Learning & Language Support

Our Resources
The school has a well resourced department, with a SENCo, a support teacher, 2 Learning Mentors and a coordinator for English as an Additional Language (EAL). Most support comes from the subject teachers themselves, however, since there is an extra teaching set in each year group, which is small and caters for less able pupils, thus enabling them to have a better pupil-teacher ratio. The support teacher frequently works with pupils in these classes also.

How Support is Organised
Support is delivered mostly 'in-class', but there is also one-to-one withdrawal from lessons as and when needed, and there is also a lunch-time Reading Club, for lower school pupils to work on basic skills. At Key Stage 4, a small number of pupils enjoys curriculum support, in the place of one of their GCSE subjects. This gives opportunities either for further language work or for help with GCSE coursework. All on the Special Needs Register follow an Individual Education Plan, with targets to aim at, over given periods.

Learning Mentors
There are 2 Learning Mentors, who see girls either on request, or by referral through the Year Leaders, to offer advice, informal counselling, or liaison with parents where home problems are involved. Both the pastoral staff, the SENCo (Special Needs Coordinator) and the Learning Mentors may have recourse to outside agencies such as the Educational Psychologist, the Speech Therapist, the Careers Officer, the Education Welfare Officer, the School-Home Support Service or the School Nursing Service, as and when necessary.

Physical Disability and Medical Conditions which affect learning
The school keeps records of all medical conditions which may affect learning, and monitors developments. Where there is a statement of Special Educational Need for physical disability, support is put in place in the normal way, and close contact is maintained with parents.

B Kentish
Deputy Head and SENCo           November 2003

EAL Department (English as an Additional Language)

Identification and Monitoring
In this Department the aim is to continue to improve ways of helping all students who come under the EMAS (Ethnic Minority Achievement Service) umbrella to achieve to their full potential. It is intended to achieve this in the following ways: by careful identification of need through the various prior Achievement Data, Tracking Data, NFER Data, internal examinations, classroom assessment, close liaison with HOD'S, and close monitoring of language development by the EMAS.

Support
Once need/underachievement is identified then measures are put in place to address it and the students given extra support using a variety of approaches such as; in class support, withdrawal, working in small groups or one-to-one.

Reporting
All staff are kept informed of EAL student progress through a formalised system of reporting once a term at staff meetings. An EAL report also goes out to parents once a term as part of the school reporting system. All EAL students are involved in regular discussion about their progress in the language.

Resources
In collaboration with the librarian there is monitoring of texts to ensure they reflect the diversity of cultures within the school community. Authors are researched and visits made to specialist bookshops such as Grant and Cutler for dual texts, Beacon Bookshop specialist Afro-Caribbean literature and others.