At Turing House School we have a very strong, committed Learning Support team who work hard to support students in overcoming barriers. The work of the Learning Support team focuses on improving academic progress and outcomes, as well as complementing the pastoral work done by PLUS in our support of social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH).
In our Learning Support team we are all absolutely committed to improving outcomes for our young people and reducing barriers. We work with all school staff to ensure that learning in lessons and in all aspects of school life are accessible to every student. We work with the students themselves, building strategies to encourage them to be self-directed, independent and self-assured learners. Fundamental to this is the initial accurate identification of any needs which may involve screening, testing and referrals. We are then able to facilitate timely provision of appropriate strategies.
We provide some in-class support for students with the highest and most complex needs, we also do some work in intervention groups outside of lesson time. There is very little withdrawal from lessons however, as this is the most important aspect of school for all students. For this reason, we also prioritise supporting students with excellent attendance and punctuality.
Support at school is sometimes in the form of differentiated work, keeping on task, having a safe person to turn to. At other times it is more structured provision, e.g. programmes recommended by our Educational Psychologist, and other evidence-based interventions.
Examples of interventions and groups that we might draw on to support students:
*precision teaching *Touch Typing Reading & Spelling *Wordshark *Numbershark * *Lego therapy *Social thinking groups *Self-esteem groups *Emotional regulation support, e.g. Zones of Regulation *Anxiety management *Autism specific intervention *SCERTS *Exit cards and movement cards *Front of lunch passes *Safe place/person *Start or end of day check-ins.
Our support teachers build strong relationships with the students which maximises the effect of support. We monitor all students, and the learning support team are key in ensuring that where any rising concern becomes persistent, longer term and a significant barrier to learning, those students are placed on the SEND register. We also monitor any students who no longer need to be on the SEND register to ensure that their success continues.
Another significant element of our work is support with assessments, exams and access arrangements. This involves specialist testing, teacher evidence, trialling and establishing arrangements, applying on-line where necessary.
We maintain the following processes to manage our support and monitor its effectiveness: