Current: Interprofessional Practice

Why R.T Lit as my professional focus?

I am currently supporting a student in Year 4 who is on the waitlist for R.T Lit. Mt first step was to make contact with Lynne to find out more about the process, what would be involved and what I could do to best support in the interim. My hunch was that the Intervention the R.T Lit would use, would be a structured literacy approach, which Lynne confirmed. This initial contact had me wondering about the service and how it works and why it is that there are only three R.T Lit for the Auckland central area. I also wondered why it is that we do not work alongside them to share knowledge and expertise.

What I learnt:

• Students who are significantly behind in their early reading skills can be referred by the school. The student will be discussed at a panel meeting when there is availability and the school will be asked to provide up to date data on reading levels. If other students are more in need based on those levels, other students will come first. the access to support is on a 'needs' priority basis.

• The funding for the R.T Lit is different to RTLB - they do not come under Special Education funding.

• It remains unclear as to why there are so few R.T Lit trying to reach so many students in need.

• There is no reason why they work in a separate location other than it being historical

• There is no reason for the R.T Lit to work in isolation, other than it being historical and it provides them with flexibility and autonomy.

• They have a large caseload - 24 students and work directly with the students

• Facilitate Better Start

• Work with Teacher Aides and Teachers

• Are qualified as R.T Literacy as a specialism

• Ripples of Influence: to learn more about Structured Literacy in order to begin a pilot group (including the focus student) in my liaison school. Term 3. 2022

Next steps: Learning from , With and About.

I had some experience of Structured Literacy from my training as a Better Start Facilitator and prior experience in my RTLB role. My RTLB Colleague Deb Perring (also a YR.1 study buddy) has done some additional training in Structured Literacy and I asked her to run through it with me. On the back of that training, I had a discussion with my liaison SENCo and we ecided, along with the ket teacher to set up and run a pilot group, including the focus student.

STEP one: Professional Learning at Cluster 7 office with SENCo and Key Teacher from Deb Perring, 25th Aug 2022.

Learning Support Funding provided to the school to provide teacher release.

Initial reflections:

• Inclusive: pilot works within the ILE space as their reading group time

• Strengths based: students achieve success in small steps to gain confidence

• Students are wiling and keen and engaged.

• Term 4: WK one feedback from the kaiako (voice 20 Oct 2022)

" They are really starting to gain confidence. I'd wondered if, following the break over the holidays, they might have gone back a bit, forgotten and lost that confidence, but actually, there's been a lightbulb moment. It's just great to see."