Our school values the abilities and achievements of all our students. We are committed to providing optimum learning conditions for every student.
Two specialist teachers work in close liaison with classroom teachers and parents to support those students who have Special Educational Needs (SEN) or English as an Additional Language. (EAL)
If a teacher or parent thinks that a student would benefit from being placed on either our special needs or EAL programme, the Learning Support Co-ordinator will firstly organise an assessment to be carried out with the most appropriate teacher of the programme, then decide on the level of support that is required and whether an Individual Education Plan should be put into place.
SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS
The school is continually striving to provide appropriate learning experiences for all our students.
At present we meet the needs of a variety of students who may display aspects of speech and language difficulties, dyslexia or be in the autistic/Asperpeges spectrum. We work closely with educational psychologists and speech & language specialists.
The Learning Support Department has at present two members of staff. The Learning Support teacher and Learning Support assistant teacher. The Learning Support teacher usually works with those students who have a recognised diagnoses and more specific needs. The Learning Support assistant teacher works with small groups of students in booster groups. These groups are very flexible; students may participate for a few weeks or for the longer term, depending on the needs of the students. These small groups are part of the day to day organisation of the school. Parents will always be kept informed via the usual communication channels. The Learning Support teacher also acts as a consultant for staff regarding areas such as, appropriate resources, differentiation of learning and teaching to meet individual needs and behavioural matters.
Please see our Policy for more detailed information
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
Many of the students have one or more additional languages. We celebrate this aspect of our school and encourage students to be proud of their home languages as well as others they are able to speak. Generally however it is assumed that students have sufficient mastery of the English language to access the curriculum in the classroom.
The EAL teacher provides general support and advice throughout the school on multi-lingualism.
As an international school, the school will accept a student who is new to English if it is thought he/she will learn quickly through immersion, as their home language is not commonly spoken at school. For students over 6 years old, the school may recommend that the student is placed on a special individualised programme of intensive English (3 sessions per week). Students on this programme pay an additional tuition fee.
As an exception, parents may be required to pay for extra individual tuition or extra teacher assistance for students beyond Year 3 who have not made the expected progress in English as they have progressed through the school.
All the above charges and agreements will be clearly outlined to parents
