Achieving high standards and the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs (Updated)

This digest found in

Inclusion
Pupil grouping and organisation of classes

How was learning support used?

All the schools made use of learning support departments which teachers regarded as sources of knowledge and support for teaching and learning. Ways in which schools involved support staff in teaching and learning were:

reallocating learning support staff from direct work with individual children to working with a specific subject department;

developing the role of the teaching assistants so they became a resource for other children in addition to the targeted child; and

supporting children in learning tasks during lunchtimes and after school homework clubs in addition to in-class support.

The authors reported that schools saw particular advantages to assigning teaching assistants to departments. Firstly by being part of a department team, it helped them to learn more about the subject they were supporting. Secondly, they could participate in the planning process. Thirdly, because the teaching assistant also became a learning resource for other children, it helped to reduce the dependency of the individual child.

Teachers valued the contributions made by subject specific support workers. One teacher said:

Eighty per cent of the time (support workers) are assigned to departments and this has made a huge improvement. The ISW (support worker) gets to know all the kids and kids can go to all the ISWs for help... The ISWs get familiar with the curriculum. (The ISW) knows all the lessons and can predict who to work with.

There was also some evidence to support the view that classroom support helped teachers change and develop their teaching methods, another teacher commenting:

I know that the support will be there when we need it and it's easier to use group work and to keep the kids more involved. The help is there when they need it and it's reassuring to me. I suppose they spend less time sitting around waiting for help. I think all kids learn more under this arrangement.

Your path: Home > Welcome to The Research Informed Practice Site (TRIPS) > Themes > Pupil grouping and organisation of classes > Achieving high standards and the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs > How was learning support used?
Research Home Themes \| Find digests \| About the digests resources glossary researchers contact TRIPS Introduction Does inclusion have an impact on school effectiveness? What did the researchers set out to do? Did inclusion affect pupils' achievement? How was learning support used? What concerns did staff have about inclusion policies and practices? What did pupils and parents think? How was the research designed? Implications Where can I find out more? Send us your feedback Collated digests To view/remove/add notes and save your collated digests click here Get Word Reader Achieving high standards and the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs (Updated) This digest found in Inclusion Pupil grouping and organisation of classes Send to a friend Word doc 60KB Printer friendly Collate for later How was learning support used? All the schools made use of learning support departments which teachers regarded as sources of knowledge and support for teaching and learning. Ways in which schools involved support staff in teaching and learning were: reallocating learning support staff from direct work with individual children to working with a specific subject department; developing the role of the teaching assistants so they became a resource for other children in addition to the targeted child; and supporting children in learning tasks during lunchtimes and after school homework clubs in addition to in-class support. The authors reported that schools saw particular advantages to assigning teaching assistants to departments. Firstly by being part of a department team, it helped them to learn more about the subject they were supporting. Secondly, they could participate in the planning process. Thirdly, because the teaching assistant also became a learning resource for other children, it helped to reduce the dependency of the individual child. Teachers valued the contributions made by subject specific support workers. One teacher said: Eighty per cent of the time (support workers) are assigned to departments and this has made a huge improvement. The ISW (support worker) gets to know all the kids and kids can go to all the ISWs for help... The ISWs get familiar with the curriculum. (The ISW) knows all the lessons and can predict who to work with. There was also some evidence to support the view that classroom support helped teachers change and develop their teaching methods, another teacher commenting: I know that the support will be there when we need it and it's easier to use group work and to keep the kids more involved. The help is there when they need it and it's reassuring to me. I suppose they spend less time sitting around waiting for help. I think all kids learn more under this arrangement.