Learning Support Advisory Team (LSAT)
The Learning Support Advisory Team works with children and young people aged 4 to 18, senior leadership staff, teachers, teaching assistants and school support workers.
We offer learning assessments and advice, access arrangements, observations, advice and support for children and young people with a special educational need.
Ways In Which the Learning Support Advisory Team Can Work in Your School
In an effort to consider other ways of working with schools, SENCos may wish to consider the following:
• Audits – whole school / classrooms in terms of being ‘friendly’ re communication, Autism, Dyslexia, sensory.
• Look at the physical and learning, environments.
• Observations of classroom practice. Learning walks, noting what is working well / what isn’t.
• Model approaches / interventions for staff. E.g. use of visual timetables, social stories, Now / Next / Then boards.
• Model how group sessions may be run e.g. Language groups, Dyslexia groups
• Coaching approaches – which will benefit other children in the class too.
• Help to establish intervention groups e.g. baseline assessments, training of staff, modelling intervention, monitoring delivery, reviewing progress.
• Screening of small groups e.g. language, as part of Assess> Plan >Do > Review cycle. This way LSATs can work with several children rather than one child. Staff can be trained to deliver the intervention, deliver it, pupils reviewed (6 months or 6 weeks pre-school).
• Training – a range of centrally run course or tailor made for schools.
• Consultation sessions with parents – a surgery system. Advice could be provided as part of early intervention.
• Support schools to strategically implement SEND changes - reviewing with staff , pupils , parents, the SEN Information report, policy, offer etc.
• Offer shadowing to the SEND Governor.
• Consultation with staff (rather than long written reports) to include verbal feedback and notes of the meeting.
• Team Offers – what they can provide in terms of support to schools.
• Consider a September planning visit between schools and SEND teams e.g. EPs, LSATs, BSATs, SENCos, Heads etc so that the most appropriate professional can be matched to the needs of the child and avoid duplication.
• SENCo support.
• Transition meetings with SENCos of receiving schools.
We provide a wide variety of courses, CPD and conferences along with in school group interventions to support settings in encouraging and improving learning behaviour and raising attainment.
What we offer
The Learning Support Advisory Team consists of:
- Team leader
- Seniors / advisory teachers with specialisms in Dyslexia, Autism and Speech, Language and Communication needs
- Visual stress /print sensitivity screening
- Dyscalculia
- Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (Dyspraxia).
We aim to work in partnership with children, school staff, parents/carers and other professionals to encourage positive learning communities which meet each child’s needs. This will be achieved through a flexible, collaborative, empathetic and child-centred approach rooted in responsive, innovative and inclusive solutions.
The Learning Support Advisory Team is traded with the Local Authority schools, non Local Authority schools and other agencies who may wish to access the service.
Why choose us
We provide:
- In depth local knowledge. We know our schools well and the strengths of people in them. We have a long standing commitment to improving the outcomes for all children and young people within Telford and Wrekin and neighbouring authorities. Building on our years of strong partnership working, we are able to establish, lead, support and manage effective local networks.
- A highly experienced valued team. Our cohesive team has been recruited for their proven abilities and professional expertise. We are consistently rated by our schools and external agencies as good and outstanding for our support and challenge, resulting in improved pupil outcomes and provision.
- Accountability at a local level. Working as employees of the Local Authority, we are held to account through rigorous monitoring and evaluation of the services we offer. This ensures the service you receive is of the highest quality.
- Value for money. In comparison with other providers, we believe that our support provides excellent value for money.
- A proven track record. Successfully operating as a traded service since September 2001, we are already working flexibly to provide a range of high quality bespoke schools improvement consultancy services and CPD courses to meet the needs of our schools.
Charges
Charges are dependent on the level of support required, quotations can be provided on request.
For more information, please contact us by email: SENDandInclusion@telford.gov.uk
or, by phone: 01952 381045