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Support for Learning

Additional Support for learning at Maybury

Our teachers and support staff are highly skilled in recognising how to adapt and alter learning opportunities for children working at different levels.  In the majority of cases extra support can be provided in this way in the classroom. This quality first teaching approach is known as ‘Universal’ or ‘Wave 1’ support.

Some children may benefit from one of our ‘light touch’ support programmes which are delivered by trained teaching assistants to a small group. This is known as Wave 2 Support. These programmes target children who are working at a level just below expectation with the aim of helping them to ‘catch up’ with peers.

We are fortunate to be able to offer more intensive interventions when children require a higher level of support. Like other interventions these are time bonded (run for a specific number of weeks) and are delivered by a trained teacher usually on an individual or pair basis.

We may also be asked by link professionals, for example,  speech and language therapist or educational psychologist to deliver very specific programmes of support to individual pupils in order to help develop their language and learning skills. Staff delivering this kind of support will work closely with the link professionals and the inclusion leader to ensure the best level of support is provided over an agreed timescale.

Nursery and Reception

Speech and language Schools pack

Occupational Therapy Resource pack

These packs are developed for school by the health authority as a first response to concerns about language or physical development.  They contain information for screening and assessment as well as practical ideas for materials and strategies which may help to support children to develop skills in these areas. They are used before referrals for more specialist assessment are requested.

LEAP (Local Early Autism Project)  we work alongside the LEAP Team to support children who have or are expecting to have a diagnosis of ASD, this allows us to provide early intervention to meet specific needs to these pupils.

Reception Class Yr R

Interventions are incorporated into the daily provision where they are delivered by highly skilled and trained staff on a targeted basis.  The Early Years' environment provides rich opportunities for language, learning and social interaction skills.

talkingpartners@primary is a structured oral language programme providing part of an integrated approach to raise levels of achievement by improving children’s speaking and listening skills. It also helps children to become more confident and competent users of English. It encourages them to listen more actively and talk for a range of purposes and draws particular attention to the links between oracy and literacy.

Year 1/2

talkingpartners@primary is a structured oral language programme providing part of an integrated approach to raise levels of achievement by improving children’s speaking and listening skills. It also helps children to become more confident and competent users of English. It encourages them to listen more actively and talk for a range of purposes and draws particular attention to the links between oracy and literacy.

Specialist Reading Intervention we provide early literacy intervention for children who have literacy difficulties at the end of their first year of primary school this involves reading and writing in a daily one-to-one lesson with a highly trained teacher for a period of between 12 to 20 weeks. At the end of that time, most children have caught up with their classmates and can read and write at a level appropriate for their age.

Early Literacy Support (ELS) 

Early Literacy Support is an intervention programme designed to raise attainment levels in literacy.  It is for children who will benefit from a more intensive programme of study in addition to the quality first teaching within the classroom. This means that the children undertaking this programme will still participate in all literacy lessons in the classroom but will also be provided with additional opportunities for them to consolidate key literacy objectives.

  1. ·         Reinforce learning of letters and sounds
  2. ·         Blending and segmenting phonemes to read and spell words
  3. ·         Reading and spelling high frequency words
  4. ·         Reading and writing simple sentences
  5. ·         Responding to stories they have read, by identifying characters, settings, and main events
  6. ·         Retelling stories in their own words
  7. ·         Finding information in non-fiction texts
  8. ·         Putting events from stories into the correct order
  9.          This programme runs four times a week for 20 minutes and lasts for 16 weeks.

Fischer Family Trust  (Wave 3) 

Fischer Family Trust Wave 3 (FFT Wave 3) is an early intervention for children in Year 1/2 who have difficulties learning to read and write.  FFT Wave 3 is aimed at children who are unable to access a scripted group intervention, but who do not have the depth of need that would require the support of a Reading Recovery programme. It is based on the pedagogy and practice of Reading Recovery.  

Aims

The aim with FFT Wave 3 is to accelerate learning so that each child makes enough progress in reading and writing in order to access a group intervention and/or continue to progress through whole class /group teaching.  At Year 1 the gap between a targeted child and the rest of the class will be relatively small, so it is easier to use an effective intervention to accelerate their learning in order to close the gap with their peers. FFT Wave 3 can be used with year groups other than Year 1/2.

The programme in outline

  1. ·         Designed for TAs working one-to-one with a Year 1 child
  2. ·         Targets children who do not have the skills to access group programmes
  3. ·         15-20 minutes daily for 10-20 weeks
  4. ·         A 2-day rolling programme (reading one day, writing the next)
  5. ·         Delivered by an experienced Teaching Assistant who has attended the 3-day training

Structure of the FFT Wave 3 programme

Each child's programme is based on the initial assessment.  It addresses skills and knowledge at word, sentence and text level.  Letter and Word work is always immediately applied to reading or writing continuous text.  The aim is for the child to develop a range of independent reading and writing strategies.

Year 3/4/5/6

Racing to English

Language building activities for pupils learning English as an additional language. This intervention is delivered in a small group (3-4) by a teaching assistant for 2-3 20 minute sessions each week. The activities are deigned to be flexible and adaptable to address specific needs of pupils at differing levels of language acquisition.

Talkboost 2 

Talk Boost 2 is a targeted intervention that narrows the gap between 7-11 year olds with language delay and their peers. It is a 10-week programme delivered by trained teaching assistants that can boost a child's communication by up to 18 months.

Year 6

Maths and Writing Intervention 

Intervention groups run by year 6 staff, focusing on those children who need an extra boost to get to the expected level in one or both of the curriculum areas.  These groups are selected according to need each half term. 

Years R-6

Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) 

There will always be children and young people in schools facing life challenges that detract from their ability to engage with learning, and some will require greater support to increase their emotional literacy than others. ELSA is an initiative developed and supported by educational psychologists. It recognises that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed.  We have a trained teaching assistant who leads the ELSA support in school and who works with pupils on an individual or group basis. ELSA support can be flexible in its delivery according to the needs of individual pupils.  Generally pupils will have a weekly  30 minute session focusing on specific themes to help them develop their emotional responses.

Years 1-6

Drawing and Talking intervention 

Drawing and Talking is a safe and supportive serial drawing technique for use with children and young people who have suffered trauma or have underlying emotional difficulties affecting their mental health and well-being. The technique is based on Jungian and Attachment (Bowlby) theories.
Drawing and Talking intervention supports those who are not realising their full potential either socially or academically. It allows them space and time to address and come to terms with emotional issues in a safe and supported environment.

Years 1-6

Lego Intervention 

Lego group intervention brings together groups of children and young people with a passion for building Lego, providing a supportive structure to develop their ability to listen, talk to and learn from one another through play.  The opportunities in Lego intervention support the development of language and thinking skills and inspire and encourage social awareness and success. It is particularly useful for children who have social communication difficulties or language delay.

Years 1-6

Lexia 

An online literacy programme to support children's phonic development, language and grammar.  This is receptive to each individual child.  A research proven blended learning programme that accelerates the development of literacy skills through personalised and targeted instruction.