The School recognises that some students may require support in order to achieve success and while it is accepted that it may not be possible to have an ideal programme for every student, every effort will be made to be as inclusive as possible. The principal objective of the Learning Support (LS) programme is to provide each student with the support necessary for him or her to achieve maximum success in mainstream classes. The LS programme is therefore available to those students who, with limited specialist support, are able to participate successfully in mainstream classes.
In particular we aim to provide support to students with mild to moderate learning difficulties and academically very able students.
The costs of additional personnel or resources may be recovered directly from the parents of the student(s) concerned.
Admission to the School will only be given to students for whom we are able to provide an appropriate educational programme.
The type of special support offered to students in the LS programme may vary at different levels of the School and may include in-class support, withdrawal from class, or assistance outside regular tuition hours.
It is the responsibility of the LS teacher, working with the Head of Campus, Head of Primary and Head of Secondary, to establish procedures and criteria for determining a student’s need for support and for assessing students receiving LS help.
English Language Support
The school believes that language is at the core of human experience. The school recognises that students from non-English speaking backgrounds enter our school with proficiency in their mother tongue, valuable life experiences, and varying degrees of formal schooling but without full proficiency of the English Language in its written and oral forms. The school’s mission is to assist these students to acquire or to improve their written and oral communicative skills in English. The aim is to enable new students to become independent and confident listeners, speakers, readers, and writers in the English language, to become full participants in the academic programmes of the school, and to integrate quickly in all school activities.
A new student entering our school may need an intensive course in English. Others who have been at the school for a while may also need their understanding and use of the English language improved, especially as academic work becomes more advanced.
In both the primary and secondary schools there are specialist “English as a Second Language” (ESL) teachers available. Initially a student may spend some lesson time working in a small group with the ESL teacher. As the student makes progress he/she will gradually leave the ESL unit and re-join regular classes, although the ESL teacher will continue to support and advise both the student and his/her teachers in order to ensure that he/she is achieving as much success as possible.