The Royal High School

Cluster

ASL Policy

2015-18

Contents

Section 1 – Additional Support Needs and Policy Development

Section 2 – Identifying Additional Support Needs

Section 3 – The Framework of Support and Support Approaches

Section 4 – Additional Support for Learning Team (ASL Team), Integrated

Support Team (IST) and their Roles and Responsibilities

Section 5 – Planning to meet individual needs

Section 6 – Communication

Section 7 – Transition from P7 to S1

Section 8 – Appendices

· Appendix 1 – GIRFEC Forms in The Royal High Cluster

· Appendix 2 – Wellbeing Concern Form

· Appendix 3 – Assessment of Need Form

· Appendix 4 – Child’s Plan

· Appendix 5 – Child Planning Poster

· Appendix 6 – Examples of Pathways 1-4

· Appendix 7 – Team around the Cluster

· Appendix 8 – Transition Documents

· Appendix 9 – Barriers to Learning Toolkit and Support for Learning Glossary

Section 1 -Additional Support Needs and Policy Development

A child or young person has additional support needs ‘where, for whatever reason, the child or young person is, or is likely to be, unable, without provision of additional support, to benefit from the school education provided or to be provided for the child or young person’.

Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, revised 2009.

Supporting Implementation of Additional Support for Learning in Scotland:

http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0040/00408302.pdf

Additional Support Needs

The following quote defines the term additional support needs. It is taken from the Code of Practice and emphasises the wide range of factors which may give rise to additional support needs.

The Additional Support for Learning Act introduces a new framework for supporting children and young people in their school education, and their families. This framework is based on the idea of additional support needs. This new term will apply to children and young people whom, for whatever reason, require additional support, long or short term, in order to help them make the most of their school education. Children and young people may require additional support for a variety of reasons and may include those who:

· have motor or sensory impairments

· have medical issues

· are being bullied

· are particularly able or talented, subject to CEC Policy and definition (tbc)

· have experienced a bereavement

· are looked after by a local authority(LAC /LAAC)

· have barriers to their learning

· have behaviour problems

· are living with parents who are abusing substance

· are living with parents who have mental health problems

· have mental health difficulties of their own

· have English as an additional language

· are not attending school regularly

· have emotional or social difficulties

· are on the child protection register

· are Young Carers.

The above list is not exhaustive nor should it be assumed that inclusion in the list automatically implies that additional support will be necessary.

Aims of the Policy

· To ensure a consistent approach to support children with Additional Support Needs.

· To identify how we plan, co-ordinate, record and review additional support.

· To ensure effective implementation of Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, revised 2009

· Through Getting it Right for Every Child (Appendix 1) and Curriculum for Excellence ensure that all our children and young people realize their full potential in learning, work and life.

This can be done under the following headings:-

Wellbeing Indicators

Through the use of wellbeing indicators, to ensure that all children are holistically monitored, assessed and supported in their development towards being successful learners and confident and healthy individuals.

Achievement and Attainment

To ensure that all pupils are able to realise their potential through the promotion and recognition of achievement and excellence.

To positively promote opportunities for disadvantaged learners to ensure equity of opportunity and to bridge gaps in educational outcomes.

Learning and Teaching

To provide the highest quality of learning and teaching experiences that motivate pupils and encourage them to develop positive attitudes towards learning.

To ensure all learners’ needs are met by highly skilled and effective practice, within a modern and inclusive curriculum.

Integrated Support Team (IST) for Pupils

To provide effective support systems for all pupils which promote personal and social development and underpin academic achievement.

Ethos

To provide a welcoming, healthy, safe, inclusive and caring environment in which every learner and every Parent/Carer is valued, supported and listened to.

Learning Environment

To ensure that all pupils are able to experience a calm, healthy, positive and purposeful learning environment that promotes positive behaviour, self-discipline, self-respect and respect for others.

Values and Citizenship

To prepare pupils for responsible citizenship by developing values, beliefs and attitudes compatible with living in a modern, democratic and multicultural society.

Social Inclusion

To ensure that every learner enjoys quality of access to educational opportunities, regardless of social, cultural or economic background. This will include targeted support to address issues of equity in line with National strategies, including supporting SIMD 1-3 learners and Raising Attainment for All (RAFA) initiatives.

Monitoring & Evaluation

The policy will be regularly updated to reflect the holistic approach as embraced by the integrated Children & Families Department within the City of Edinburgh Council.

It will be monitored using HGIOS 4 and the National Practice Framework (GIRFEC) and through a range of ongoing self-evaluation strategies:-

· cluster, whole school and departmental improvement plans

· tracking and monitoring of individual learners’ progress

· use of Wellbeing indicators and GIRFEC documentation

· use of attainment and Insight data

· targeted monitoring of SIMD 1-3 learners

· sharing classroom experience across the school

· annual evaluations of the impact of support approaches in the school through questionnaires/discussions with staff, pupils, parents and partnership agencies

· Child Planning Processes

· feedback from Child Planning and Young Person’s Planning meetings.

· sharing of good practice

· ASL and IST meetings

· Subject and Faculty meetings

· Primary/Secondary Liaison

· ASL Annual Audit

Section 2 - Identifying Additional Support Needs

Everybody has the responsibility of identifying a learner with additional support needs. Key groups of people could be:-

Named Person

Key Adult

Parent/Carer

Integrated Support Team (Pupil Support and Support for Learning)

Pupil Inclusion Support

Partner Agencies Staff

Community

Learners with additional support needs are identified through:

· primary/secondary transition material

· secondary/secondary transfer material

· information from the parents and/or the child

· professional observations and assessments

· review of the learning environment

· records and referrals

· records and referrals via partnership services and agencies as appropriate

National Practice Framework (GIRFEC): can be used to observe and record concerns, gather information, support holistic assessment and analysis, plan and review. This will facilitate appropriate, proportionate and timely support to be put in place for a child/young person.

Getting it Right For Every Child

The Getting it Right approach ensures that anyone providing support puts the child/young person and their family at the centre of the process – see Appendix 1.

If anyone has a concern that a pupil may have some additional support needs they would complete a Wellbeing concern form (see Appendix 2) which includes the following

Before a pupil’s additional support needs are outlined it may be appropriate for some form of assessment to be undertaken. These will be in line with the school’s own assessment policy, and those of partnership agencies, and could be:-

· focused professional observation

· formative

· summative – national assessment, screening, e.g. Single Word Spelling Test/Suffolk/YARC

· diagnostic

· assessment by partner services, e.g. family assessment (Social Work), CAMHS assessment

.

It may be that after identification and/or assessment it is necessary for an Assessment of Need form (See Appendix 3) to be completed by the Named Person or lead professional for the pupil. This form includes the following diagram.

Following on from the Assessment of Need the Named Person will decide if a Child’s Planning Meeting and Child’s Plan (See Appendix 4) is required. The Child planning poster gives additional information about the process (See Appendix 5)

Section 3 - The Framework of Support and Support Approaches

Pathways of support

□ Pathway 1 The additional support needs of children and young people are met and managed within the class

□ Pathway 2 The additional support needs of children and young people are met and managed within the establishment

□ Pathway 3 The additional support needs of children and young people are met and managed within the establishment with support from partnership services and agencies.

□ Pathway 4 The additional support needs of children and young people are met and managed through placement in a specialist setting.

Note Appendix 5 The “Child Planning Poster” for further information including the process and the principles for child planning, accessing support beyond Pathway 2 through the Additional Support Access Point (ASAP) and beyond Pathway 3 through the Case Management Review group (CMRG). There is also the folder of Child Planning Support materials.

Examples of Pathway 1-4 support can be seen in Appendix 6

The pathways describe how the ASL team can selectively draw in advice and support from partner services and agencies, as appropriate. They provide a means of:

· Responding to individual needs progressively and proportionately, enabling timely interventions.

· Improving the accessibility of learning environments

· Providing inclusive learning opportunities across the school day.

· Maintaining high expectations for all learners

· Supporting the meaningful participation of learners and their parents

· Enabling partnerships between establishments and other services and agencies

The framework of support allows for flexibility. As circumstances change, the needs of the learner may change, and a review may conclude that a learner no longer requires additional support, or that their additional support needs should be met through a different pathway. The child’s plan will help with this process.

The Team around the Cluster (See Appendix 7) will assist the process of supporting the child and family by ensuring collaborative working amongst all relevant agencies. It aims to provide the Named Person and Lead Professional with information about local and city-wide services and encourages all services to work in partnership with each other in the best interests of the child. The National Practice Framework (GIRFEC) is the model that all services/agencies are required to make use of in their partnership working.

Section 4 - Integrated Support for Learning Team (IST), Additional Support for Leaning, Roles and Responsibilities

All staff have a responsibility to ensure individual pupils work towards meeting their full potential. The ASL team (IST in The Royal High School) will co-ordinate the support strategies for all learners with identified barriers.

At RHS the IST is as follows:-

□ IST Leader – Depute Rector, Pupil Support (SLT)

□ Pupil Support Leaders

□ Support for Learning Leader

□ Support for Learning Teachers

□ Pupil Support Assistants

□ A range of Partner Agencies.

A more detailed account of the IST structure and supports for learners can be found later in this document, in Section 7 – Transition from P7-S1.

At Primary the ASL team may be drawn from the following:-

□ Head/Depute Head

□ Support for Learning Teacher

□ Pupil Support Assistants

□ A range of Partner Agencies.

Roles and Responsibilities of all in supporting learning

Everyone has a role in supporting a learner with additional support needs. These include:-

□ ASL / IST Leader

· is the initial contact for ASL in the school

· leads and manages the ASL / IST

· overviews additional support needs in the school

· is responsible for co-ordinating and distributing leadership of school support

· co-ordinates regular whole team meetings

· ensures regular monitoring of ongoing and new referrals / plans

· liaises with others e.g. partner agency services re agreed action

· supports staff in ensuring ongoing Additional Support Needs records are maintained

· enables liaison with appropriate staff and partner services

· plans strategy to liaise with parents/carers (see guide for Parents)

· plans for successful transition

· contributes to annual SQUIP in consultation with ASL/IST

□ Depute Head teacher / Year Head

· has responsibility for the leadership, good management and strategic direction of colleagues across the school

· oversees health and safety responsibilities for specific areas

· reviews the CPD needs, career development and performance of colleagues

· leads and manages teams to ensure high quality teaching and learning to maximize the attainment of all students.

· develops pastoral, strategic and curricular supports in line with whole school priorities and improvement planning.

· supports IST and Partnership agencies to ensure effective supports for all young people and their parent/carers in line with Year Head remits

· promotes active participation of students in educational experiences and their participation in self-evaluation and target-setting exercises

□ Pupil Support Leader

· In liaison with the Senior Leadership Team, develops pastoral, strategic and

curricular supports in line with whole school priorities and improvement

planning.

· co-ordinates support between agencies and children/young people and their

families

· provides personal targeted support to meet the needs of learners – one on one,

groups, meetings and interviews

· supports and develops staff and Key adults to deliver universal support as part of

Curriculum for Excellence

· delivers personal and social education courses and opportunities for learners to develop skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work, including work experience and at all transition stages

· monitors and tracks learners, through interviews, use of Insight and Seemis data

and information from other staff members

· writes and monitors reports, to ensure supports and interventions are adjusted

appropriately and regularly

· enables pupils to access information e.g Careers, support groups, extra curricular

opportunities

· provides pastoral, curricular and vocational guidance on planning for the future

· provides information and strategies to staff to allow them to fully meet all learners’ needs

· gathers and shares information about learners through consultation with all relevant sources

· chairs case conferences and Child/Young person’s planning meetings

· attends PSG and review meetings for his/her caseload

· delivers training and introduces initiatives to enhance learners’ needs and experiences

· attends appropriate CPD regularly, building capacity of other school staff as well as their own.

□ Support for Learning Leader

· leads and manages Support for Learning to meet learners’ needs

· liaises with the ASL Services Coordinator, coordinating the annual CEC Integration Support Audit; organises and hosts review and transition planning meetings in line with Getting it Right for Every Child

· leads and manages the Hub resource.

· coordinates and evaluates requests for support (Learning and Behaviour) and oversees in class and out of class support

· contributes to an annual SQIP in consultation with IST

· keeps abreast of contemporary developments, organises training and introduces initiatives to enhance learners’ needs and experiences

· oversees the provision of safe and supported havens at lunch and break times for vulnerable pupils (Room 38 and the Hub).

· sets up and oversees links with internal and external specialist services, by working closely with partners

· assesses learners, consulting with parents and staff, communicating relevant information to staff, parents, carers and pupils and maintaining current planning documents for learners as appropriate

· monitors, tracks and evaluates pupil progress by reviewing plans, including Pupil Trails.

· raises awareness of ASL Act and Getting it Right legislation

· gathers and shares information about learners by consulting all relevant sources of information

· develops and strengthens supports for families

· oversees SQA AA, Digital Format assessment, the annual CEC S1 and S2 on-line reading comprehension assessment

· attends and contributes to IST meetings

· attends and encourages appropriate CPD; oversees the professional development of SfL staff

· is responsible for the requisition and organization of resources

Support for Learning and Inclusion Teacher

The Support for Learning Teacher has six main roles in supporting staff, parents/carers and pupils regarding additional support needs:

1. Consultancy

2. Direct Teaching

3. Co-operative Teaching

4. Partner Agencies

5. Staff Development

6. Ensuring accessibility to all aspects of the curriculum including Assessment arrangements for exam boards.

These roles are inter-related and complementary.

□ Support for Learning / Inclusion Team

Roles may include

· draw ups, monitors and evaluates support plans

· supports staff with positive behavior strategies

· provides in class support

· supports pupils in the Hub (RHS), maintaining and reviewing records

· delivers Consequence Management and other relevant provision, including one-to-one and small group inputs

· attends CPM / YPPM, PSG and contributes to Getting it Right record keeping

· liaise with staff, parents/carers and partnership agencies

□ Class Teacher

· provides appropriate differentiated learning & teaching experiences as outlined in “In on the Act” Pathway 1

· supports Pupil Support Assistants

· ensures all children with Additional Support Needs are appropriately supported in class and identified on the appropriate pathway

· refers to IST and SLT as appropriate, using wellbeing concern forms and other appropriate routes

· liaises and consults with parents, appropriate staff & external services

· consults with SfL on creating appropriate plan for individual pupil

· contributes to SQA Assessment Arrangement requirements, as directed by the SfL Leader.

□ Pupil Support Assistant

· is to be fully aware of appropriate strategies for pupils in their care.

· consistently implements the agreed appropriate strategies

· liaises with SfL Leader, appropriate staff & partner agencies.

· consults with IST / Additional Support for Learning team on plans for individual pupils.

· ensures his/her cpd is contemporary and tailored to meet the specific additional needs of young people.

□ Parent / Carer

· shares all relevant information and engages in their child’s Additional Support Needs planning in line with Getting it Right legislation.

· supports effective partnerships and liaison with schools / partner services to ensure clear understanding of the child’s additional needs e.g. attend parent meetings, reviews and child/young person’s planning meetings

· contributes and is fully aware of agreed appropriate strategies for their child.

· supports agreed strategies to the best of his/her capacity.

□ Pupil

· engages with staff and partner services to discuss additional support, Assessment Arrangements and target strategies (age / ability appropriate)

· is to be contribute to and be aware of strategies and pathways to overcome their barriers, via Getting it Right processes.

· is to have ownership of their plan and pathways

Section 5 - Planning to meet individual needs

The RHS cluster will support individual pupils using the most appropriate level of planning to meet the specific needs of the learner. This will be recorded on Child and Young Person’s Plans and be supplemented by forward plans and strategies

These may include:-

· Child and Young Person’s Plan

· Forward plans (e.g. class teacher, Support for Learning and EAL etc)

Child and Young Person’s plans

Getting it Right planning documents are used to ensure that children, young people, parents/carers, teachers and appropriate professionals all work in close partnership to ensure a learners’ needs are met. Plans are reviewed regularly by learners, their families and staff and communicated with teachers via the sharing of planning documents and formal communication channels, such as the RHS Tracking system.

Personal learning planning is incorporated into Child and Young Person’s Plans. SfL/Behaviour Support /Pupil Support Leader/class teacher contribute to plans which outline the nature of the pupil’s additional support needs, the factors affecting learning, the suggested approaches to be used and the learning outcomes to be achieved in the short and long term.

Where it is identified that a learner requires high levels of individualisation in order to access the curriculum, SfL staff and teaching staff will identify the priorities and the next steps in learning. This will include who will be involved in supporting the learning, what resources should be used and where the learning will take place.

Appendices 1-8 detail the Getting it Right planning documents currently used in the RHS Cluster.

Note that these documents are being updated from August 2016 in line with forthcoming legislative developments, including the Children and Young Person’s (Scotland) Act 2014 and the Edinburgh Health and Wellbeing outcomes.

Section 6 - Communication

Introduction

In addition to the usual communication systems and procedures for all learners, communication systems for pupils with additional support needs are as follows:

Within class

Where one or more pupil support assistants are working in class under the support and management of the class teacher good communication is essential. This is supported through:

· informal communication in and out of class

· specific time being made available for discussion, planning and review

· sharing of all additional planning

· daily diary

Within school

The ASL team leader is responsible for ensuring good communication takes place within the school through:

· organising regular ASL / IST team meetings

· overseeing the system of referrals to the ASL team

· initiating times for liaison and consultation between school staff and school staffand professionals from partnership services and agencies

· ensuring that two way communication of information on individual children withadditional support needs exists between ASL/IST team and all involved staff

· ensuring that information on individual children with additional support needs ispassed on at times of transition

Within school and partnership services and agencies

Child Planning meetings to meet the needs of specific individuals are organised proactively. Meetings with individual professionals also take place formally and informally. Monthly Pupil Support Group and CAMHS consultations are examples of formal opportunities for communication with partner agencies.

With parents and carers

Communication with parents and carers takes place both formally and informally. Every effort is made to ensure attendance at meetings and to make sure their voices are included.

· through school websites, twitter and texts

· by telephone, email or letter

· at Child / Young Person’s Planning Meetings

· at parent consultation meetings

· through partnership agency involvement, including home visits etc

· at parents evenings (consultations and information evenings)

· report cards

· annual reviews

· family supports, e.g. Raising Children with Confidence and Raising Teens with

Confidence courses

With pupils

· pupils are involved in the identification of learning outcomes

· pupils are involved in all planning and review meetings

· any plan is discussed with pupil

Section 7 – Transfer from Primary to Secondary

Integrated Support Team (IST) and Pupil Support structures

In order to provide the strongest supports for the Primary – Secondary transition, The Royal High School has developed a specialist S1 Pupil Support Leader role within the Integrated Support Team (Support for Learning and Pupil Support / Guidance).

The current S1 Pupil Support Leaders are Mrs Saddler (Monday – Tuesday) and Mrs Casey (Wednesday – Friday).

This structure allows for much more detailed supports and close partnership working with primary colleagues and families throughout the school year, strengthening curricular and pastoral links within the cluster.

Strategic roles for the S1 Pupil Support Leaders include:

· Leading the development of the Growing Confidence programme in RHS as part of a cluster priority and strategy to support Mental health and wellbeing for children and adults

· Developing and delivering S1 Social Education, with supporting assemblies and Key Adult (Friday form) input

· Leading the development of S1 Key Adults with DHT IST lead

· Leading the Junior Award Scheme Scotland (JASS) and wider achievement in S1

· Supporting the link between P7 and S1 Profiles

Support for Learning staff continue to work with a learner throughout his/her time at The Royal High School, ensuring a skilled, trusted and specialist SfL member of staff supports a young person and his/her family in partnership throughout their learning journey at RHS, from S1 to their point of exit from The Royal High School.

S2 – S6 Pupil Support Structure

This structure also ensures a continuity of support within IST at all transition points within secondary school, including from the end of the Broad General Education (S1-3) and into the Senior Phase (S4-6). Learners are supported with their pathways at all course choice stages by a team of professionals within the school who know them, and their families, extremely well. This continuum of support assists every learner towards a sustained positive future destination.

Throughout S1, the S1 Pupil Support Leaders liaise closely with colleagues who will become a learner’s Pupil Support Leader from S2-S6, particularly during the summer term of S1, ensuring a smooth and supported handover. A pupil will meet his/her new Pupil Support Leader in Social Education classes and, in some cases, Young Person’s Planning Meetings, as part of the detailed S1/2 transition.

The Role of Support for Learning in Transition from P7 to S1

Support for Learning teams have a critical role in planning transition from Primary to the RHS. Traditionally, SfL staff would begin liaising with primary colleagues in P7, although we have been involved at an earlier stage if a need/role for SfL was identified.

With current structures, SfL staff are involved in planning to meet learners’ needs at a much earlier stage with families whose children may require longer planning to ensure their successful inclusion in the mainstream secondary setting. This is of particular importance when a young person’s needs may involve significant staff training for secondary school staff, manageable changes to take place in terms of installing or adapting equipment or when regular input from Health partners is required to support a young person attending school.

RHS staff attend and contribute to Child Planning Meetings at primary schools for P6 learners to support transition decisions and effective planning. This includes pupils who are twin tracked, LAC/LAAC learners and other learners whose needs require longer planning processes. There are very strong links between RHS, primaries and Educational Psychological Services to support families and young people at every stage of the process and all schools welcome contact from parents/carers to ensure all needs are met.

Our work with our feeder primaries involves the following:

· Consultation re audit application/joint audit application

· Attendance at relevant CPMs

· Class visits/observations

· Meetings with Primary SfL – information gathering

· Transition meetings

· Identifying vulnerable pupils for extra support and visits, including enhanced transition programmes

· Skill sharing

· Family support group meeting for P7 parents prior to transition

· Supporting identified pupils during transition events and the 3 day visit

· As part of IST, liaising with primary schools and partner agencies to ensure accurate confidential information

· Liaising with Educational Psychological Services to ensure all open cases are reviewed and effective proactive multi-agency planning takes place where appropriate.

Transition documents and GIRFEC documentation are included in Appendix 8.

Section 8 Appendices

Appendix 1 – GIRFEC Forms in The Royal High Cluster

· Information for Parents / Carers

· Information for Young People

· Key Questions for Practitioners

· GIRFEC terms – An A-Z Guide

Appendix 2 – Wellbeing Concern Form

Appendix 3 – Assessment of Need Form

Appendix 4 – Child’s Plan

Appendix 5 – Child Planning Poster

Appendix 6 – Examples of Pathways 1-4

Appendix 7 – Team around the Cluster

Appendix 8 – Transition Documents

· Transition Checklist from P7 to S1

· Review Meeting

· My life now: what I think (Pupil document)

· Transition Meeting questionnaire for Parent / Carer

Appendix 9 – Barriers to Learning Toolkit and Support for Learning Glossary

Appendix 1 – GIRFEC Forms in The Royal High Cluster

Getting it Right for Every Child

INFORMATION FOR PARENTS/CARERS

Getting it Right for Every Child is a national Scottish Government legislation about ensuring the wellbeing of every child in Scotland.

Getting it Right for Every Child is about:

· Helping your child make his/her life as good as it can be

· Helping your child with any needs he/she might have

· Providing your child with a range of options in life

· Making sure the adults in your child’s life value him/her, no matter where he/she lives, what colour he/she is, what language he/she speaks or what religion he/she follows

· Making sure the adults in your child’s life support him/her in any way they can and provide him/her with the best conditions in which to grow and develop

· Protecting your child from harm and keeping him/her safe, helping him/her sort out any problems

· Presenting your child with opportunities and listening to what he/she says

· Making sure your child understands what is happening to him/her

· Everyone around your child doing the best they can to support and empower him/her, helping him/her to be skilled and involving your child in positive ways in his/her community

Getting it Right for Every Child is about helping your child to make the most of his/her life.

Getting it Right for Every Child

INFORMATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Getting it Right for Every Child is a national Scottish Government legislation about ensuring the wellbeing of every child in Scotland.

Getting it Right for Every Child is about:

· Helping you make your life as good as it can be

· Helping you with any needs you might have

· Providing you with a range of options in life

· Making sure the adults in your life value you, no matter where you live, what colour you are, what language you speak or what religion you follow

· Making sure the adults in your life support you in any way they can and provide you with the best conditions in which to grow and develop

· Protecting you from harm and keeping you safe, helping you sort out any problems

· Presenting you with opportunities and listening to what you say

· Making sure you understand what is happening to you

· Everyone around you doing the best they can to support and empower you, helping you to be skilled and involving you in positive ways in your community

Getting it Right for Every Child is about helping you to make the most of your life.

GIRFEC: Key Questions for Practitioners

After identifying concerns, it is important to determine the appropriate level of response. To assist this process, there are five key questions practitioners need to ask themselves when they have concerns about a child or young person:

· What is getting in the way of this child or young person's wellbeing?

· Do I have all the information I need to help this child or young person?

· What can I do now to help this child or young person?

· What can my department do to help this child or young person?

· What additional help, if any, may be needed from others?

GIRFEC Terms – An A-Z Guide.

Action Plan - a structured plan which sets out timescales, responsibilities and services required to meet a child's or young person's assessed needs.

Additional Support - any support provided for a pupil over and above that given to their classmates; that can be anything from support from an assistant in class to giving a child a visual timetable. It can also include support from outside school that is related to a child’s learning, for example occupational therapy providing equipment or advice.

Additional Support Needs (ASN) – where a child needs additional support to

benefit from school education. Examples: any kind of disability, being bullied, being particularly able, being young carers, on the child protection register, having emotional difficulties, having experienced a bereavement. This isn’t a comprehensive list, and not all children in those situations will need additional support.

Appropriate Agency – these are agencies specified in the Act, such as health, social work and further education colleges.

Assessment – is defined as "an ongoing process of gathering, structuring and making sense of information about a child or young person, and their circumstances, in order to inform decisions about the actions necessary to maximise their potential". Parents can request an assessment for their child, and can request the type of assessment (for example medical or psychological assessments).

Advocate, Advocacy Worker - someone chosen by a parent, or young person, to conduct discussions on their behalf with an education authority.

Child’s Plan - Where more than one agency is required to work together to meet a child’s needs (not just educational needs) a child’s plan will be put in place to draw all the information and contacts together.

Complex Factor - in the context of Additional Support Needs a factor which has or is likely to have a significant adverse effect on the school education of the child or young person.

Curriculum for Excellence - New curricular approach to learning, teaching and

assessment for children/young people aged 3 - 18 years in Scottish schools.

Dispute Resolution - the involvement, under regulations supporting the Act, of an independent adjudicator to review a disagreement between parents, or a young person, and an education authority, over the exercise by the authority of any of its duties or functions under the Act, and to make recommendations for parties aimed at resolving the dispute. This is a paper exercise.

Disability - the code uses the definition of disability, set out in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, as being a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

Duty - where the law requires an education authority or appropriate agency to do something.

Education Authority - in legal terms, education authority and local authority are both defined as a council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994. The Code of Practice for the new Act refers to an education authority when considering a local authority's educational functions; and to a local authority when referring to functions other than educational ones, such as social work services.

GIRFEC - Getting it Right for Every Child

Holistic - a holistic view is one which addresses the whole child and his/her circumstances rather than focusing on specific isolated aspects.

Independent School - a school at which full time education is provided for children or young people of school age (whether or not such education is also provided for children or young people over that age), which is not a public school or grant-aided school.

Integrated Children’s Services - Education, Social Work, Health, Police, Children’s Reporter and Voluntary Agencies working jointly in the best interests of each individual child.

Lead Professional - is required to co-ordinate support within a Child’s Plan when two or more agencies are working together to deliver services to the child or family.

Looked After Child or Young Person - under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 this covers not only children or young people who are accommodated by the local authority but also children or young people who are subject to one of the specified orders, including a child protection order; a parental responsibilities order; or are subject to a supervision requirement whilst living at home. It also includes children who have respite care organized by the Local Authority.

Mediation - a voluntary process whereby an independent third party seeks to enable parties to a disagreement to reach an agreed resolution of their differences.

My World Assessment - is an assessment tool used at every stage in 'Getting it Right for Every Child' to consider the child’s or young person’s needs and risks, as well as the positive features in their lives.

Multi-disciplinary - where more than one professional from different disciplines within the same agency work together (e.g. speech therapist and health visitor).

Multi-agency - where professionals from different agencies work together (e.g. teachers and health or social workers).

Multiple Factors - in the context of a co-ordinated support plan, these are factors which are not by themselves complex but which, when taken together, have or are likely to have a significant adverse effect on a child's or young person's school education.

Named Person - every child will have a named person from universal services responsible for ensuring they have the appropriate help in place to support their development and wellbeing. The Head teacher is the Named Person for school aged children; coordination of support is led by DHTs and Pupil Support Leaders in line with authority and school structures.

Personal Learning Planning - process by which children, young people and parents are involved in discussions with the school about the goals of learning, including those for personal development. Its focus is on supporting dialogue and ultimately about engaging all children and young people in their own learning.

Placing Request - written request by parents or young person made to an education authority for their child or themselves to attend a particular school. If your child or young person has Additional Support Needs you or they may make a placing request to an independent or grand-aided special school. The education authority will not grant such requests if suitable provision can be made in one of their own schools.

Power - where the law allows an education authority to do something, but there is no duty to do so.

Pre-school Provision – generally see ‘prescribed pre-school child’ though in certain circumstances, an education authority has a duty under the Act to make provision for disabled children under the age of 3 years. Such children may be referred to education by health staff or other appropriate adults/professionals

Prescribed Pre-school Child - a child eligible for pre-school provision, generally between the ages of 3 and 5.Significant Adverse Effect - not formally defined in the legislation, but it is likely to affect most aspects of learning and prevent the child/young person making appropriate progress in education.

SMART targets - stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-related.

Special School - a school where the sole or main purpose is to provide education specially suited to the Additional Support Needs of children or young people selected for attendance at the school by reason of those needs. This definition also covers special units with the same purpose which are attached to non-special schools.

Specified School - a school identified in a placing request by a parent, or, as

appropriate, a young person, which the parent wishes his or her son or daughter to attend, or the young person wishes to attend.

Supporter - someone chosen by the parent or young person to be present at any discussions with the authority or at the tribunal for the purpose of supporting them in the course of those discussions.

Targeted services - services which are designed to help specific children and young people for particular needs, e.g. social work, the Reporter, police, a whole range of voluntary sector provision.

Transitions - refers to changes in education, for example, starting nursery school, moving from primary to secondary school, transferring schools and so on.

Transitional Arrangements - safeguards in the Act to maintain provision, for a specified period, for children and young people who had a Record of Needs, immediately prior to the commencement of the Act.

Universal Services - services which all children and young people have access to throughout their childhood, i.e. health and education provision.

Young Carer - children and young people who provide care to a family member.

Young Person – anyone over school age (generally over 16 years) but not yet 18 years of age.

Appendix 2 – Wellbeing Concern Form

Appendix 3 – Assessment of Need form

Appendix 4 - Child’s / Young Person’s Plan

Appendix 5 - Child Planning Poster

Appendix 6 – Support Pathway Resources in The Royal High School 2015 -18

(Primary information to be added)

Pathway 1

Pathway 2

Pathway 3

Pathway 4

The Additional Support needs of young people are met and managed in the classroom

The Additional Support needs of young people are met and managed within the establishment

The Additional Support needs of young people are met and managed within the establishment with support from Partner Services and Agencies

The Additional Support needs of young people are met and managed through placement in a specialist provision

· Seating plan

· Visual Supports

· ICT

· Leaving class early

· Homework Club

· Break and Lunch Club

· Early Morning Skills Programme

· ASL Information System

· Parent Contact

· Buddying

· Extra –curricular clubs

· Tracking and Monitoring

· Report cards

· Support cards – toilet, medical, get out of class

· Differentiation

· Use of strategies for different learning barriers e.g. dyslexia, ADHD etc

· Literacy and Dyslexia Guidelines Checklist

· SfL input

· Literacy tutorials

· Case conferences

· Support from Pupil Support

· Support from SLT

· Support in the HUB (Inclusion resource)

· Paired reading

· 1:1 tutorials

· SfL Supervised Breaks and Lunchtimes

· SRA Reading Programme

· Extraction groups

· Cool, Calm and Connected programmes

· Educational Psychologist

· Life Skills support

· School nurse

· Community Child Health

· Individualised timetable

· Target sheets – behaviour, attendance, weekly monitoring

· Counselling

· PSG

· YPPMs

· Assessment arrangements

· PC Darren Campbell

· LAC / LAAC Mentoring

· Young Carers group

· ASAP and CMRG

· Audit Hours (PSA time)

· Greenshoots

· RUTS

· Social work/Social care Direct

· Transition team – Aspire etc

· Hospital and Outreach teaching

· ASL Services

· Dyslexia Support service

· Educational Welfare Services

· EAL Support

· CEC Support Coordinator

· JET, JET+

· Extended work experience

· Family Solutions

· Occupational Therapists

· Fairbridge

· CAMHS

· Diabetic Clinic

· Amber mediation

· Cyrenians

· Edinburgh Young Carers’ Project

· Skills Development Scotland

· Speech and language Therapy

· Hosting placements

For example:

· Braidburn

· Dunedin

· Kaimes

· Pilrig Park

· Woodlands

Appendix 7 – Team around the Cluster

The Team Around the Cluster approach in the Royal High School cluster is directly linked to the Children’s Services Management Group in the North Neighbourhood of the city.

With new neighbourhoods and the strategic re-alignment of partner agencies, The Royal High School is part of a new cluster across the North of the city and is currently supported by Gordon McLean, Area Coordinator, Lorna Johnston, ASL Services Team Leader and Anne Hendry, Educational Psychologist.

The Team Around the Cluster consists of the Paul Chambers, DHT Support and the Primary DHTs from our cluster primary schools. SfL Leaders from Royal High and the associated primaries are key leaders in the Team Around the Cluster approach.

The Team Around the Cluster meets six times a year in line with Cluster Senior Leadership Team meetings to ensure a collective strategic focus and consistency in practices across the cluster. These practices include information sharing, recording of significant events in a child or young person’s journey and ensuring the successful implementation of best practices and legislative responsibilities.

Close links and effective communication with partner agencies, including Educational Welfare Services, NHS external agencies and Health partners, Community Learning and Development (CLD), the third sector, and others ensures a joined up approach with the child and his/her parents or carers central to all that we do.

The Team Around the Cluster links in with the Pupil Support Group (PSG) in the Royal High School to ensure effective personalised partnership working in addition to universal support entitlements for every child and young person.

Appendix 8

Royal High School Cluster

P7 – S1 Transition

2016 – 2017

P7 Transition schedule 2016 – 2017

Term 1

August

· New S1 classes begin full S1 timetable and Befrienders attached to same Form class as for June visit.

September

· Team Around the Cluster (TATC) meetings begin, in line with Cluster SLT

· Integrated Support Team staff and S1 learners meet to discuss appropriate Child’s plans.

· Modern Language Transition event

· RHS staff liaise regarding CPMs and arrange programme of Primary visits.

October

· SfL staff meet as part of TATC to ensure good communication and self-evaluation of transition process.

· S1 Pupil Support Leaders begin planned visits to schools to meet classes (2 visits to each school before Christmas and 2 visits January – Easter)

· Integrated Support Team staff attend P7 and P6 CPMs for learners in primaries who have Additional Support Needs and who may be transferring to RHS. Parents present at those meetings.

· Cluster Child Protection storage and recording procedures adopted for all P7 learners in the cluster.

November

· Integrated Support Team staff attend P7 and P6 CPMs for learners in primaries who have Additional Support Needs and who may be transferring to RHS. Parents present at those meetings.

· Numeracy Co-ordinator visits to primaries begin.

December

· Planning visits continue

· School Handbook is issued electronically for distribution to the primary schools

· RHS to order Transition Writing Jotters

· Educational Psychological Services confirm names of all twin-tracked P7 pupils.

· Information regarding LAC/LAAC and previously LAC/LAAC pupils shared with RHS. RHS staff to attend CPMs for LAC/LAAC learners

· RHS Communication postcard issued to all P7 pupils.

Term 2

January

· School Handbook is issued electronically for distribution to the primary schools

· Transition writing jotters delivered to primaries with input from RHS Literacy coordinator

· Primary Staff to begin work on Profiles with P7 pupils (to be sent out by CEC)

February

· Names/info on pupils joining RHS from cluster primaries continue to be updated

· P7 Transition Writing Project begins.

· P7s continue work on their profiles

· Volunteers recruited from S5 to train as Befrienders to new S1 intake

· Information on Twin track pupils updated by Educational Psychological Services and Primary Schools

March

· IST staff to meet with P7 staff and collate information required to meet learners’ needs in advance of HWB day. Groups are created and shared with Primaries to address any issues in advance of the event.

· 2/3 S1 pupils visit Primary 7s at their previous school

· P7 Transition Writing Project undertaken

· Primary staff share names and confirm medical requirements of all P7 learners who will attend HWB event

· HWB Transition Day Friday 22nd April

· P7s to be adding to their profiles

· Planning meeting with RHS teams, CLD and The Green Team to plan coherent enhanced transition programmes.

Term 3

April

· Names of pupils allocated a place at RHS issued by CEC.

· P7s to be adding to their profiles

· Information to be given to primaries:

· Letter to parents: 3-day visit & Parents Evening

· Uniform Order Form

· Free Lunches Form

· Yellow Sheet – Emergency Contact

· Information is gathered by visit or telephone from all schools outwith catchment area whose pupils are intending to join RHS.

· CPMs / YPPMs attended for non-catchment P7s, as appropriate

· Enhanced transition groups set up by IST and Primaries for identified pupils to visit RHS before the 3-day visit.

· SfL Groups

· Enhanced Transition with CLD (I Anderson)

· Greenshoots

May

· P7s should be completing to their profiles

· IST staff lead Befrienders visit to primary schools to meet and talk to P7 pupils. (During last two weeks in May)

· New Form Classes are compiled.

· P7 staff to provide their SLT with all transition data by end of May

.

June

· ‘Open Door’ – any parent or pupil can visit on request.

· P7 Profiles completed

· Transition data to RHS prior to 3 day visit – no later than Tuesday 7th June 2016 (pastoral data shared far earlier in session)

· All CfE levels are available on SEEMiS Tracking and Monitoring via the following pathway:

· Management

· CfE Provisional Enrolments

· Refresh

· Numeracy and Literacy CfE levels updated by Primaries

· RHS share numeracy and literacy levels with staff, along with class lists

· IST staff brief RHS staff on meeting P7/S1 Learner’s needs at wholeschool CAT on Friday 10th June.

· Transition writing jotters to RHS prior to 3 day visit – Friday 10th June 2015

· 21st – 23rd June 2016 P7 Transition Visit

· Monday 20th June Parent info evening 7pm (P7 Parents Information Evening, PTA, IST and SLT)

· To allow RHS IST support staff to prepare and collate all pupil information in advance of the new term, Educational Records and P7 profiles passed to RHS – by Wednesday 29th June.

· Child Protection, LAC/LAAC and other red folders passed to RHS no later than Wednesday 29th June. SLT to arrange pick up

· National Transfer Data is completed and sent to RHS.

Appendix 8b: The Royal High School Transition Document

The Royal High School Transition Document

Primary School

Class

Teacher:

Full Name of Pupil

SCN number:

Address

Gender of Pupil

(please circle)

M / F

Place in family

Siblings still at The Royal High

Yes / No

If yes name (s) of

Brothers / Sisters

Siblings left The Royal High

Yes / No

If yes name (s) of

Brothers / Sisters

Different surname? Please indicate here

Medical Condition

Yes / No

If yes please give details

Lives with

(Please circle)

Mum & Dad

Mum

Dad

Grandparent

Looked After

Please specify other living arrangement

(including Young Carer)

Works well with / Suggested friendship group (please note, sibling guidance group may determine class):

Does not work well with / please keep apart from:

Attainment Information

Information for Departments

Please circle level already attained

English Listening

2D

2C

2S

3D

3C

3S

Or other …………

English Talking

2D

2C

2S

3D

3C

3S

Or other …………

English Reading

2D

2C

2S

3D

3C

3S

Or other …………

English Writing

2D

2C

2S

3D

3C

3S

Or other …………

Mathematics

2D

2C

2S

3D

3C

3S

Or other …………

Areas of Particular Achievement

Music / Instrument

Art

Drama

Sport (Please specify)

Out with School (Please specify)

Modern Language studied

(Please circle)

P6

French

German

P7

French

German

SfL

(Please circle)

Current

Audited hours

Child Planning Meeting

HSP

EAL

Past

Audited hours

Child Planning Meeting

HSP

EAL

Whole school involvement e.g. Eco group

Any other relevant information

Transition Checklist from P7 to S1

Pupil Name

Date of review

Lead Professional

Named Person

Please tick the relevant box and provide recent/relevant documentation (e.g. CAMHS reports, copies of educational assessments, ADHD team reports etc)

Educational Psychologist

Educational assessments (YARC, dyscalculia etc)

Medical

CAMHS

OT

VTSS

HOTS

SW

Other

CAMHS – Children and families mental health service HOTS – hospital outreach

teaching service

SW – Social work

OT – Occupational therapy

VTSS – Visiting teacher support services

Review Meeting

Pupil Name

Form Class

Date of Review

Support for Learning Leader

Lead Professional

Pupil Support Leader

Who may be invited?

Educational Psychologist

Transition Team

Guidance

CAMHS

OT

VTSS

HOTS

SW

College Link

Careers

Activity Agreement Officer

Other

CAMHS – Children and families mental health service

OT – Occupational therapy

My Life Right Now: What I Think

Name

Class

Date

I was helped to complete this form by:

School

How are you getting on at school?

What are the good things about school?

Do you have someone who supports you to learn new things?

Do you have someone who says well done when you have tried your best?

What do you find difficult about school?

Who can you talk to about this?

What’s going well?

What could be better?

Home and Health

What is it like where you live?

Does it feel safe and comfortable?

Who looks after you if you are ill?

What do people do that makes you feel cared for?

Is there someone special that you can talk to?

What’s going well?

What could be better?

Relationships

Who is important to you?

Who do you get on well with?

Who listens to you and takes your opinion seriously?

Who helps you when thing are not going so well?

Who can you talk to about the choices you make?

What’s going well?

What could be better?

Community

What do you like to do? Who with?

Who do you like to spend time with?

What’s going well?

What could be better?

What Needs to Change to Make Things Better?

What can other people do more of?

What can other people do differently?

What can you do more of?

What can you do differently?

How will you know that things are better?

How will other people know that things are better?

The Meeting: What’s Important to You…..

What’s important to you that we talk about at the meeting?

Who would you like to come to the meeting?

Transition Meeting

Questionnaire for Parent / Carer

To help us to improve the transition meetings for your child, we would be grateful if you would take a moment to complete this questionnaire. Thank you.

1. Name of pupil ____________________________________________

Please rate the transition meeting you attended

2. How well prepared do you think your child was for transition? (Please tick)

Well prepared

Quite well prepared

More preparation was needed

3. How well prepared were you for your child’s transition meeting? (Please tick)

Well prepared

Quite well prepared

More preparation was needed

4. What else could we have done to make the transition easier for your child?

5. What else could we have done to make the transition meeting easier for you?

6. Did you receive enough information about the transition process?

Yes No

If the answer is no, what else would you have liked?

We are always trying to improve our communication; after reflection is there anything further we could do to make the meeting better?

Thank you for completing this questionnaire. Please return to: P Chambers

Appendix 9 – Barriers to Learning Toolkit

Support for Learning Glossary

Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Any of a range of behavioral disorders in children characterized by symptoms that include poor concentration, an inability to focus on tasks, difficulty in paying attention, and impulsivity. A person can be predominantly inattentive (often referred to as ADD), predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, or a combination of these two.

Auditory Discrimination

Ability to detect differences in sounds. Difficulties with this can manifest themselves as constant misunderstanding, difficulty telling differences between similar sounds or words or often seeming to hear but not listen.

Auditory Figure-ground

Ability to attend to one sound against a background of sound (e.g., hearing the teacher's voice against classroom noise). Difficulties with this can manifest themselves as difficulty understanding the teacher when pupils are working in groups.

Auditory Memory

Ability to retain information which has been presented orally. Difficulties with this may manifest themselves as difficulty remembering what was heard or remembering key facts from a lecture – often leads to poor spelling.

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)

An inability to accurately process and interpret sound information. Students with APD often do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words.

Auditory Sequencing

The process of following visual information in a correct order. Difficulties with this can manifest themselves as confusion with number sequences, lists or lists of directions. For example, hearing ‘ninety-four’, instead of ‘forty-nine’.

Attachment disorder

Attachment disorder is a general term which describes disorders of mood, behaviour, and social interaction arising from a failure to form normal attachments to primary caregivers in early childhood.

Decoding

The ability to translate a word from print to speech, usually by employing knowledge of sound-symbol correspondences. It is also the act of deciphering a new word by sounding it out.

Developmental Aphasia

A severe language disorder that is presumed to be due to brain injury rather than because of a developmental delay in the normal acquisition of language.

Developmental Spelling

The use of letter-sound relationship information to attempt to write words (also called invented spelling)

Dyscalculia

A severe difficulty in understanding and using symbols or functions needed for success in mathematics.

Dysgraphia

A severe difficulty in producing handwriting that is legible and written at an age-appropriate speed.

Dyslexia

A language-based disability that affects both oral and written language. It may also be referred to as reading disability, reading difference, or reading disorder.

Dysnomia

A marked difficulty in remembering names or recalling words needed for oral or written language.

Expressive Language

The aspect of spoken language that includes speaking and the aspect of written language that includes composing or writing. Difficulties with this can manifest themselves as a child having difficulty expressing themselves – for example, they may sound ‘cynical’ or inappropriate.

Dyspraxia

A severe difficulty in performing drawing, writing, buttoning, and other tasks requiring fine motor skill, or in sequencing the necessary movements.

Fluency

The ability to read a text accurately, quickly, and with proper expression and comprehension. Because fluent readers do not have to concentrate on decoding words, they can focus their attention on what the text means.

Listening Comprehension

Understanding speech. Listening comprehension, as with reading comprehension, can be described in "levels" – lower levels of listening comprehension would include understanding only the facts explicitly stated in a spoken passage that has very simple syntax and uncomplicated vocabulary. Advanced levels of listening comprehension would include implicit understanding and drawing inferences from spoken passages that feature more complicated syntax and more advanced vocabulary.

Literacy

Reading, writing, and the creative and analytical acts involved in producing and comprehending texts.

Receptive Language

The aspect of spoken language that includes listening, and the aspect of written language that includes reading. Difficulties with this may manifest themselves as an appearance of ‘not listening’, and a difficulty completing work.

Spatial Orientation

Spatial orientation is the ability to maintain our body orientation and/or posture in relation to the surrounding environment (physical space) at rest and during motion. Difficulties with this can manifest themselves as losing materials, persistent lateness, difficulty with reading out loud, disorganised homework or difficulty judging time.

Transition

Commonly used to refer to the change from secondary school to postsecondary programs, work, and independent living typical of young adults. Also used to describe other periods of major change such as from early childhood to school or from more specialized to mainstreamed settings.

Visual Sequencing

The process of following visual information in a correct order. Difficulties with this can manifest themselves as: problems using a separate answer sheet, skipping lines or losing place easily while reading or difficulty with equations.

Visual Figure-ground

Ability to attend to one image against a background of others (e.g. seeing an image within a competing background). Difficulties most commonly manifest themselves as a difficulty picking one line of text out of a paragraph or picking specific details out of a picture.

Visual Memory

Ability to retain information which has been presented visually. Dificulties with this can manifest themselves as poor reading comprehension, difficulty with maths equations or poor recall of information.

Visual Motor Integration

The process of coordinated control of eye movement with motor control – sometimes referred to as ‘hand-eye coordination’. Difficulties with this can manifest themselves as difficulties copying from the board or textbook, poor organisation and layout of work, or difficulty spacing words.

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