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CHRISTIAN ETHOS

Special Educational Needs

Our Policy Most students access and make progress within an inclusive curriculum without any great difficulties. The wide range of stratgegiesand skills employed by the teacher are usually enough to meet whatever learning needs students may have. However, there may be circumstances in which some children will require special educational provision. The 1996 Education Act states that a child has 'special educational needs' if he or she has 'learning difficulties' which call for 'special educational provisions' to be made for him or her. Under the act a child has a learning difficulty if they ; 1.)have significantly greater difficulty learning than the majority of children the same age 2.) Have a disibility that prevents or hinders the child from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the local authority. Children must not be identified as having a learning difficulty solely because the language spoken at home is different from the language in which they are taught (Education Act 1996:Section312) As a school we aim to identify and support students with special needs, beginning with dicussions iwth the primary school prior to their arrival here until they finally leave us a the end of year 11 or year 13.

The Learning Development Centre

The centre is a new improved facility run by two members of staff working with up to 30 students throughout the school day. Students who attend the LDC are unable to manage in lessons for different reasons including illness, lack of learning skills and difficulties in forming relationships with others. Staff work with the students to enable them to return to the classroom successfully.

Developing Literacy Skills

There is a special resourced base for students who need to develop their literacy skills. We have a number of literacy and numeracy programmes suitable for both dyslexic students and those with other types of difficulty. These include computuer programmes and published resources such as Toe by Toe and Attack. In addition sixth form students work with year 7 students during tutor time to boost reading and numeracy skills.

Supporting Students in the Classroom

We have 14 learning support assistants who work in the classroom alongside the class, helping students to manage their work. Sometimes they may sit alongside the student whilst at other times they work around the classroom and offer the support more discreetly. We are keen that all students develop their confidence and self esteem in order to enable them to become independent learners.