Special Education

Department of Learning Support

The Learning Support Department has 2 full time Teaching Staff and 10 part-time Teaching Assistants, supporting students at

School Action,
School Action Plus and
Statemented stages of the Special Needs Register.

Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) are provided for all students who are Statemented or at School Action Plus and subject teachers provide targets for students at School Action. These targets are on the School network available to all teaching staff. They are reviewed twice annually and parents are invited in to discuss progress with Learning Suppport Department Staff.

Special Needs students are placed purposely in smaller teaching groups with extra staffing. They are withdrawn regularly for more intensive support in all lessons but more specifically for additional support in specially tailored numeracy and literacy programmes in order to boost their skills in these vital areas.

The Learning Support Department has 15 up to date, modern, state of the art computers installed with the interactive Successmaker programme. This is an integrated Learning System which is tailored to each student’s specific learning needs. It is designed to increase basic skills in Reading, Spelling and Mathematics and each successive session allows the students to progress, testing and recording their results at the end of each lesson. The programme also allows for individuals to re-visit areas where they have experienced difficulties and improve upon. Other programmes including “Wordshark” and “Numbershark” are also popular and help build upon as well as work along aside the foundations the “Successmaker” programme creates.

All computers are linked to the school network and allows for continuity in enabling students to finish classwork started in other lessons, anywhere in the school building.

The Learning Support Department also runs Homework, Reading, Writing Clubs each lunch and after school time. This gives students access to more personalised help, resources and opportunity to use all other school computer programmes in order to complete their homework fully and well.

The Department also has it’s own classroom with adjoining shower and toilet facilities assisting students with physical problems