained staff who are able to offer daily check ins, short term small group or 1-1 focus work for pupils who are experiencing difficulties general wellbeing, including bereavement and resilience.

Ms. Helen McLaughlin is our ALNCo.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or queries regarding your child and ALN.