Supporting Students With Disability : Learning and Support Teachers and Learning Support Teams in NSW Schools

• Published in: Australasian journal of special and inclusive education 2022-12, Vol.46 (2), p.151-163
• Main Authors: Stephenson, Jennifer, Carter, Mark, Webster, Amanda, Waddy, Neale, Morris, Talia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Classrooms; Curricula; Decision making; Departments; Disabilities; Educational Finance; Educational Needs; Educational Strategies; Elementary Schools; Evidence Based Practice; Family (Sociological Unit); Foreign Countries; Funding; Inclusive education; Instructional Leadership; Interviews; Learning; Mainstreaming; Planning; Primary secondary education; Principals; Professional Training; Public Schools; Reasonable adjustment; Roles; School Counselors; School principals; Secondary Schools; Special education; Special Education Teachers; Special Needs Students; Special Schools; Specialists; Student Adjustment; Student support services; Students with Disabilities; Teacher attitudes; Teacher Collaboration; Teacher role; Teachers; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Teamwork
• ISSN: 2515-0731; 2515-074X
• DOI: 10.1017/jsi.2022.10

There are various models for supporting students with disability and their teachers in mainstream schools. In New South Wales, each school has a learning and support teacher allocation and the New South Wales Department of Education recommends each school have a learning support team. This paper draws on in-depth interviews with school staff from 22 schools, including 16 learning and support teachers, 20 class teachers, 25 school executives and other stakeholders. We report here on the role of learning and support teachers and learning support teams in planning, implementing and evaluating adjustments and on the operation of learning support teams. Qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts revealed two kinds of learning support teams: those that focus on a particular student and those that oversee the education and resource provision for all students with disability in a school. Some teams had more of a focus on administration and resourcing, while others dealt more with educational adjustments. Similarly, some learning and support teachers were more involved in administrative and liaison roles, while others were more active in supporting teachers and providing services directly to students. The most detailed descriptions of support were provided by learning and support teachers with special education qualifications. [Author abstract]