Targeting Social Need
The Department of Education currently provides more than £70m of Targeting Social Need (TSN) funding to schools each year. This is allocated as part of core school budgets, in recognition of the additional challenges and costs involved in supporting children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds as well as those at risk of educational underachievement.
A TSN Planner has been developed to help schools capture a range of information about the use and impact of TSN funding which will assist schools in planning their teaching and learning for the year ahead as well as helping to promote and disseminate good practice.
TSN resources
TSN resources are specifically provided to enable schools to provide appropriate support to the most vulnerable pupils so that they can achieve their full potential.
In striving towards this goal, TSN resources are used in a variety of ways by schools in accordance with their own identified priorities, enabling them to be responsive to the needs of pupils, parents, families and the wider community.
TSN Planner
The Department has developed a TSN Planner for use by all settings receiving TSN funding.
This online system builds upon the existing Annex H template which makes up part of the School Development Planning (SDP) process and provides a centralised electronic collection point for TSN related data. This replaced the manual, paper based method and is a more efficient way of working.
It also allows the Department to better understand how schools are choosing to utilise TSN resources, illustrate the range of interventions and support being offered and be able to demonstrate the positive impact those resources are having on children and young people most in need.
The system, which has been developed in consultation with schools, is designed to be as simple and easy to use as possible.
Targeting Social Need Reports
This planner report was compiled using data submitted by schools through the TSN Planner. It includes data on the areas which the schools in question targeted for improvement, the pupils that received support, the targets/objectives set, and school’s assessment of the impact of their TSN spend.
Access Instructions for Schools
The TSN Planner is accessible through Wholeschool software held on the C2k network by following these steps
- Log in to “MySchool” using your single-sign on password
- On the right of the menu, go to the App Launch Pad and select ‘View All’
- Choose the ‘Online Learning’ category
- Open the Wholeschool App in this folder (you may need to scroll onto the next page to view)
- On the Wholeschool Dashboard, choose TSN planner - click here to access and complete your TSN form
- Then click on view from
For those schools who are not yet registered to access Wholeschool software, this can be arranged by calling the C2k helpdesk on 0870 601 1666 and requesting to be set up with “Wholeschool SDP”. You will be placed in a work queue and notified by Wholeschool once this has been completed. You will then receive a welcome e-mail which includes initial instructions to set up user permissions.
Please note that in order to view the TSN Planner, all schools should ensure that they have followed the ‘Identity Manager’ steps to add relevant users to the ‘Wholeschool access’ group (as instructed in the welcome e-mail).
Video Resources
Wholeschool has also developed an instructional guide to support schools in terms of navigating the system and how to complete the necessary information. This video can be accessed via the following link:
Further Help and Support
Ongoing advice and support will be available for schools in managing the TSN Planner process. Schools should refer to the Education Authority on 028 38 368150.
For any technical queries, contact Wholeschool on 028 90 610220 or e-mail support@wholeschool.ie
DE personnel can also be contacted via attendance@education-ni.gov.uk or 02891 279543