Learning Support

The Learning Support Department at Christ's School supports students with a wide range of Learning, Behavioural, Social and Physical needs. We also support students that have English as a second language. Our main aim as a department is to ensure that all students are fully included in the life of the school and are well supported so that they can reach their full potential.

The majority of our support work is inside the classroom, working with the subject teacher and student to help the students to access the curriculum and to make the best of their time at Christ's. We also run a range of withdrawal sessions providing targeted intervention on either a small group or 1 to 1 basis. At key stage 3 these sessions include literacy, numeracy, social, emotional and behavioural support. At key stage 4 study skills is a further option with a personalised curriculum available.

The department acts as a safe space at break and lunchtimes and provides structured activities to support students’ needs. Positive, secure relationships are built with each student through the identification of a key person within the department. The department is well resourced and consists of 18 members of staff. The team comprises a SENCo - Ms Alice Buchanan, a SEN Lead - Ms Lissa Crayton, Behaviour, Maths and Literacy specialists, Dyslexia specialist, EAL specialist , 11 Learning Support Assistants and a departmental administrator. All of the department's staff are fully trained and offer a wide range of skills to help and support the students at Christ's. We work closely with parents and outside agencies to enable us to provide the best provision that we can for our students. An Educational Psychologist is in school to work with students for half a day per week. In addition we have two days per week of Speech and Language therapy intervention, one day per week of targeted mentoring and involvement from other specialists as and when needed.

Students receive both individual and small group tuition from specialist staff using teaching methods in line with current practice in the field of specific learning difficulties centred on a structured multi-sensory approach.