Learning Support
The Learning Support Department is a well-resourced suite of rooms next to the library and at the heart of the school, consisting of a good-sized group teaching area and a 1:1 room. There are internet facilities and we make use of a wide variety of learning tools.
Four part-time specialists do all of the one-to-one and small group teaching, as well as some of the in-class support. Class teachers, helped by well-briefed classroom assistants, also provide additional in-class support. All year groups from Reception to Year 3 have a classroom assistant.
We aim to identify children with any special educational needs as early as possible and offer advice on methods of support to teachers. Should further intervention be required, we carry out our own in-house assessments and refer to external agencies if it becomes necessary.
Identified children in the senior part of the school have lessons either on a temporary or on a more permanent basis. Lessons are on a 1:1, paired, or on a group basis depending on the child's needs. Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) and notes for the differentiation of class teaching are written for those pupils for whom it is necessary. The department is extremely flexible in its approach, and the learning support teachers have an on-going dialogue with teaching staff about the needs of identified pupils and any interventions they may require.