Learning Support

 

Chigwell School endeavours to provide those pupils who have gained admission with

• an education which is diverse, yet inclusive, and develops the unique talents of the whole child – academically, socially, morally, emotionally and physically
• an atmosphere of honesty, integrity, tolerance and respect for all its members.

 

 

The School aims reflect our belief in the principles of individual development. This policy has been developed to reinforce how we take reasonable steps to:

• recognise and respond to pupils’ diverse needs, gifts and talents
• enable pupils to maximize their potential
• actively set suitable learning challenges for pupils of all abilities
• build opportunities for both support and extension into existing schemes of work
• overcome potential barriers to learning through assessment for individuals and groups of pupils
• identify the roles and responsibilities of the team providing support for individual and groups of children
• maintain a positive ethos encouraging success

 

 

We respect the fact that children and young people:

• have different educational and behavioural needs and aspirations
• require different strategies for learning
• require, assimilate and communicate information at different rates
• need a range of different teaching approaches and experiences

 

 

Children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

Children have a learning difficulty if they:

• have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children the same age; or
• have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age

But … Pupils are not regarded as having a learning difficulty simply because the language or form of language used at home is different to that used in school.

 

 

• is closely involved in the strategic development of the Learning Support  policy and provision
• operates the day to day implementation of the Learning Support policy
• oversees the screening of pupils for dyslexia
• co-ordinates provision for pupils with learning and special educational needs
• advises on and produces Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) in conjunction with the subject teacher/form tutor
• works closely with the senior management and teaching colleagues
• manages a range of resources, human and material, linked to provision for pupils on the Learning Support register
• the current post holder is Mrs. J. Osborne

The form/house tutor:

• monitors individual pupil progress, in liaison with subject teachers.
• will usually make the initial identification of a pupils learning needs and advise the LSCo. of concerns

Teachers:
• support pupils by differentiating the curriculum, adapting teaching strategies and adjusting pastoral or disciplinary procedures to take account of individual strengths, weaknesses and learning styles.

 

• Admission to Chigwell School is conditional on candidates meeting the entry criteria according to the Admissions Policy.  The School must feel reasonably sure that throughout the pupil’s time at Chigwell, it will be able to educate and develop the prospective student to the best of his/her potential and in line with the general standards achieved by the student’s peers. These criteria are applied to all pupils and potential pupils, regardless of any disability of which it is made aware by parents. The School has a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments not to put any disabled pupil or potential pupil at a substantial disadvantage compared with other students who are not disadvantaged because of disability.  Individual needs are considered on a case by case basis.  For example, and ADHD pupil has one to one supervision in some lessons.  Some pupils use laptops to help them; photocopied material is provided for injured pupils who are also been brought lunch on a tray.
• Chigwell School requires parents to inform the School in respect of the disability of a prospective pupil in the relevant section of the application form.  In assessing any pupil or prospective pupil, the School may take such advice and require such assessments e.g., Educational Psychologist’s report, and recommendations as it regards as appropriate.   With prior notification of disability, supported by the recommendation of an Educational Psychologist’s report, the School may allow some extra time in the entrance exam for prospective students with a disability.
• Pupils requiring learning support may only be admitted to the School as long as the School has the necessary trained staff/ facilities to support these children.
• Chigwell School is housed in a variety of buildings on the same site. The School is co-educational catering for children aged 7 - 18 years. Boarding facilities cater for a limited number of international pupils. There is currently no specific provision for disabled pupils within the older buildings although the most recently built have disabled toilet facilities, ramped entrances to allow wheel chair access and a hearing loop.  The School has a Disability Plan.
• All new pupils are screened using ‘Lucid Rapid’ in their first term at Chigwell School.

 

 

The School believes early intervention is crucial to ensure pupils with learning difficulty achieve success. To help identify children who may require support and to assess their progress we refer initially to the subject teacher’s ongoing observations and assessments of an individual’s performance. These are further backed by evidence from:

• Their progress against objectives specified in the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy Frameworks
• Their performance against the level descriptors within the National Curriculum.
• The outcomes of standard screening and assessment tests
• ‘Lucid Rapid’ screening of all Year 3, 7 and 9 pupils, which takes place in the first term of the academic year.

 

 

We aim to ensure that all children have the opportunity to learn and succeed in this area. This makes the identification process fair.  Everyone in school has a responsibility to recognise and value pupils’ abilities.  A gifted or talented pupil should be identified through a variety of methods. The specific procedure will vary according to subject area but will include elements of the following:

• Teacher Nomination
• Assessment results
• Peer nomination

It is worth remembering that gifted pupils can be:

• Good ‘all-rounders’
• High achievers in one area
• Of high ability but low motivation
• Of good verbal ability but poor writing skills
• Very able but with a short attention span
• Very able with poor social skills
• Keen to disguise their abilities

Tutors, Heads of Department and all teachers identify opportunities to stretch, challenge and enthuse those who are particularly gifted and talented.

 

 

• When a child is identified as being in need of support, the parents are informed and his/her name is placed on the school Learning Support register.
• The register is constantly updated as reviews are held.
• The register, along with reports, copies of reviews and Individual Education Plans are held centrally in the Learning Support room. Individual IEPs are also available to teaching staff through the e-portal facility.

 

• All pupils on the Learning Support register have an IEP.
• The IEP lays out agreed targets and teaching strategies that will help the child achieve success and retain positive self-esteem.

 

11. Review Process
 
• IEP reviews with parents are scheduled on at least a twice yearly basis.
• The LSCo. attends all reviews.
• Progression towards targets and future actions are recorded and used to inform the new Individual Education Plan and update the LS register.
• All parties at the review meeting are given copies of any paperwork generated from the meeting.
• We recognise that a learning difficulty may be temporary and subject to change. Through the review process we are able to decide whether support needs to be adapted or terminated.

 

 

• Support is subject to budgetary constraints and allocated according to priority of need.
• Parents may be expected to contribute towards the cost of assessment or support specific to the needs of their child.
• Whilst allowances are made and flexibility of approach or materials may be necessary, it is expected that all children will participate fully in school life.
• Support may be offered within the class, by withdrawn 1:1 (or small group) sessions or through scheduled ‘clubs’/extra-curricular activities

 

 

Reasonable steps are taken to provide extra support for those pupils with a professionally diagnosed need when it comes to public examinations.  This may include extra time for some candidates, the facility to use a laptop or a scribe.  These adjustments can only be made in strict accordance with the public examination board and JCQ regulations.

 

Chigwell School covers a wide area with many old buildings of more than one storey and without lifts. Like many secondary schools, the school ‘policy’ of subject areas with designated classrooms, requires pupils to move around the site, necessitating the use of steps or stairs in buildings to access classrooms. Pupils with impaired mobility will therefore be somewhat disadvantaged by these problems.   However, each case is dealt with on an individual basis and, if a prospective pupil would relish a Chigwell education then we would do all we reasonably could to make adjustments. 
The Disability Policy & Accessibility Plan for Pupils summarises how we try to make a Chigwell education available to disabled pupils and is reviewed by the Disabilities Working Group which meets regularly.  

 

All applicants for a place at Chigwell School for whom English is not their first language will sit a special English Entrance test.  This will be organised by the Admissions Registrar or Head of Sixth Form as appropriate and assessed by the EAL co-ordinator.  

Where difficulties are likely to impede academic progress and unlikely to be remedied in the course of normal teaching, it will be a condition of entry that the pupil has extra coaching in English.  This coaching will be co-ordinated by the EAL co-ordinator and a charge may be made to parents.

Pupils in the Junior School, where English may not be their first language, are sensitively identified through normal classroom interaction and support is given where deemed necessary.

 

16. Partnership

 

• Continual Professional Development is offered in line with the School Development Plan taking into account the needs of the School and the needs of the individual’s professional development.

• The School endeavours to work closely with parents to provide the level of support needed to ensure their child’s progress. Parents are invited to attend and contribute to the review process. Thereafter they are actively encouraged to support their child’s learning by helping to implement the Individual Education Plan.

• Should pupils transfer elsewhere, every reasonable effort is made to liaise with the receiving school. Wherever possible, records and individual programmes are discussed in advance to ensure continuity and the continuing well-being of the pupil.

 

 

The School considers the success of the Learning Support policy in relation to individual pupils and the progress made towards achieving the IEP targets.

 

 

In the event of a parental complaint, concerning the level of provision made at the School, the procedures are clearly laid out in parental complaints policy which is available on request.