Tracking progress to support pupils’ additional learning needs

Ysgol Esgob Morgan Voluntary Controlled Primary School is located in the Cathedral city of St Asaph in Denbighshire. There are currently 107 pupils between 7 and 11 years of age, who are taught in four single age classes. 

Context and background to the effective or innovative practice

Ysgol Esgob Morgan has developed a truly pupil-centrered approach to everything that it does, which has grown from the pupil-centred approach the school takes to additional learning needs.  The school were keen to ensure that special educational needs and inclusion were brought under one umbrella, under the direction of the Additional Learning Needs and Inclusion Co-ordinator (ALNCo) as the school recognised the strong links between learning difficulties and behaviour.  As interventions to support pupils are constantly evolving and changing, it was essential that pupil progress was tracked in detail to ensure that the school was able to show the impact that interventions had on the pupils.  It was also important for the school to involve the entire team in planning, developing and reflecting on the interventions delivered.  This approach ensures that all staff are empowered to support pupils who have additional learning needs.

Description of nature of strategy or activity

Every September, teaching and support staff work through three routes to identify pupils who require additional support; standardised testing, their own knowledge of their classes and any involvement from outside agencies.  They then meet with the ALNCo and feed this information into the intervention planning frames that the school use.  This includes recording a benchmark of current attainment which could be relating to learning, behavioural, social or communication difficulties.

Following this, the Learning Support Assistants work through an agreed intervention package with the pupils and regularly assess their progress formatively, feeding back to the ALNCo.  At three times throughout the year, the intervention planning frames are reviewed in a triangulation meeting. This meeting takes place between the class teacher, the Learning Support Assistant and the ALNCo.  This allows progress to be discussed in detail, new scoring to be recorded and pupils to be added to, or removed from, intervention programmes based on the progress being made.  The triangulation meetings also provide a platform to make referrals to outside agencies or for requests for support from the local authority.

To empower all staff, Learning Support Assistants record notes regarding pupil progress and on their planning which is then quality assured by the ALNCo as part of the performance management process within the school.  This has developed the ability of all staff in the school to handle data and to identify trends and patterns.

What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?

This approach to support pupils with additional learning needs has led to an increase in standards. In 2017/18, all pupils achieved their end of key stage core subject indicator.  In the last school year of the pupils who have additional learning needs, 87% made progress in spelling, 78% in reading and 76% in maths.  This confirms the whole team approach taken to support pupils with addiitonal learning needs is effective.

How have you shared your good practice?

The school has shared this work through a variety of channels.  They have presented the work regularly at local authority special education needs co-ordinator meetings, have supported schools on an individual basis to replictate the approach and have contributed to speed learning events to share practice with other schools.