Planning and Monitoring
Curriculum Level Planning and Monitoring Considerations
Intervention at all levels is managed in close collaboration with parents, allied health professionals (if there are signs that this is warranted) and others who may be able to give support either directly or indirectly. Where a collaborative plan of intervention for a child needs to be developed, all involved parties should meet with the parents to ensure a common strategy for supporting the child. A record should be kept of any such meetings and retained with the paperwork for the Staged Process of Assessment and Intervention.
As highlighted in Section 4.1 the identification of dyslexia is not the end of the process. The assessment of dyslexia in children and young people is a process rather than an end-product. The information provided in the assessment should support the planning for the learner’s next steps and this will require monitoring due to the changes and challenges which will occur as the child grows and the curriculum develops. For example, the difficulties experienced in P6 may not be exactly the same in S3 - they may be harder or easier and other challenges may replace them.
Levels of Planning and Dyslexia
All children and young people should be involved in personal learning planning (PLP). PLP sets out aims and goals for individuals to achieve that relate to their own circumstances. They must be manageable and realistic and reflect the strengths of the child or young person as well as their development needs.
Monitoring their progress in achieving these aims and goals will determine whether additional support is working. For most children, including many who are dyslexic, a PLP will be enough to arrange and monitor their learning development. The 2010 Code of Practice says that children with additional support needs should be involved in their personal learning planning. It also says that, for many, this will be enough to meet their needs.
Some examples of PLP which support children and young people with dyslexia will be available soon.
If a PLP does not enable sufficient planning, a child or young person’s PLP can be supported by an individualised educational programme (IEP). IEPs are usually provided when the curriculum planning is required to be ‘significantly’ different from the class curriculum. Involvement with group work or extraction for a number of sessions a week does not normally meet the criteria for an IEP.
An IEP is a non-statutory detailed plan of the child/young person’s learning. It will probably contain some specific, short-term learning targets relating to wellbeing, literacy and/or numeracy and will set out how those targets will be reached. It may also contain longer-term targets or aims. IEP targets should be SMART:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Timed.
IEPs should be monitored regularly and reviewed and updated at least once every term with the child/young person and their parents/carers.
Examples of Dyslexia IEPs will be added shortly. If you have any examples you would like to share, please email the Toolkit team on toolkit@dyslexiascotland.org.uk
A CSP is a detailed plan of how multi agency support for a child will be provided. It is a legal document and aims to ensure that all the professionals, the child/young person and the parents/carers work together and are fully involved in the support. Dyslexia on its own as an additional support need would not commonly trigger the opening of a CSP.
In line with the 2014 Children and Young People Act and ‘Getting it right for every child’ (GIRFEC) approach, many children will now have a Child’s Plan. Child’s Plans are created if a child or young person needs some extra support to meet their wellbeing needs such as access to mental health services or respite care, or help from a range of different agencies. The Child’s Plan will contain information about:
- why a child or young person needs support
- the type of support they will need
- how long they will need support and who should provide it.
All professionals working with the child would use the plan, which may include an IEP or a CSP.