CURRICULUM SUPPORT A GUIDE FOR PARENTS
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Introduction King Edward VI School takes the welfare and academic progress of all its students very seriously indeed. This includes the many students with a specific learning difficulty or disability. Our aim is to care for and support all such students so they not only flourish socially and emotionally, but also achieve their full potential academically. The School’s Curriculum Support Policy, also to be found on this website, outlines the duties and responsibilities of the School, parents and the students themselves to this end. This article explains how the policy works on a dayto-day basis and to suggest ways parents and guardians can get involved. The welfare of all pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) depends on close co-operation between students, parents, the teaching staff and the Curriculum Support team. The Curriculum Support Register Every year the Curriculum Support team compiles a register of pupils in the School who have been identified as possessing a special educational need or disability. There are usually between 100 and 150 pupils on the register. To be included on the register the pupil needs to have been assessed by an Educational Psychologist or another suitably qualified individual or medical official. The School does not offer to provide formal assessments of this kind; parents are requested to make their own arrangements. However, the Curriculum Support team can suggest the names of professionals most often used by parents, though with no recommendation implied. The Curriculum Support Register is regularly updated and all teaching staff are aware of its contents on a confidential basis. Advice for Teachers Once a pupil has been assessed as possessing a special educational need, parents usually send a copy of his or her assessment to the School. The Curriculum Support team then writes a confidential summary of this information for the pupil’s teachers and tutor. This usually comprises brief notes about the pupil’s difficulty and specific advice on how to help him or her in the classroom. These summaries are regularly updated. It is the responsibility of all the pupil’s teachers to ensure that due attention is given to these recommendations and reasonable adjustments are made in order for the pupil to successfully access the curriculum. Monitoring and Review The progress and welfare of all pupils on the Curriculum Support Register are regularly monitored and reviewed, both on an informal and formal basis. A combination of the following formal procedures are adopted:
Pupil interviews and questionnaires 2
Written reviews by teachers Tracking data School Reports Parents’ evenings Parents’ questionnaire
The Head of Curriculum Support takes careful note of all findings and takes appropriate action to deal with any concerns or to make improvements. In Case of Concern In cases where no formal assessment has been made, concerns about a possible special educational need can be raised by parents and guardians, teachers or the pupils themselves. These are directed in the first instance to the pupil’s tutor and/or the Curriculum Support team. The Curriculum Support team may then:
Interview the pupil Examine relevant data including Literacy Test results and School Reports Carry out classroom observations Organise an academic review with the help of all relevant members of staff Consult with parents or guardians Consult with outside agencies or professionals Make recommendations on how the pupil can be helped in the classroom
In some cases the Curriculum Support team may advise parents or guardians that further formal investigation by an Educational Psychologist or another suitably qualified individual is necessary. Learning Support
Lower School (Years 7-9, First Year to Third Year)
All pupils in the first three years of the School take tests in reading and spelling at the end of the Summer Term or the beginning of the Autumn Term. As a result of these tests certain pupils are selected to receive Literacy Support from a small team of tutors. This is usually given on a one-to-one basis once a week for 25 minutes. Depending on need, pupils receive help with reading, spelling, handwriting and study skills. Pupils are taught in a carefully structured and multi-sensory way. Tutors aim to teach to their pupils’ strengths and help them in their weaknesses and to make the learning environment as friendly as possible. They endeavour to make the lessons fun and to build self-confidence. Pupils are taught for as long as is deemed necessary. Similar help is offered on a one-to-one basis in the Mathematics Department. 3
It should be noted that Literacy Tests do not imply a formal assessment of a special educational need.
Upper School and Sixth Form (Years 10-13, Fourth Year to Sixth Form)
A study skills programme is available to students in the Fifth Year and Sixth Form who have received some measure of extra help in the past or who have a formal assessment for a learning difficulty by an Educational Psychologist or other recognised professional. This programme runs concurrently for four weeks (for the Fifth Year) or five weeks (for the Sixth Form) after school in two week phases during the school year, and will cover such topics as note-taking, organisation, time-management, motivation, examination technique, stress management and revision. Wherever possible, the sessions will be made relevant to the pupil’s current experience in the classroom. Fourth Year students on the Curriculum Support Register are invited to attend an individualised study skills review over two lunchtimes in the Autumn Term, which assesses the effectiveness of their current methods of study and provides ideas for improvement. Special Arrangements for Examinations Full details on Special Arrangements for Examinations can be found in the School’s Curriculum Support Policy and should be consulted carefully by all parents of pupils who are on the Curriculum Support Register, or who may be at some point in the future. Contact Us Please feel free to contact the School at any time with any comments, questions or concerns. As parents or guardians, you are often in the best position to offer helpful information. Mr Stefan Smart Head of Curriculum Support Mrs Sue Smart Curriculum Support Team
Ms Catherine Boyle Curriculum Support Team
Mrs Georgina Dellar Curriculum Support Team
Mrs Rachel Whitfield Curriculum Support Team
Tel: 023 80 704561 Ext 302 e-mail: curriculumsupport@kes.hants.sch.uk
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