Please find below information about the Outreach Support available from the special Schools/Academies within Leicestershire, and how you can access it.
Principles
We support the right of parents to choose where their child is educated. We acknowledge however, the challenge for mainstream teachers when they are asked to teach children who are working at significantly earlier levels than their peers. We aim to provide support to our mainstream colleagues in order that these inclusive placements prove successful.
The aims of outreach support are to:
- Support mainstream schools in meeting the precise and specific needs of pupils with complex learning difficulties
- Help teachers and teaching assistants feel more confident in their day-to-day work in the classroom
- Build this confidence through being able to talk to, observe and work alongside skilled practitioners from special school settings
- Further develop partnership between special schools and mainstream schools in a strategic, planned and transparent way
- Prevent failure and promote a climate of success.
The pupils for whom support can be requested are those:
- Who challenge the confidence and skills of teachers and support staff as a result of their special educational needs.
The kind of help may include:
- Modelling of learning and teaching and opportunity to practice
- Advice on teaching, learning, assessment and target setting
- Advice on appropriate resources and information, signposting
- Makaton sessions training
- Advice about how to manage the education of pupils with specific conditions and syndromes
- Guidance at transition times
- Enabling teaching assistants/teachers to watch and try out teaching techniques, and to build their confidence in working with children.
Advice and strategies to support:
- Cognition and Learning
- Autism
- Challenging Behaviour
- Communication & Interaction
- Social & Emotional Support.
Mainstream schools will need to use their own resources to release staff to work with special school staff.
Outreach Support is best met when schools can share their learning/new skills across a wide range of staff to meet the needs of children with special educational needs.
In all cases, requests for support should be made by the Headteacher of the mainstream school or his/her representative, to the Outreach Co-ordinator of their local Special School/academy.
It is envisaged that an initial meeting will take place to discuss the level of support and the form it will take. The initial visit is free (up to half a day); strategies, advice, case work and examples of packages of resources linked to areas of difficulty will be discussed. The visit may include an observation and the on roll school is responsible for informing people and gaining consent where appropriate. A copy of the Summary of Support will be sent to the Headteacher/SENCo of the mainstream school.
After the initial visit/outreach work there maybe additional packages of support that schools can access at a cost. Schools will need to discuss and commission this individually with Special Schools/Academies.
To download/view the Outreach Service Request Form, please click HERE.
To download/view the Outreach Process Flowchart, please click HERE.