Tawhai School provides a wide range of programmes to support the learning needs of children. To ensure the best possible teaching and learning for these children programmes for students requiring extra learning support are under the direction of the Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCO) team.

Learning Support Coordinator

The Learning Support Coordinator at Tawhai School is Shelley Dalton

You can contact me by ringing the school office or by emailing shelley@tawhai.school.nz

I am here to support you and your child.  Some of the ways I can do this may include:

• Identifying and contacting agencies to support you and your child.
• Developing and reviewing a ‘One Plan’ for your child, recording the agencies and supports in place.
• Coordinating meetings with you, your child’s teacher, and other agencies.
• Ensuring strategies are put in place to support your child’s learning.
• Assisting with transitions between EEC, Primary School and Intermediate.
• Sharing documents and reports – with your permission.
• Ensuring you are aware of the agencies that may be involved with your child and what their role is.
• Working alongside your child’s teacher to put strategies in place, within the classroom.

LSC’s work collaboratively with whanau, staff, and outside agencies to organise learning support around what best meets the needs of identified students at their school. The role ensures Whanau have one point of contact to liaise with multiple agencies, students receive the additional support available to them, and teachers can build their capabilities within the classroom.

The Upper Hutt cluster currently has 14 LSC’s employed by Te Kura Te Haukaretu, 1 at St Pat’s College and 1 at HIBS.  We meet weekly to discuss cluster wide initiatives, engage in professional development and to further develop our role.

SENCO

• Sharon Boese – coordinates teacher aide timetables, works with ORS students and oversees Individual Education Programmes (IEP’s), liaises with outside support agencies, provides support and guidance to teachers, and supports Special Needs students.

Special Needs

The whole school embraces our philosophy on inclusive education. In co-operation with parents and whanau we provide quality educational programmes for children with high special education needs through:

• Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) formulated alongside parents/caregivers
• specialist one to one intervention
• appropriate adaptation of curriculum content
• special education support in the classroom

Learning Support

The school provides support and assistance for children identified as requiring additional support with their learning. Teachers and/or teacher aides work with individual students or small groups. The school supports this through the provision of programmes such as:

Reading Recovery

This programme supports a limited number of 6 year old children who have difficulty with Reading. These students receive a half hour daily lesson with a qualified Reading Recovery teacher until they achieve approximately the normal level. If this is not achieved, they remain in the programme for up to 20 school weeks when they are generally referred to another learning support system.

Individual/Group learning support

We employ teacher aides to work with individuals or small groups. This is to provide extra assistance for students needing support with their reading, writing or maths.

Parent Tutor Reading

Trained adult volunteers support students who need additional assistance with their reading. Students are timetabled to receive regular opportunities to improve their fluency and comprehension.

Buddy reading programme

Senior students are paired up with a reluctant junior reader. The purpose of the programme is to encourage a love of reading for both students and to allow the younger readers to feel a sense of accomplishment while they build fluency.