Intervention Worker

I am Pinewood’s Intervention Worker. Pupils are referred to me by their class teacher through the school referral system. My role primarily involves working one-to-one with children to provide additional support in areas where they might be struggling. This can be in literacy, numeracy or memory and general learning but is most usually literacy. I am a level 5 specialist dyslexia teacher and many of the pupils I teach have dyslexic tendencies. Whilst this predominantly affects reading and spelling it can also impact on motor skills, organisational skills and memory.

Typically children see me for three 20 minute sessions per week. This gives me the opportunity to work with them one to one in a quiet environment without distractions, allowing me to concentrate on the specific needs of each pupil. Some students may have missed key areas of early learning so we work together to fill in those gaps, enabling them to better access their classwork.

I employ a variety of multi-sensory teaching methods, games and exercises. I also use some specific dyslexia programmes such as ‘Toe By Toe’ which have a proven success rate.

Working on specific targets not only addresses pupils’ learning needs but also gives them the confidence that they can learn and achieve. As their skills improve, so does their self-esteem, leading to increased confidence and a greater ability to learn and achieve. This is particularly important in overcoming the challenges associated with learning disabilities like dyslexia.