Ancillary Suppport


For most children in schools their additional learning needs can be met using delegated funding. In exceptional cases allocation of additional support can be accessed following an application to the ancillary panel. There are three panels comprising of the:

• Behaviour Support Panel
  
  
• Communication Support Panel
  
  
• Complex Medical Panel

Criteria for Allocation of Support

i) Behaviour

Support is provided after judgement against the following criteria:

The pupil’s behaviour is such that it is having a serious effect on his/her access to the curriculum.

The pupil’s behaviour in the classroom is disruptive and may frequently disrupt other pupils.

The pupil may have a short concentration span, even when tasks are structured and well focussed.

Exit criteria

Support will normally be expected to be time constrained. If the monitoring and review process indicates that targets have been achieved, the support will be reduced or withdrawn as appropriate and the pupils progress monitored by the school.



ii) Medical and Complex

Support is allocated for pupils with a wide range of medical conditions which affect access to the curriculum.

In some cases specific treatment may be administered including specialist medical treatment, therapy, during regimes and other intervention programmes.

Exit criteria

Consultation with the relevant health services providing treatment for the pupil is essential to ensure the appropriate levels of support and care is provided.

Where adjustments to the support are made this will be monitored through the Sensory Impaired Service and Medical and Complex Service, in order to ensure the appropriate levels of intervention are maintained.



iii) Communication

Pupil’s allocated support will have a primary speech and/or language disorder which is broadly categorised as:

• Phonological difficulties – the organisation of speech sounds
  
  
• Grammatical difficulties – the acquisition of grammatical structures of language, including word order and word endings
  
  
• Receptive difficulties – the understandings of what is said, usually combined with expressive speech/language difficulties
  
  
• Semantic – pragmatic difficulties – interpreting meaning from language and/or using language appropriately and beyond the literal level
  
  
• Articulatory difficulties – the execution and co-ordination of fine and rapid tongue, lip and sometimes palatial movements necessary for speech
  
  
• Autistic spectrum disorder
  

There will be evidence of a significant discrepancy between the child’s speech/language skills and his/her level of learning ability, i.e. a statistically significant difference on verbal and non-verbal performance scores as assessed on standardised tests.

As a general guide pupils submitted for consideration should display a least a 2 year delay in speech/language skills and/or a score of 70 or below on appropriate standardised tests.

The child’s speech/language difficulty will be evident in his/her first language.

Support can take the form of allocation of ancillary support to the school or outreach whereby centrally employed staff will visit a pupil’s school on a regular basis to assist the school in implementing a Speech and Language Therapy programme devised by a Speech and Language Therapist.

Exit Criteria

Support will be withdrawn when the monitoring and review process indicates that the pupil has made sufficient progress to indicate that he/she no longer meets the entry criteria.

Outreach support can only continue whilst the pupil has a current Speech and Language Therapy programme.

If the pupil is discharged by the Speech and Language Therapist, Outreach support will cease.



Application Procedures

Once the school has exhausted its own resources in an attempt to meet the needs of a particular pupil, the school may apply to the New Applications Panel held monthly. Copies of the application forms are attached.

Prior to the New Applications Panel meeting an officer from the authority will visit the school to seek further information.

Applications should be discussed at a meeting held at school under the Code of Practice procedures. This will ensure that parents/carers have the opportunity to be involved in the process. The appropriate Local Education Authority Officer should be invited to attend either from Educational Psychologist/Access and Inclusion Service. This will provide the opportunity for information to be exchanged, and opinions sought between all parties involved at one meeting with the outcome taken to the New Applications Panel by the LEA officer.



For further information as well as an application form then please visit the Ancillary Support section of the Downloads page.