ASHFIELD
HIGH SCHOOL
'Building your son's future today'
BOYS'
Learning Support
Departmental Staff
Learning Support Co-ordinator
Mrs R. Deakin BSc(Hons), PGCE
Mr S. Markwell BSc(Hons), PGCE, MSc
Assistant Learning Support Co-ordinator
Nurture Co-ordinator
Mrs L. Beattie BA, PGCE
Numeracy Intervention Co-ordinator
Mrs J. Young BEd
Literacy Intervention Co-ordinator
Miss L. Cosgrove PGCE
Autism Specific Teachers
Mrs R Simpson BSc (Hons)
Mr D O'Neill BSC (Hons) PGCE
Mrs C Harris BEd (Hons)
Mr S Laverty BSc (Hons), PGDE
Learning Support
Within the Learning Support Department, we are committed to a child centred, individually tailored learning experience for your son.
The department has large, experienced and motivated team of teachers and support staff.
Alongside the day to day care and support your son will receive, we have developed several strands of innovation which help remove barriers to learning and achievement.
Nurture Class
Nurture groups are a specialist form of provision for pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.
First and foremost, nurture groups focus on having students form attachments to understanding adults at school, unconditional positive regard being the most powerful mechanism for change. The social and developmental targets for each child are devised using the Boxall profile - a detailed assessment of social, emotional and behavioural functioning. When the appropriate targets are met the students are re-integrated into a main stream class full time.
The purpose of nurture provision is:
'To provide a carefully routined day, where there is balance of learning and teaching, affection and structure within a home-like atmosphere.'
Numeracy Intervention
The overall aim of Numeracy Intervention is to support those pupils who find numeracy a challenge and help them increase their numeracy skills and indeed their confidence in Numeracy.
Each programme will initially be for 12 weeks and progress will be reviewed following re-testing at the end of the programme. Each programme is individualised and will range from pupils coming out of class 1 session per week to 3 separate sessions during the week in the 12 week period. Group sizes for support sessions will also range from individual support to small groups of 4.
Various support programmes offered include Maths Recovery (individual support), Numicon and Easimaths (Numeracy Computer Programme Package).
Literacy Intervention
The overall aim of Literacy Intervention is to provide support and practical strategies for these pupils who find that literacy is a challenge; and to help them develop their skills, confidence and enjoyment; with a particular focus on reading as the basis of good literacy.
Currently, the focus for our literacy intervention is largely around reading. We offer two main reading programmes and are currently developing our capacity, in order to include developing a programme working with specific literacy difficulties.
Each programme runs for a minimum of 10 weeks and progress will be reviewed following re-testing at the end of the cycle. All of our programmes provide engaging and interactive learning activities that will drive the individual progression of students whilst building on their confidence in literacy.
Autism Specific Centre
Autism Specific Classes are one of a number of key elements to promote successful inclusion in the post primary setting.
The ASC provides accessibility; a safe learning and social base; as well as a platform from which young people can extend their experiences.
The ASC offers a modified curriculum that provides greater opportunity to balance academic learning with that of developing important social and life skills.
We will deliver the core subjects English, Maths, LLW, Geography, History and Science from the ASC to provide a base and foundation to access the curriculum.
As a group or as individual pupils accompanied by learning support assistants, we aim to access the broader curriculum where appropriate, currently ICT, Music, Art, PE and HE.
Boxall Intervention
Boxall profiling is a method of intervention developed by psychologists to aid work with young people who are having difficulty in managing the school environment.
The aim is to develop a set of strategies that can be used by the young person and his teachers that will support him in managing his classroom experience. The overall objective is to reach a position where the young person is in class and maximising their learning opportunities.
The process begins with a referral to the Boxall Co-ordinator usually from the young person's Head of Year. This will be triggered by an accumulation of negative behaviours. These may be having a negative impact on the young person's learning or the learning opportunities of others.
Following referral, an initial assessment is completed. This is a matrix of questions that will produce an overview of behaviour and generate strategies that can be used. The young person will then have a weekly meeting with he Boxall Co-ordinator where the young person's behaviour and progress will be monitored. This will be for a minimum of 6 weeks.