titleLearning Support for a wider student group:

Messages from ELS

What is the ELS?

• LSIS funded programme to identify and address the training and development needs of learning support staff and those who manage them

• Issues and solutions identified in collaboration with practitioners and specialist advisers and organisations

• Resulted in the development of a suite of resources and materials which can support providers to develop staff skills and confidence

• Pilot of some of these over the last year – all found to be very valuable

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Strategic messages

High quality learning support

•Improves outcomes for learners

•Promotes autonomy, choice and independence

•Makes your organisation more inclusive

•Improves inspection outcomes

What Ofsted Found

• “the range and availability of specialist training for staff were variable”

• “areas for improvement included poorly planned support, low expectations of learners and too much focus on achievement of units, rather than generic goals such as social skills that  would prepare learners for their future destinations.

• “All the providers visited were making good use of networks and partnerships to improve their specialist capacity to support learners with a wide range of needs”

Progression post-16 for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities

August 20114

What Ofsted recommends

• “explore ways to provide job coaching and internships to prepare learners for open or supported employment and apprenticeships”

• “continue to find ways of enabling supported learners to become more independent and make use of developing technologies where possible”

Progression post-16 for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities August 2011 5

Achieving high quality learning support requires:

• Investment in the training and development of LSAs…..

• Including training in “high street” and assistive technology

• Broadening the concept of learning support

• Ensuring learners are involved in determining their own support needs

Achieving high quality learning support requires:

• Leading by example in valuing the role and status of LSAs

• Securing shared understanding of roles and responsibilities

• Providing training for tutors• Facilitating the time required to allow them to fulfil

their role properly – time to liaise, to train, to meet with peers, to contribute to organisational development

How can the ELS materials help you?

A suite of resources and materials on the Excellence Gateway which include:

•Profile tool

•Audit tool

•Alternative approaches to CPD

•Website – qualifications

•Much more.....and more to come!

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Discuss your learning support provision

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• How well is it working, and how do you know?

• What are the challenges and issues which face your organisation and how do they effect learning support?

• Identify and share your successes and effective practice in relation to learning support

How can the ELS materials help

• Meet the needs of a wider cohort of learners, with more complex needs

• Audit existing skills at both an individual and organisational level, to support strategic planning

• Build learning support into planning for future development

• Enable your organisation to maximise the impact of learning support

Thank you

Alison O’Brien

alison.obrien@kandaassociates.co.uk www.kandaassociates.co.uk