AISNSW Literacy and Numeracy Consultants visit Independent schools receiving Commonwealth Government targeted funding for literacy and/or numeracy to assist schools in supporting students experiencing difficulty in their development of literacy and/or numeracy skills and knowledge. Consultancy support is tailored to the individual school, and determined by, the Principal.

Initial contact is made by the consultant to the Principal. The purpose of this initial contact is to ensure that the support provided to the school is consistent with the direction required by the Principal and in line with the philosophy of the school.

The primary focus of the consultant is to support the school in implementing effective research-based teaching and learning strategies targeting the specific individual learning needs of students experiencing difficulties in literacy and/or numeracy – particularly those students identified in the application and who are at or below the minimum standard. The overall aim is to further develop the skills and understandings of school personnel in order to enhance the whole school’s capacity to effectively address the needs of students at risk in their literacy and/or numeracy development.

Consultancies may consist of, meetings with the Principal, co-ordinators, class and/or support teachers; classroom observations; assessment of and programming support for, individual students; team teaching and presentations/workshops to staff on specific areas of literacy and/or numeracy related to the identified students. The consultancy format is at the direction of the School Principal.

Where required by the Principal, consultants may provide ongoing support and feedback, discuss the guidelines for Commonwealth Government Targeted Programs Literacy and Numeracy Program applications and assist the Principal to determine priority areas and future directions for support for students considered to be ‘at risk’ in their development of literacy and/or numeracy skills.

The consultant’s role is to provide professional support to the school, targeting students experiencing difficulties in literacy and/or numeracy, under the direction of the Principal.