6.3.5 Support teachers

6.3.5 Support teachers

Overall, support teachers were effective in enhancing educational opportunities for learners with behavioural difficulties, but they need to monitor learners’ progress and achievements systematically

In late 2019, a series of SEN evaluations was conducted in a sample of forty DEIS primary schools that benefit from participation in the Support Teacher Project. In schools involved with this project, support teachers are appointed to support individual learners or small groups of learners to manage their behaviours. The report containing collated findings from these evaluations was published in 2020. 113

Inspectors noted that, overall, support teachers were effective in enhancing the educational opportunities of the target group of pupils and also succeeded in enhancing the educational opportunities of all pupils. In almost all schools, there was a general awareness of the specific role and responsibilities of the support teacher. Of the schools evaluated, 70% had a plan in place for the deployment of the support teacher. Most, but not all, schools had a clear rationale for the inclusion of learners in the support teacher’s target group. However, the learning outcomes of pupils in the target group were tracked systematically in only half of the schools evaluated. Commendably, most support teachers used the Continuum of Support to prepare a plan for pupils. In some schools, the targets in learning plans were overly general in nature. The inspection findings demonstrate a clear need for support teachers to track and monitor learners’ progress and achievements systematically.

Inspections highlight the need to define the roles and responsibilities of support teachers clearly

It was evident from the evaluation of the Support Teacher Project that the roles and responsibilities of the support teacher needed to be outlined clearly in the school plan to ensure more effective use of the support for learners. Arising from the inspections, all schools were advised to devise a plan regarding the deployment of the support teacher to optimise the use of this resource in schools. Inspectors further advised the schools to develop clear guidelines to support collaboration between the support teacher and other teachers in the school. The inspections generally found that there was a need for schools to provide a clear rationale for the inclusion of pupils in the target group. One of the main overarching findings of these inspections was the need to provide an induction programme and ongoing continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for newly-appointed support teachers.