Targeted Support

For some learners, support intervention may extend beyond universal level. A targeted intervention (support) may be deemed necessary and appropriate as a result of on-going tracking and monitoring, professional dialogue, and/or engagement with young people and their family.

Barriers to learning come in may different forms, but they broadly fall under four categories:

• Learning Environment;
• Family Circumstances;
• Disability or Health Need;
• Social and Emotional Factors.

Targeted interventions (supports) come in many shapes and forms. They may involve a short-period of in-class, small group or 1:1 support, or the young person may be invited to participate in an additional learning activity such as ReadingWise or SEAL Maths. The ultimate goal, regardless of the barrier, is always the same: overcome the barrier and enable the young person to achieve and attain to the highest standard.

Targeted work will always follow the same cycle to ensure the type and level of support is appropriate:

1. Assess and Identify;
2. Plan (using SMART targets);
3. Implement;
4. Evaluate.

Targeted Support Faculty

St Machar Academy has a dedicated team of teachers and Pupil Support Assistants (PSAs) who work across the school across all three levels of personalised support: Universal, Targeted, and Specialist. The Faculty is led by Mrs F. Adair (PT GIRFEC & Safeguarding). Staff in the faculty work across '5 Roles' in order to provide a breadth or service across the school:

1. Identification and Assessment of Additional Learning Needs
2. Direct and Cooperative Teaching
3. Consultancy Work
4. Provision of Continuous, Lifelong Professional Learning (CLPL)
5. Multi-Agency Working

The work of PSAs tends to focus on in-class support of learning and teaching. They are deployed by the Faculty Head and this is dictated by the needs of our young people. In addition, they fulfil duties in terms of first aid and administration of medicine provision.

Planning

Appropriate, specific and measurable planning enables us to provide the correct intervention for the correct period of time. Young people with an identified learning need may have one of three plans:

• Learner Profile - This is drafted by a targeted support teacher in conjunction with the young person. It highlights the strategies that enable them to learn best. It is shared with all their class (subject) teachers.
• Individualised Education Plan (IEP) - This is drafted by a targeted support teacher in conjunction with the young person (and often their family). It will detail the young person's strengths, specific needs, and the nature of their targeted intervention(s) and the associated SMART targets.
• Child's Plan - This is a statutory (legal) document, which is created as part of a single/multi-agency meeting. It will outline the specific actions and desired/intended outcomes, a detail who is responsible for supporting the young person in this regard. The views of young people and their family are captured as part of this plan. IEP targets may sit within a child's plan.

Please contact the young person's PT Guidance if you are concerned about their progress at St Machar Academy. The more we know about a young person and their circumstances, the more we can do to help.