4 Challenges of school learning support coordinators solved
Being a learning support coordinator in an Australian school is no easy feat.
According to data released by ACARA, in 2024, 25.7% of total enrolments in Australia received an educational adjustment due to disability. As this number continues to grow every year, so do the piles of paperwork, day-to-day admin and NCCD compliance requirements.
Add to these the fragmented data systems, siloed working environments and multiple stakeholders and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
Luckily, with the right tools, you can ease this burden leaving you more time and energy to focus on student wellbeing.
In this article we discuss the four most common challenges we hear from school learning support coordinators and look at the solutions digital tools and software can equip you with.
Challenge 1: Disconnected systems and data
Where is your student support info currently being held? Chances are it’s split across a combination of spreadsheets, emails, Word docs, paper print outs and more. Not exactly reliable or easy to work with. You’re facing inconsistent data, version-control headaches and wasted time spent wrangling all the details into one place.
The solution:
A digital platform that gives you access to centralised student profiles, secure communication, templates for Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) and automated workflows. This allows you to instantly see which interventions and accommodations have been implemented and track progress against them in real time.
Challenge 2: Time-consuming evidence collection and reporting
We all know that learning support reporting and compliance is no walk in the park. It regularly takes hours of manual collection and double-checking of info for school learning support coordinators.
Multiply that by every student in the school that you need to collate evidence for - it’s no surprise you find yourself wishing for more hours in the day to keep on top of everything.
You’re also dealing with frustrated staff members, particularly classroom teachers who feel they are being pulled away from instruction time.
The solution:
A digital platform with customised reporting tools, instant PDF exports, controlled data fields, file upload functionality and meeting logs.
With less time spent making sure the data is accurate and all in one place, you’ll have more time to review and analyse that data and provide meaningful recommendations back to your stakeholders.
You’ll also feel confident that your reporting obligations are being met year-round, eliminating the panic that occurs in the weeks leading up to the annual data submission deadline.
Challenge 3: Lack of collaboration
An inclusive approach to education inherently means working with multiple stakeholders, both internal and external to your school.
In addition to you as the school learning support coordinator, there are also the teachers, school leadership, parents/guardians, support agencies and of course the students themselves, all invested in improving learning outcomes.
The last thing anyone wants is delayed, inconsistent or reactive support being provided to students.
But reaching an agreement on one plan to achieve this, that incorporates multiple opinions and expertise, is easier said than done.
The solution:
A digital platform with permission-based shared access, parent communication tools and agency collaboration. By efficiently connecting everyone, barriers to creating the best learning support strategies possible are reduced and the likelihood of everyone being on the same page is increased.
Challenge 4: Limited leadership oversight
As a school learning support coordinator, you’re no stranger to needing to provide detailed updates to your school’s principal and leaders on the status and progress of ILPs in place and NCCD reporting and outcomes.
When school leadership can’t get a clear view of student outcomes, you are more likely to end up with poor planning and missed opportunities. This strategic misalignment can have a knock-on impact on things such as resourcing, budget allocation and rooming and timetabling decisions.
The solution:
A digital platform with easy-to-use dashboards, reporting tools and visibility across students and programs. When the leadership team are equipped with the info they need, you’re more able to get their support and buy-in when you need it, on the things that will have the greatest impact for your students.
In your role as a school learning support coordinator, if you related a little too much to the challenges we’ve outlined in this article, we have some good news for you; it doesn’t have to be this way.
Learning support software like Tes Learning Pathways is designed to solve these problems and more, leaving you empowered to deliver better outcomes for students. You can read more about the reasons to consider using Tes Learning Pathways in this article.
Discover more about the benefits of our digital platform with NCCD reporting tools that enable centralised data management, collaboration, time savings and leadership oversight today.