Last updated:
8th April 2024
Learning Support Service
About the Learning Support Service (LSS)
The LSS is a team of specialist teachers with additional qualifications and experience in working with children with difficulties in literacy and numeracy.
They are an advisory service available to mainstream primary schools in the Wokingham Borough.
They support schools in developing individual programmes of learning for children with difficulties in literacy or numeracy. They also offer individual assessment and monitoring.
They work with school special education need co-ordinators (SENCO) to develop special educational needs (SEN) support within the school. They focus on staff development and promoting positive outcomes for pupils.
This service is free for some schools.
Services available and who can access them
LSS provides a range of services.
Support for SENCOs
LSS provides regular visits to help SENCOs develop SEN support and practice in their school relating to literacy and numeracy skills.
They train SENCOs, teachers and teaching assistants on how to reduce the barriers to learning and provide inclusive mainstream strategies.
Observations and assessments
LSS observes pupils to identify strengths and difficulties in literacy and numeracy.
They will do literacy and numeracy assessments where there are concerns about a child’s literacy or numeracy skills.
Meetings and consultations
LSS takes part in multi-professional meetings and parent consultations.
They arrange and hold drop-ins to discuss individual children.
They visit schools to support teachers with inclusive practice and dyslexia-friendly classrooms.
Monitoring and evaluation of service
Each term, LSS will review the support given to each child and make changes to programmes where appropriate.
LSS will monitor the:
- quality of the service through annual questionnaires sent to SENCOs
- child’s progress through more observation and feedback to parents and schools
Who the service is for
The service is free for primary schools maintained by Wokingham Borough Council.
Academies and free schools may have to pay for services.
How to access the service
You need a referral to access this service.
Schools can make a referral by using the Learning Support Service Involvement request form. To download the request form, visit Learning Support Service on the Wokingham Schools Hub.
The request form must include the parent or carer’s signature and it should clearly show:
- the reasons for referral
- the strategies already employed
- any relevant data such as standardised assessments and school-based data
Following this referral, the LSS will review the request and decide on the next steps.
Get in touch with LSS
Contact the team if you have any questions about the service.
E-mail: CSEPA-EducationalPsychologyAdmin@wokingham.gov.uk
How to make a complaint
We would like to hear from you if you have feedback about our service. Contact the Customer Relations Team.
Phone: 0118 974 6000
