Learning Support
Aims of our Learning Support Provision
- To provide a nurturing environment which will help a whole range of students with individual needs to reach their full potential.
- To help break down the barriers which impede young people from feeling they can cope with curricular demands.
How do we do this?
- Through adopting a holistic approach to each child’s education which may involve a range of the following:
- Classroom assistance and specialist teaching—both in-class support & withdrawal programmes
- Liaising with parents and offering related support; expert mentoring guidance and support.
- Working in close conjunction with outside agencies to meet the needs of particular students.
- Ultimately we try and create a conducive physical and intellectual environment which will ensure that every child is catered for as an individual within the wider school community.
What we do
Information Gathering
The Learning Support Department carries out a range of testing and research-based investigation in an effort to try and offer tailored, individual support to a range of students.
This includes:
- Baseline Testing—such as Cognitive Abilities Testing & Graded Word Spelling
- Diagnostic Testing—support testing which can help identify conditions such as dyslexia and plan related provision as a result.
- Access Arrangements & Risk Assessment—a range of flexible planning and provision which best meets the needs of individual pupils in all curricular & examination contexts.
- It is important to stress that a wide variety of students can benefit from Learning Support in a variety of different contexts to support a variety of differing need.
Clubs & Group Assistance
We try and target a significant group of students for initiatives such as reading and spelling assistance.
Students are also selected for handwriting, spelling and Maths assistance, with further individual provision as required.
Paired Reading programme
Paired Reading not only involves parents in the educative process, but has a valuable Peer Tutor element. Peer Tutors read alongside a designated student for 1 period per week, with resultant benefits to reading fluency & comprehension and general confidence of Year 8 students involved. Testing & evaluation is carried out at the end of the programme to ascertain its pastoral and educational benefit.
Facilities
We take great pride in the facilities available which include:
- A recreation area in which students can relax
- A kitchen area for hot & cold drinks and snacks.