The aims of the ILT team

The remit of the Hastings and St Leonards Excellence Cluster is to improve the educational experience and outcomes for children. 

Many schools in Hastings and St Leonards have access to the ILT service, as well as Thomas Peacocke Community College in Rye.  The ILT team work in both the primary and secondary sector.

The ILT service aims to promote attendance, behaviour and achievement for children in schools and thus reduce barriers to learning.

Overview of the role

ILTs work with children and young people aged 5 to 13 years, in primary and secondary schools, to break down the barriers to learning that exist for some students.  The work is undertaken on a one to one basis with the ILT giving advice and support to a small caseload of students and their families.  The support is provided in a sustained and regular way for a period of up to 13 weeks.

Typical areas of work can include:

• issues of self esteem
• behavioural issues in class and sometimes at home
• attendance and time-keeping
• developing social skills
• parenting skills and advice

The ILT team work both within the school and home environment.  They have access to a small budget that can be used to contribute to the work in a range of ways, such as paying for time (limited), one to one learning support in areas such as literacy and numeracy or supporting children to attend educationally or socially relevant activities.

A key role of the ILT is to identify and refer children and families to other appropriate services.  If necessary, the ILT will offer further support to the family to help access these services. 

Working with children:

For each child, the work of the ILT will vary according to the agreed need and the age of the child, but common areas of work include:

• support from a significant adult offering a ‘listening ear’
• a chance to talk through difficulties and issues in school and consider strategies for dealing with them
• work on specific issues such as anger management, social and friendship issues, emotional literacy
• planning positive strategies for home and any other time a child spends out of school
• agreeing and funding one to one learning support and support in class for a short but intense period of time
• supporting children to access other services as appropriate

Working with families:

The role of the ILT includes working with parents and carers to improve outcomes for children, and this can include:

• considering the parenting skills and strategies needed to best support children
• helping parents to access other services and supports where necessary, including referring to accredited parenting skills courses
• improving the relationship and communication between parents and the school
• helping families overcome practical difficulties ranging from accessing childcare to discussing how to deal with outside agencies

Working with schools

ILTs work regularly with teachers to discuss the issues for referred children and to consider progress in addressing the agreed need.  As ILTs build a picture of life for the child outside school, valuable insight can be given to school based staff.  This information can then inform the way the school deals with difficulties as they arise for the child.

ILTs can also provide additional resources for a child on a short term basis within school.

ILTs work with the school SENCO or Inclusion Manager, to consider appropriate strategies for the school to adopt.  These strategies are based on the experience the ILT team have of their caseload children.

In some schools ILTs run lunchtime and break-time clubs for children who struggle with unsupervised time.

Working with other agencies

It is often important for ILTs to work as part of a team with other agencies, and these include:

• Children’s Services
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
• Family Support Health Team
• Therapeutic services such as Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy etc.
• Youth Offending, Connexions and Youth Development Services