Tōtaranui Kāhui Ako – Insights into the life of a Learning Support Coordinator

The awesome thing about this role, shared an LSC, is that there’s a puzzle and a challenge every day. No one day is the same as the next. Each day can look very different. They said that no two days are the same and that’s just the way they like it! 

The LSCs see their role very much as a co-ordinator; they co-ordinate support for learners that need it. They look at what the next steps are for the learner, always with the wider picture in mind and the needs of the learner at heart. A lot of their day is spent responding in the moment and offering pastoral care to learners. LSCs frequently support learners who are struggling in the classroom and provide a safe space for them to land in a moment of chaos. 

Their day is unpredictable – never knowing when the next call for help will come or how long it will last. In the mornings, learners may arrive for pre-arranged check-ins, breakfast, or to unpack personal issues. LSCs are skilled at reading learners, especially those they work with regularly. This often allows the LSCs to anticipate and address needs before challenges arise for ākonga. Consistency in this role is crucial because knowing the same person and having a predictable point of contact helps ākonga to feel safe and supported.

LSCs also make a point of checking in with classrooms. Simply wandering around and being visible to learners can be a calming influence for learners and kaiako. Some LSCs are responsible for managing the medical needs of ākonga, liaising with healthcare professionals, coordinating referrals to GPs and paediatricians, and ensuring that learners’ health concerns are addressed.

Behind the scenes, LSCs handle a range of administrative tasks, including paperwork, filling out applications for high health needs, and keeping the learning support register up to date. They try to keep documentation clear, as they are aware that they often hold the key to critical information. LSCs meet with external agencies like educational psychologists or Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | Ministry of Education, and often meet with whānau to discuss their child's progress or to provide support in a variety of ways. They are often called upon to help whānau to support their child’s wellbeing, sometimes navigating challenges at home with parenting skills. LSCs often become the liaison between the school and home.

Some LSCs work on various passion projects, work with specific learner groups, or work directly with individual learners. Some complete in-class observations, testing, and assessments. Many LSCs are also part of the school leadership team, attending leadership meetings, and contributing to decision-making. The benefit for the school leadership team is that the LSC brings a unique and focused lens to conversations to ensure that the needs of their learners are represented at a school-wide level.

The best part of being an LSC is being able to help ākonga. It's incredibly rewarding to break down the challenges they face and find the right steps to help them feel safe and happy, both at school and at home, and to have the time to do this. For LSCs, having time is a centrally positive factor. Many LSCs love working closely with ākonga and their families, offering support when it's needed most. Being someone ākonga can trust and feel comfortable turning to, for both educational matters and personal support, is a key part of the LSC role.

LSCs highly value the responsiveness their role affords. They're able to step in and support teachers, learners, and whānau at a moment’s notice. Ultimately, the role is solely focused on the needs of the child, ensuring that they’re at the heart of every decision.

LSCs find deep satisfaction in seeing the progress they help create. Being part of a learner's journey and witnessing positive changes, like when an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is no longer needed, brings a sense of accomplishment and reinforces the impact they have on learners’ lives.

The following are the direct reflections from the seven LSCs who described how being part of a PLG supported them in fulfilling their LSC role.

• It gave me the time to reflect. 
• We are busy so it was nice to have time to meet and discuss current patterns and trends. 
• I also liked having goals and things to focus on for the year.
• I’ve enjoyed the structure around the topics we're going to talk about.
• It's been really nice for me to get to know the people, to understand what's happening at the contributing schools, to find out what systems they're using. I'm really keen to see whether we can get some similar processes and practices so when they come here, it's something familiar to them. That's really important for transitioning. And now that I know the LSCs, getting information is just so much easier because I know who I’m talking to!
• I'm hoping that over time those students who have had an LSC at a primary school may turn up to high school better equipped or with a better plan than maybe they would have had 10 years ago.
• I've enjoyed the outside agencies coming in.
• It's part of my learning, not just understanding what I need to do here, but having an appreciation for what has happened before students get here. 
• We’re always learning. I really enjoyed hearing what other people are doing, I got lots of good ideas to find more out about or research a bit more.
• I was incredibly overwhelmed when I started, I knew nothing; I didn’t know that the buck stops with me and I didn't realise how closely I'd work with the principal. The meetings with the LSCs were amazing! The sharing of differences has been really interesting; it's helped me find my groove and the ways I want to do things and given me lots of confidence.
• It's very isolated in this role, not being able to bounce ideas off anybody, so this group helped a lot.
• Relationships are important – this group, they're amazing and so knowledgeable. It sparked me being able to go and meet with them outside of those times and get things that were even more specific to what I needed. 
• Just having that support available was the biggest thing. 
• Support about the workload. You're juggling so many balls and no one actually gets it. You know it takes a village, but when you don't have that village, it's really difficult. 
• Sometimes just talking about it takes the pressure off and takes it out of your head and allows you to think differently. That's been the massive thing about the group.
• It's like a united front – we're all going through very similar needs together.
• It's been the highlight of my fortnight! It's huge to talk to other LSCs about what’s happening in schools, about our role, just having people that you can have a conversation with and be bluntly honest and know that you're going to get honesty and support.
• I think the group is positive and we don't dwell. We’re solution-focused.

When reflecting on their journey of establishing the new role of LSCs and how much they had enjoyed being part of the PLG together, the group had a few top tips to share with other LSCs:

• Discuss a clear job description so you know exactly what the expectations are.
• Take your time when you start. Things will settle and you will build your resources for the role. 
• Something that I wish someone had told me before I started: talk, talk, talk to everybody you can and be open if you don't know what something means, ask the question because no one judges you. When you're in learning support, everybody wants to be helpful and supportive – that's why they're in the role. Taking the time to talk to other people about what they do well is key. 
• Meeting people in different agencies is awesome. Everyone has things they do well and other things that might go on the back burner...use people's strengths. 
• Don't strive to have your list finished. The list never finishes and it's OK. Create a system that makes you feel comfortable with that
• Go to the PD and read all the stuff.
• We need to empower the teachers to be able to do, what they need to do.
• You need to have a place of your own. Have a space where you can bring people to.
• Do what you can and accept that not everything is fixable.
• Have an open mind and a positive approach.
• We all bring different strengths to the role depending on what you bring from previous roles.
• Just go to morning tea!

Learning Support Symposium - Grow Waitaha

Tōtaranui Kāhui Ako – Our learning support coordinators professional learning group - Grow Waitaha