The Learning Support Team at Ashfield Public School is at the heart of the whole school capacity to maximise growth and performance. The team, which meets weekly, is focused on supporting students who have a disability, learning difficulty, behaviour need, and /or require extension, enrichment and engagement. The team assists teachers cater for the individual needs of students in their classes.
As part of the school's learning support process a teacher, or upon occasion a parent, refers a particular student to the Learning Support Team. Typically this referral details the area for support and what is already in place to assist or extend the student. The Learning Support Team, comprising of the school executive team and school counsellor, then discusses the referral and works with the teacher and/or parent to allocate school and external resources to support the teacher, the particular child or group of children and when appropriate, the parents and family.
Every child throughout the school has a learning support folder which is kept by the class teacher. The purpose of this folder is to keep a record of things including individualised learning adjustments and meetings with parents. The learning support folder will be passed onto the new class teacher at the beginning of each school year. As time progresses, the folder will enable the school to maintain a record of how the needs of an individual child have been catered for. The learning support folder is also used at Learning Support Meetings to inform discussions.
Ashfield Public School is driven by a deep belief that every student is capable of successful learning. Its Learning Support Team is an integral part of the school's capacity to give every child, every opportunity. The team is committed to applying school resources including staff time, expertise, funds, facilities and materials, in a targeted manner to meet the learning and wellbeing needs of all students.
The team helps teachers and parents address educational issues and respond appropriately to the needs of individual learners. The Learning Support Team is about the whole school community sharing the responsibility for student learning and success.