Specialist Teacher
Specialist Teacher involvement increases the capability of the Service to respond to individual needs of pupils, class teachers, support for learning teachers and schools. Contributions are made across the five roles undertaken by a Psychological Service i.e. consultation, assessment, intervention, training, research and devlelopment.
Consultation is provided with pupils and staff in primary schools. This normally occurs at Stage 2 of the Staged Intervention Process, and may lead on to a Stage 3 which requires direct involvement with the pupil. School visits are carried out as required to the 19 primary schools.
Assessment is undertaken if it is indicated appropriate as an outcome of the Stage 2 review meeting. The assessment is constructed by means of an individual assessment plan, which takes into consideration the schools own assessment findings, and any concerns raised at the review meeting. It may not always be necessary to use standardised tests with the child , however if they are used, their purpose is always explained to the child and the results shared with him/her afterwards. The assessment is used to inform teaching and learning through summarising the nature and degree of difficulty the child experiences, and includes a series of recommendations to address the learning needs which have been identified.
Intervention contributions are made to IEP meetings and regular review/monitoring meetings. Specific programmes, equipment or teaching methods may be recommended, demonstrated or provided Support for Learning teachers often require advice on small matters which can be given/arranged quickly by telephone/e-mail thereby making their job simpler and more manageable. Transiton reviews are overseen on behalf of pupils, particularly those transferring from Primary to Secondary. Additional assessments are carried out at this time, if appropriate and specific additional support needs recommendations are made to secondary schools.
Training sessions are provided regularly for Support for Learning teachers. Class teacher In-service is included in the ASN Training Brochure normally covering a variety of topics such as; Specific Learning Difficulty, Dyspraxia, Able Pupils and Dyscalculia
Research & Development: In IT in particular changes are occurring very quickly and it is necessary to keep abreast of the technical support available. We are able to have regular visits from software reps and sales people to demonstrate their newest products, however these have to be evaluated before they can be recommended for use in schools. The IDL Computer Programme was introduced authority wide as a result of this work.
The current research project is centred on early additional reading support. Contributions are made to working groups addressing educational developments e.g. Staged Intervention, SEN Review, children's Services Planning and Accessibililty Strategy.
Contact information
For further information about this page please contact:
Acting Principal Psychologist, Psychological Service
Second Floor , 15 Mar Street, Alloa, FK10 1HR
Tel: 01259 226000
Email: arussell@clacks.gov.uk
Or use the on-line contact form.