Learning Support
Monkton’s Learning Support Department reflects the ethos of the school in its care for individual pupils, supporting them to thrive and exceed their own expectations.
The department is situated in pleasant rooms in the centre of the school and is staffed by three qualified teachers. Pupils with additional learning needs, such as dyslexia and dyspraxia, are taught in weekly individual sessions.
Our focus is ‘metacognitive’ learning strategies, teaching pupils to become more self-aware in choosing strategies for different tasks that maximise their learning.
This approach is effective in supporting a diverse range of needs. Alongside direct intervention, there is an emphasis on the use of technology to assist with independent learning.
The skills of all students in Year 10 are screened and where the results of those tests suggest specific difficulty further assessment will be carried out. More in-depth assessments are carried out by the Head of Learning Support where necessary and particularly where exam access arrangements are required.
The Learning Support department works closely with classroom teachers to share key information about their pupils. For some pupils who would benefit from specific teaching strategies this includes the creation of Individual Learner Profiles (ILPs) which are accessible to all staff.
The Learning Support department manages assessment of exam arrangements for all pupils and works closely with the exams office to ensure these arrangements are available in all public exams. External assessment of learning needs is not necessary for access arrangements, exam boards require schools to make these decisions based on observations within school.
The Head of Learning Support is available to speak to prospective parents as they visit the school and also at Open Mornings.
