Specialist Learning Support is a team of Specialist Teachers and SEND & Inclusion Support Officers, all of whom are qualified teachers with specialist qualifications in SEND.

Our shared experience and specialisms mean that we can offer schools advice and support based in research and informed by practice. In Wolverhampton schools we work with SENCos, class teachers, support staff, pupils and parents to enable pupils with SEN to reach their potential.

The Specialist Teachers are a traded service providing advice to schools in relation to all aspects of cognition and learning.  In accordance with the SEN Code of Practise 2015, we promote the graduated approach addressing universal provision, targeted and specialist support. When pupils are referred to us, we gather evidence through cycles of Assess, Plan, Do Review to identify areas of need.

The SEND and Inclusion Support Officers (S&I) are part of the the City of Wolverhampton Council’s core offer available to all schools. They are the first point of contact for SENCos offering advice and guidance in their strategic roles as leaders of SEND. The S&I Support Officers offer advice and guidance around all four broad areas of need. They also promote the graduated approach guidance  as per the SEN Code of Practice 2015.

What do we do?

The Specialist Teachers support schools with pupils who have cognition and learning challenges .The difficulties of pupils will range from general low-level learning needs to pupils with specific learning difficulties and beyond. We work with SENCos, class teachers and teaching assistants, as well as working 1:1 with children in school.

Traded offer

Specialist Teachers offer different kinds of support including, but not limited to:

  • Consultations - These are observations and/or conversations with class teachers and other appropriate members of staff about specific pupils. Specialist teachers will offer recommendations to remove barriers to learning as well as offer suggestions regarding SMART intervention. 
  • Assessments - These can include both standardised and non-standardised information relating to receptive language, working memory, phonological processing speed, reading, writing, spelling and maths. The data gathered will be used to make recommendations to support the pupil in the classroom as well through SMART intervention.
  • TME - This stands for Target Monitoring Evaluations our system of setting regularly reviewed targets for pupils. Some pupils will be supported by school staff and others through direct teaching with the specialist teacher. 
  • Access Arrangements - These are assessments to determine appropriate support in formal examinations. 
  • Training - We offer bespoke training to schools on request. This includes training on all aspects of cognition and learning, including: condition specific e.g., Specific Learning Difficulties, Colourful Semantics, Alphabet Arc, Alpha to Omega, Precision Teaching. 
  • Teaching - Direct teaching with specific children 
  • Strategic SENCo / class-teacher support 

Core offer

SEND and Inclusion Support Officers offer different kinds of support including, but not limited to:

  • Strategic SENCo Support, promoting the ethos “Every Teacher as Teacher of SEND” and “Every Leader a Leader of SEND
  • EHCNA requests
  • SENCO Consultation on effective implementation of the Graduated Approach 
  • Workshops/training 
  • Support for SENCOs new to Wolverhampton
  • Collaborative planning/delivery of parent engagement sessions (e.g. SEND Coffee Mornings)
  • Support for the accurate identification of need

The Specialist Learning Support Service is available for educational settings to ensure they can meet the needs of children and young people with Special Educational Needs within Wolverhampton. 

How do we offer our support?

Specialist Teacher support is mainly delivered face to face in the setting, working with children and young people. Meetings with staff and parents can be face to face, or via Teams calls or telephone if required. SEND and accessibility provision is arranged by the setting. 

Support and advice from the SEND and Inclusion Support Officers can be delivered via school visits (face to face), MS Teams calls, emails or through the CWC Wolverhampton SENCO Teams Area and frequency will depend on the extent of the support required.

How do you access our support?

Specialist Learning Support Team is offered to all settings within Wolverhampton. Any setting that commissions an SLA with Specialist Learning Support can access the service. 

Once class teachers and SENCos have identified a pupil in need of additional support, and they have followed a rigorous assess, plan, do, review approach to teaching, learning and intervention, schools (with an SLA) can refer into the Specialist Teachers for strategies, recommendations and/or direct teaching. 

SEND and Inclusion Support officers work directly with teaching and support staff, SENCos and SLT to support the strategic organisation of SEND in schools across Wolverhampton as part of the graduated approach. They can be contacted directly through the SENCo Teams Area or via their email address sendinclusionofficers@wolverhampton.gov.uk

The Lending Library

Specialist Learning Support have a lending library for all schools/settings in Wolverhampton. 

Items in the lending library are primarily for children who have cognition and learning needs and can be loaned to school staff for up to six weeks. The purpose of the lending library is to provide schools with the opportunity to explore learning resources and their effectiveness prior to purchasing for themselves. 

We have a range of books to support SENCos in their strategic leadership of SEND across their school. We also have books which are intended for children and young people to use themselves.

Schools are encouraged to speak to either their link Specialist Teacher, the S&I Officers, or the Specialist Learning Support Team Leader if they wish to borrow from the library of resources. Resources can be borrowed for up to half a term.

Glossary of Terms
  • SEND – Special Educational Needs and/or Disability 
  • SEND Code of Practice 2015 – government guidance on SEND
  • SENCo – Special Educational Needs Coordinator 
  • SLT – Senior Leadership Team 
  • SMART intervention – intervention that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-limited
  • Graduated Approach – this comprises universal support (support that every child has in the classroom), targeted support (support given to a specific child either in the classroom or through intervention) and specialist support (support provided by a specialist / professional)
  • Service Level Agreement (SLA) – a contract between schools and City of Wolverhampton Council’s Specialist Learning Support for a specific package of support
  • Traded service – Schools buy an SLA with our team to purchase our support  
  • Core offer – support that can be offered to schools without the need for an SLA
  • CWC – City of Wolverhampton Council 
  • EHCNA – Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment
Meet the team

Louise Phillips

My name is Louise Phillips and I am the Specialist Learning Support Team Leader. I lead the fantastic team of Specialist Teachers and SEND and Inclusion Support Officers in Specialist Learning Support, which is one of four services within Early Identification and Support Services. I am a qualified SENCo and teacher, having previously taught in mainstream primary schools.

I have been a Specialist Teacher for nearly 7 years and I have recently become the Team Leader – a job which I love!

I am passionate about promoting excellent provision for pupils with SEND within mainstream classrooms, seeing pupils thrive and becoming the best possible version of themselves. 

Vicki

My name is Vicki and I am one of the Specialist Teachers in Wolverhampton. I am a qualified teacher and SENCo and have also completed a Post-Graduate Certificate in Specific Learning Difficulties. 

I have worked in Wolverhampton as a Specialist Teacher for five years working across primary, secondary, post-16 and specialist provision. 

I am particularly passionate about supporting children and young people with SEND in mainstream settings. 

Dr Helen Barnes

My name is Dr Helen Barnes. I joined the team in September 2016 and work part-time.  In addition to my time as a Specialist Teacher in the UK, I have 18 years of classroom teaching experience at primary level, two years at middle school level and eight years at university lecturer level, all undertaken in Florida. My initial training was as a Montessori primary teacher, I hold Qualified Teacher Status at all levels, an MS in Reading Education and a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction. My special area of interest is literacy, with a focus on the development of reading, writing and vocabulary.

Margaret Renshaw

I came to Wolverhampton as a secondary SENCo almost 20 years ago, having worked as a science teacher, SEN teacher, and as part of the SEN Support Service in Staffordshire. 

During my time in Wolverhampton, I have gained a wealth of experience and knowledge of the systems and processes for supporting children and young people with SEN, and have made many contacts across the authority, from education, health, and social care. 

I have been a member of an area team, a multi-agency support team (MAST), and a locality team; as well as previously being Specialist Teacher Team Leader. 

I now support schools as a specialist teacher in a part-time role.

Claire Swift

My name is Claire Swift and I am very happy to be a specialist teacher with the SLS team. 

I am a qualified teacher, SENCO, ELSA, Nurture teacher, Dyslexia assessor and more recently a short break foster carer.

My aspiration for this role is to work with schools to develop their universal offer and targeted support so all pupils are able to access learning successfully. I enjoy working with SENCOs and school staff to implement and embed strategies to improve/enhance teaching and learning for pupils in primary and secondary education. 

I am also passionate about supporting children in care, looking at the impact of attachment and trauma and how we can support these pupils to succeed.

Anna Loveland 

I’m Anna Loveland and I am one of the SEND and Inclusion Support Officers for the City of Wolverhampton Council.

I have taught every age range within mainstream primary and with a passion for supporting children with SEND have also held the position of Assistant Head of a Special School. 

Working alongside SENCos and colleagues within the city to ensure we are supporting inclusion and meeting the needs of all our children and young people with SEND is where my passion lies.

Jess Collings

My name is Jess Collings and I am one of two SEND and Inclusion Support Officers offering strategic support to SENCOs and settings within Wolverhampton to meet the needs of CYP with SEND by effectively implementing a graduated response.

I initially trained as a secondary history teacher and taught in a mainstream setting for three years before realising that my passion lies in SEND and so moved to a secondary special school in Birmingham where I became Head of Humanities and taught everything from English, Maths and Science to Music and Drama to pupils with a range of SEND. Whilst in this setting I completed my PGCert as a Specialist Dyslexia Teacher and after gaining this qualification decided to pursue a role as a specialist teacher for the Communication and Learning Difficulties Team and the SEMH team for Solihull Local Authority. 

I then returned to Birmingham as a SENCO where I gained my NASENCO Award. My experience of SEND across a range of settings allows me to appreciate the challenges faced by SENCOs so that I can support them to champion the needs of CYP with SEND and be strategic leaders of SEND.

Susy Belfort

I am Susy Belfort. I’m a qualified teacher and SENCo and I am passionate about being a Specialist Teacher in Wolverhampton. I have been a part of the team for nearly 7 years and I’ve enjoyed seeing my work having a positive impact on young people’s achievements. 

I relish the opportunity to work with professionals, young people, and families to raise aspirations and attainment and I love supporting young people to meet their full potential. 

Jayne Clapp

My name is Jayne Clapp. I have recently joined the Specialist Learning Support team as a Specialist Teacher, having previously held the position of Inclusion Leader in a two-form entry primary school for six years. I am a qualified teacher (BEd Hons) and SENCo (National Award for SEN Co-ordination). For the majority of my 26-year teaching career, I have worked for the City of Wolverhampton Council in both mainstream and Alternative Provision settings, teaching across all age ranges in the primary phase.

I am committed to person-centred, inclusive practice which builds upon and extends the experiences, interests, skills and knowledge of children and young people with special educational needs.

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