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Learning Enrichment Policy

BUTE HOUSE PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Learning Enrichment Policy

This policy applies equally to the Foundation Stage (Reception Class), Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 as taught at Bute House

Bute House recognises that a pupil may require support and development if she has a learning difficulty or profile that calls for learning enrichment provision to be made for her.

Introduction

This document is a statement of the aims, objectives and strategies for the teaching of pupils with learning difficulties and children with special educational needs. It also covers those for the teaching of pupils identified by the school as benefitting from extension activities.

The intention of this policy document is to outline how girls are selected for sessions in the Learning Enrichment Department and how their needs are met by acknowledging the role of the Learning Enrichment (LE) Co-ordinator, LE teachers, form/subject teachers, pupils, parents, carers and outside agencies.

Parents should be aware that the school is a mainstream setting with limited specialist Special Educational Needs (SEN) resources. The staff will use their professional skill and experience to identify and provide for SEN within the resources of a mainstream school. Ordinary reasonable adjustments for disability will also be made through our Learning Enrichment Department.

Provision for pupils who need support is referred to as Learning Support (LS) and for extension activities as Learning Development (LD).

Overall Aims and Objectives:

• The needs of all pupils who may have specific learning needs either throughout, or at any time during, their school careers will be addressed as far as possible within the school's resources
• There will be careful assessment and recording of a child's learning needs, strengths and potential, in addition to the action taken and the outcomes
• To ensure pupils are actively involved in their learning process
• To identify the roles and responsibilities of staff in providing for the pupils' learning needs
• To ensure that parents are able to play their part in supporting their child's education and that their knowledge, views and experience form a vital part of the partnership

Learning Support Aims:

• To recognise and acknowledge the difficulties that pupils encounter. To address those difficulties by adopting a positive approach and dismantling misconceptions and fears
• To increase the self-confidence of pupils
• To empower pupils with knowledge of their own strengths and different learning styles

Learning Development Aims:

• To challenge both able pupils, and those able pupils who are not reaching their potential, to develop specific skills and talents, accelerate learning and aim for excellence
• To support able students socially and intellectually
• To develop creative flair, stamina, perseverance, cognitive reasoning and communicative skills through a wider range of resources
• To improve attainment, aspiration, motivation and ability to take on demanding tasks

EAL (English as an Additional Language)

A child must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language at home is different from the language in which she will be taught. However, when Bute House School accepts a pupil whose first language is not English, provision is made to enable that pupil to access the curriculum based on their individual needs, if required.

Identification and Assessment of Pupils with Learning Difficulties

Bute House School adopts a graduated response when addressing any pupil's learning difficulty. This approach encompasses an array of teaching strategies and makes full use of all available classroom and school resources before calling upon outside agencies.

1. School Monitoring

Class and subject teachers monitor the progress of individual pupils in literacy, numeracy and other areas of the curriculum. Formal standardised tests are used as well as on-going informal observations or assessments, depending on the age of the child.

If a child's progress is causing concern the teacher will:

• Review the teaching strategies currently being used and consider the ways in which these might be developed and/or differentiated
• Discuss concerns with the pupil and her parents
• Continue to monitor and review the pupil's progress
• Consult with the LE co-ordinator and/or learning enrichment teacher

The Learning Enrichment Teacher, who may be the LE Co-ordinator, will:

• Monitor and record progress made by the pupil through liaison with the form/subject teacher
• Offer advice where necessary to the form or subject teachers involved
• Liaise with parents if necessary
• Record the pupil's need on the Monitoring Register

2. School Action (SA)

Following a review of teaching strategies and the monitoring of progress it may be decided that a pupil requires help over and above that which is normally available within the particular class or subject.

The class/subject teacher will:

• Continue to implement differentiated strategies in the classroom
• Work with the LECo or Learning Enrichment teacher to implement an Individual Education Plan, if necessary
• Consider seeking further specialist internal assessments from the school LECo

The LE Co-ordinator will:

• Liaise with Learning Enrichment teachers and form/subject teachers
• Where possible try to ensure that parents are kept informed of all developments
• Where possible try to ensure that interventions 'additional to' or 'different from' those provided as part of the differentiated curriculum, are implemented
• Ensure that an Individual Education Plan is set up where necessary
• Ensure that teaching support is offered where possible in order to meet the individual needs of pupils (including withdrawn support and/or in-class support)
• Oversee the monitoring and review of any action taken
• Ensure that relevant advice is offered to form/subject teachers

The LECo may also carry out a broader range of assessments in order to identify more specific areas of strengths and weaknesses.

The expression of concern, the gathering of information, and the registration and consideration of a pupil's learning difficulties, often combine to resolve the problems over a short period of time.

The majority of pupils that are referred to the Learning Enrichment Department in Bute House are catered for at these two levels.

3. School Action Plus (SA+)

At this stage there is a request for additional information from external services. Advice and/or an assessment may be requested from one or more of the following:

• Educational Psychologist
• Clinical Psychologist
• Psychiatrist
• Speech and Language Therapist
• Occupational Therapist
• Optometrist
• Audiologist
• Paediatrician
• GP

The LE Co-ordinator will:

• Liaise with parents/staff about recommendations made by external agencies
• Plan any future interventions for the pupil in discussion with colleagues
• Ensure that an Individualised Education Plan is delivered incorporating additional or different strategies to those at School Action, if necessary
• Monitor and review any action taken

Please note, with regard to all the provision contained in this Policy, if we at the School think that more specialist advice is required we will discuss this with a child's parent (or parents) and will ask the parent to pay for such advice. If special educational provision is required (whether as a result of advice or not) which is additional to the school's ordinary mainstream resources, or any form of adjustment is required which it is not reasonable for us to provide, we expect the parent to pay for it or provide it themselves.

If, in the judgment of the Head, the School cannot provide for a pupil's SEN and/or disability after all relevant provision and/or reasonable adjustment has been made (or we have requested it from a parent) the School reserves the right to ask the parent to withdraw their child.

Statemented Children

From time to time pupils come to Bute House with a Statement of Special Educational Need already in place. It is the responsibility of the school to ensure that this statement is reviewed on an annual basis. For this purpose form and subject teachers are expected to report on progress made in their subject. It is the responsibility of the School to collate this information into a School Report that is presented formally at a Review Meeting, to parents and a representative of the relevant educational authority.Individual Education Plans should be in place for any child with a Statement of Educational Need so that short-term targets can be monitored and evaluated throughout the year.

Individual Education Plan (IEP)

The plan will set out:

• The short term targets set for or with the pupil
• The provision to be put in place
• When the plan is to be reviewed
• Outcomes

Individual Education Plans will be evaluated every term. Parents will receive a record of this at the end of each term.

LE Registers

Registers are kept of all pupils who attend Learning Support or Learning Development sessions in the Learning Enrichment Department.

In addition a Monitoring register is kept. This lists girls who have experienced difficulties in English or Maths at some point, but not at a level to warrant withdrawal from class. It also includes girls who have been withdrawn previously, but currently do not need support. These girls will be taken off this register when it is agreed there is no longer a cause for concern.

An EAL Register is also kept and updated annually.

Parental Involvement

The form/subject teacher or LECo informs parents, if their child requires extra support or monitoring.

Parents have opportunities to meet Learning Enrichment Teachers on request as well as at more formalised Parents' Evenings. The LECo maintains more regular contact with the parents of pupils being monitored at School Action Plus.

Pupil Involvement

The pupil's views form an important part of the whole process of meeting her needs. We encourage active participation and try to foster an awareness of how each pupil can work towards improving her skills with our help.

We encourage pupils to make judgements about their own performances and offer opportunities to put forward their own suggestions for targets where possible.

The Learning Enrichment Team

The Learning Enrichment team will support pupils in the following ways

• Individual or group support in the class to ensure full access to the curriculum
• Individual or group support out of the classroom with differentiated materials being used that are closely related to class lessons
• Individual or group support out of the class that addresses more specific learning difficulties
• Group sessions to challenge and extend

The amount and level of support will vary according to the needs of the pupil at any time in their school career.

Learning Development

Selection: Pupils are identified by standardised and general assessments or the observations and recommendations of their teachers. They attend one Maths or English lesson per week taught in a small group. Staff make the decisions about which children will or will not be withdrawn. It is not by parental request.

Maths

Pupils will be stretched and extended through:

• Open ended tasks
• Problem solving
• Investigations
• Puzzles

They will be encouraged to look for patterns and relationships in numbers and will learn to push the boundaries of the subject.

English

The girls will be challenged to develop higher order thinking skills through:

• Analysing different genres
• Evaluating
• Practising different writing styles
• Playing word games
• Extending vocabulary
• Understanding the subtle nuances of the English language

The LE Co-ordinator’s role is to take responsibility for:

• Managing the day-to-day operation of the school's Learning Enrichment Policy
• Organising, monitoring and co-ordinating the work of the Learning Enrichment Team
• Analysing assessments throughout the school in order to identify those pupils who may require support or would benefit from extension work
• Co-ordinating provision for children with different learning needs
• Overseeing the compilation of the LS and LD Registers
• Ensuring that Individual Education Plans are drawn up for pupils at School Action and School Action Plus, where necessary
• Encouraging the involvement of parents
• Maintaining and monitoring the records on all pupils in the LE Department
• Monitoring and contributing to the in-service training of staff
• Liaising with external agencies
• The purchasing and organisation of resources for the Learning Enrichment Department

Staffing

The School reserves the right to adjust staffing of the Learning Enrichment Department over time.