At Portobello High School, we believe in the potential of all pupils. We have high expectations and require all pupils to work hard and dream big – supporting them to overcome any obstacles to learning in their way.
Lots of different people in school support pupils with additional support needs (ASN). TheSfL team is just one piece of the jigsaw. Pupils benefit from the support of our wider, integrated team, which includes:
- Classroom teachers
- Pupil Support Assistants (PSAs)
- Pupil Support Leaders (PSLs)
- Pupil Support Officers (PSOs)
- Support for Learning
- Wellbeing Hub
- Place2Be
- School Counsellors
- Education Welfare Officer
- Senior Leadership Team
- School Support Assistants and School Administrators
Support pathways
Across Edinburgh, support for pupils in schools is explained using the term ‘Pathway’.
- Pathway 1: Pupils’ needs are met in the classroom, by the class/subject teacher, using the differentiation strategies and resources available to them.
- Pathway 2: Pupils’ needs are met by the class/subject teacher, supported by the wider resources available within the school, such as PSA support (see full list above)
- Pathway 3: Pupils’ needs are met within the school, with the help of partner services/ agencies. This can include our partners in the Additional Support for Learning Service, NHS, CAMHS, Educational Psychology or through a charity or voluntary organisation.
- Pathway 4: A small minority of pupils require specialist provision outwith the school. Places at special schools are accessed via the Education Placement Group (EPG), supported by the assigned Educational Psychologist.
What are additional support needs (ASNs)?
All children and young people require support to help them learn, and teachers are able to meet a diverse range of needs in the classroom. However, some young people will require some additional support to fully access the curriculum, and this can be on a long or shorter-term basis.
At Portobello High School, we support our pupils with a wide range of additional support needs: around 30% of our school community is recorded as having an additional support need.
Additional support needs can be due to a wide and diverse number of circumstances, including, but not limited to:
- Disability: autism (ASD), ADHD, dyslexia, developmental coordination disorder (DCD), physical and/or intellectual disabilities, sensory impairment.
- Health: Diabetes, arthritis, epilepsy, absence due to long-term illness.
- Family circumstances: care experience, separation, bereavement.
- Social and emotional factors: anxiety, friendship difficulties etc.
15% of our school community have an assessed disability defined by The Equality Act 2010 as: “a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.”
This includes over 160 dyslexic young people, 48 autistic pupils and around 35 pupils with ADHD and a number of pupils with developmental coordination disorder (DCD/dyspraxia), physical disabilities including cerebral palsy, intellectual disability or a sensory impairment.
Some pupils have multiple disabilities and require a high level of support, while other disabled pupils require very little additional support. We offer support based on the pupil’s needs as they present in school and depending on the particular barriers which may pose a risk to a pupil achieving their full potential.
In the SfL team, we also work with pupils who may not have reached key milestones for a number of reasons to improve their attainment. This may be due to literacy and/or numeracy difficulties; a period of interrupted learning, or perhaps due to being an EAL (English as an additional language) learner.
For more information about how we in Support for Learning support pupils with specific additional support needs, see the links below:
Literacy difficulties, including dyslexia
Numeracy difficulties, including dyscalculia
Autism (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)