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Scotland : Internal school organisation

Last updated: 22-Aug-2005
4.5 SPECIAL PUBLICLY-FUNDED PROVISION WITHIN OR OUTSIDE MAINSTREAM EDUCATION 
4.5.1 ORGANISATION OF TEACHING GROUPS
4.5.2 STUDENT PROGRESSION THROUGH SPECIAL PROVISION
4.5.3 CLASS SIZE
4.5.4 TEACHER SPECIALISATION

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For information on the general organisation of teaching groups in mainstream education, see sections 4.1.1, 4.2.1, 4.3.1 and 4.4.1 of the mainstream Scotland Archive.  

4.5 Special publicly-funded provision within or outside mainstream education

(see 3.2.5)

4.5.1 Organisation of teaching groups

In special schools or units, teaching groups are determined by the size of the school or unit and by the nature of the students’ special needs.  Students are usually grouped according to the extent of their needs and are, consequently, often accommodated in mixed age groups, although schools often try to ensure that age bands are not too wide. ¹

4.5.2 Student progression through special provision

There are generally no special conditions governing the promotion of students with additional support needs (ASN) from stage to stage, and most progress alongside others in their age group.  A small number, because of their particular needs and possible linked requirements for specialist care, remain in a particular group or class - where their needs can be met - from year to year.¹

4.5.3 Class size

For information on class size in mainstream education, see sections 4.1.3, 4.2.3, 4.3.3 and 4.4.3 of the mainstream Scotland Archive.

In special schools or units, the size of teaching groups is determined by the size of the school/unit and the nature of student need.  Students are usually grouped according to the extent of their needs and are consequently often accommodated in mixed age groups, although the schools often try to ensure that age bands are not too wide. ¹

4.5.4 Teacher specialisation

In primary schools, class teachers generally have the assistance of visiting (peripatetic) or full-time learning support teachers who are attached to schools specifically to offer advice and training to other members of staff and to give additional tuition, often on a one-to-one basis, to children with special needs.  Such teachers, usually known as ‘support for learning’ teachers, fulfil a number of functions:

• They assess the learning difficulties of children and offer pedagogical advice to class teachers.
• They teach alongside colleagues in classrooms, offering help specifically to children who are experiencing difficulties.
• They may withdraw children from the classroom at certain times to provide intensive tuition.
• They organise in-service training in schools to assist their colleagues in handling children’s learning difficulties.¹

Support for learning teachers also represent the main channel through which other forms of external support may be offered to schools, in particular the help of the psychological service, the health service (which is responsible for speech therapists, for example) and the social work department, whose officers may be responsible for offering help to families with children in school.¹

In secondary schools, students with additional support needs (ASN) are supported by a learning support teacher who assists by:

• Offering consultancy to teachers and members of the management team on policies and practices relating to ASN.
• Working alongside subject teachers to give support to students with ASN.
• Providing individual or small group tutorial support to students with ASN.
• Offering advice to colleagues on the curricular programmes being provided.
• Providing staff development and in-service training for colleagues when requested to do so by the headteacher.¹

There may be many different professionals involved in the care and education of the students depending on their individual needs.  Some of the professionals involved may include: psychologists, doctors, nurses, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.  The role of auxiliaries is also important especially when children require physical care or help when travelling.¹

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