Learning and support

The Learning Support Team

Support Staff

The school is allocated an entitlement of support staff based on identified need.  Support staff include:

-       Learning and Support (LaST);

-       English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD);

-       Support Teacher Learning Assistance (STLA).

Using equity funding the school supplements this entitlement to provide additional staff to support student achievement in English and mathematics.

School Learning and Support Officers (SLSOs) are employed to support teachers of students with identified disabilities who attract additional department funding.  Employment is based on funding provided.

Support Programs

In addition to support provided within the classroom, literacy support is supplemented through the implementation of small group instruction outside of the classroom through participation in one of the MultiLit programs.

We deliver two MultiLit* programs to students identified as requiring additional instruction to acquire age-appropriate reading skills.

* MultiLit was coined as an acronym for ‘Making Up Lost Time in Literacy’ to refer to the ongoing program of research and development into more effective instruction for low-progress readers conducted by Professor Kevin Wheldall and his colleagues at Macquarie University Special Education Centre. The MultiLit Research Unit was then established to provide a focus for systematic scientific inquiry into how best to meet the instructional needs of students who are struggling to acquire basic reading and related skills.

MiniLit:  Students in Years 1 & 2

MiniLit is an evidence-based, explicit and effective early literacy intervention program for teaching reading skills to children who are in the bottom 25% of the expected range for their age group in Year 1 or 2. MiniLit is a Tier 2 small group program (up to four students per group), but it can also be used on a one-to-one basis.

MacqLit:  Students in Years 3 – 6

MacqLit is an explicit and systematic reading intervention program for small groups of older low-progress readers. It provides teachers with a comprehensive sequence of lessons that includes all the key components necessary for effective reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

You will be advised if your child is identified as being recommended for participation in small group withdrawal support.

English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD)

The EALD program caters for students with language backgrounds other than English.

Support is provided either in class, assisting with the class learning program, or by withdrawing individuals or small groups for targeted English instruction.  This will vary depending on the needs of students and their development in both conversational and academic English.