Learning Support Service

The following information has been taken from the Learning Support Service section of the Salford Council website.

Our vision

To deliver high quality support and advice that makes a real difference to the pupils and school staff of Salford.

Who we are

The Learning Support Service (LSS) is part of the Children’s Services.

The LSS as a whole consists of 45 members of staff, made up of a service manager, teachers (including four with TLR responsibilities), teaching assistants (all level three), mobility officers, technician, admin staff and Allied Health Professionals.

The Allied Health Professionals work with LSS staff providing specialist support, knowledge and training in areas of Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Audiology.

These staff are then split into four teams:

• Cognition and Learning (including Speech Language and Communication Needs, dyslexia, dyscalculia, Moderate Learning Difficulties, Irlen and physical disabilities)
• Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC)
• Hearing Impairment
• Visual Impairment

Each of these teams is made up of dedicated teachers and teaching assistants who have both experience and additional qualifications in their area of expertise, and each team also has access to additional members of staff with other specialised knowledge, eg mobility officers, Speech and Language Therapist. 

As a service we work closely with a range of other professionals to ensure the best service possible for the children and schools of Salford. These include, but are not limited to, the SEN team, the Educational Psychology Service (EPS), Starting Life Well (SLW), Social Care, Primary Inclusion Team (PIT) and Secondary Inclusion Service (SIS), Paediatricians, and a variety of other services.

What we do

Whilst each team works slightly differently, the overall aim is to provide support to children with SEND and school staff to ensure every child has the best access to education to be able to achieve their potential. This may take the form of direct work with a child, small group work with several children, planning work with a class teacher offering practical support and ideas for getting the best from your class, help and guidance with planning, differentiation and target setting, or more strategic work with a SENCo or school leadership. Every school has a named dedicated member of staff from the LSS who is available to meet with school SENCos on a termly basis to look at SEN provision generally across schools.

The LSS works in all schools across Salford as part of universally available services. However, for independent schools a charge may be applied for support.

The LSS also works closely with the SEN team at the point of request for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessment, ensuring a member of staff (either the manager or a teacher with TLR responsibility) is part of the initial panel making a decision about formal assessment. As there is currently a pathfinder project in the South Locality, staff are also involved in this process, contributing to multi-agency meetings regarding EHCPs. If a decision is made not to conduct an assessment, someone from the LSS also facilitates meetings with schools, parents and professionals to ensure that there is a robust SEN Support plan with clear objectives to support the child or young person moving forward.

Where a member of staff from the LSS is involved with a child who has an EHCP, then they will ensure they are working in conjunction with school to help the child or young person to achieve the objectives set out in their EHCP. This will also involve participation in annual review meetings, and provision of annual review reports.

Workshops and seminars

The LSS provides a wide range of workshops and seminars on a wide range of SEND, both on a rolling programme and bespoke when requested including staff meetings, twilight sessions and INSET days.

Referrals

As a service we accept referrals from a variety of agencies or professionals, and this will depend upon the needs of the child.

The majority of our referrals come from schools, when they realise that a child may have additional needs and there is a need for additional external support.

For some areas of need referrals may come from other professionals such as an audiologist, ophthalmologist, education psychologist or paediatrician.

For children with a visual or hearing impairment, support is available from birth, or as early as the impairment is identified. For other areas of need, support is available from when a child starts school, either in a school Nursery class or from reception. 

Further information is available in writing from:

Learning Support Service
Moorside High School
Deans Road
Salford
M27 0AP

Or by email at adminsupport@salford.gov.uk.