At Oakwood Primary school the learning support team is dedicated to creating and fostering a nurturing and inclusive learning environment where every student can thrive and reach their individual goals, academical, socially and emotionally. The team comprising of a Learning Support Coordinator, two Education Assistant Leads, School Psychologist, School Wellbeing Officer/AEIO, and a SAER Deputy Principal works collaboratively to address the academic, social, emotional and behavioural needs of students to ensure each child receives the personalised support they require.
The Learning Support Team work closely with classroom teachers, Education Assistants, caregivers and students to develop and implement individual student plans tailored to each students’ specific needs. These plans are designed to:
• Identify Strengths and Challenges – through thorough in class assessments, observations, classroom staff notes and discussions with students we pinpoint the areas of challenge that the student faces and develop strategies and opportunities to develop in a safe and supported environment.
• Set Specific Goals – these may be based through an Individual Education plan or SEN reporting. The goals are clear and achievable that align with the needs and abilities of the individual. They are discussed with parents/caregivers and the student, with the strategies that will be utilised shared to ensure the child receives the full wrap around support.
Provide Targeted Intervention
At Oakwood, we are fortunate enough to have multiple intervention programs such as:
• Sage Mini Lit – supports our students who have difficulty with reading, targeted as a small group early intervention to supply explicit instruction of phonemic awareness, systematic synthetic phonics for reading and spelling, letter formation and connected text reading.
• Reading Tutor – a 1-1 reading intervention for students who require intensive systematic reading support, it develops the skills required to become a functional reader with explicit instruction in 3 main areas, Phonics, Sight Word Recognition and Supported Book Reading.
• Social Emotional Programs – support students’ development in social awareness, social interpretations, self-regulation, emotional recognition in a small group safe and fun environment, with activities that are student focused, to develop strategies to increase proactive ways to understand how people work, learn and play together.
School Support Staff
School Student Wellbeing Officer – provides emotional and social support to students, helping them navigate personal challenges and developing strong interpersonal skills. They offer individual and group sessions, facilitate conflict resolution and coordinate programs that promote mental health and wellbeing.
School Psychologist – provides specialist support to select students and staff in the areas of mental health and wellbeing, student behaviour and learning. They offer specialist psychological assessment, diagnosis, intervention and consultation on a system level, to groups and to high-need individuals. School psychologists work on an organisational level to provide specialist services to staff, students and parents including consulting with external agencies. Referrals to the psychology services are based on the needs and capacity of the school and not all referrals from external services meet the inclusion criteria for intervention or assessment.