Clifton College Website

Learning Support

The aims and guiding principles of the Coach House

The Coach House aims to ensure that every child is provided with the individual education which they require. This may involve specialist teachers and teaching programmes for children who are disadvantaged in any of a wide variety of ways.

Staff
Heads of Learning Support:	Mrs Eileen Broadley Cert Ed. B.Ed DipSpLD Mrs Helen Palmer Cert Ed DipSpLD
Teachers:	Mrs Elspeth Miller BA, PGCE, DipSpLD
	Mr John Hall-Moore Cert Ed B.Ed DipSpecEd DipSpLd
	Miss Anna Churchill BA (joint hons) PGCE GTP PG Dip Dyslex & Lit
	Ms Eve Graham BA MA PGCE DipSpLD
	Mrs Angela Gowdy AGSM PGCE

Support

In order to support children who are disadvantaged, either through a special educational need such as Dyslexia or Dyspraxia or through the necessity simply to catch up with the mainstream due to illness or a deficiency in their previous education, one of three approaches may be employed:

The pupil may be withdrawn from classes to be given individual help, by a specialist teacher, in the Coach House.
The pupil may be supported within the mainstream classroom either by a teacher specifically trained in dyslexia or a suitably qualified member of staff depending on the nature of the support required.
A combination of both the above.

Identification

Identification of children who are “at risk” is achieved through screening administered by an Educational Psychologist. On the basis of the assessment obtained, the children may be given individual specialist support as detailed above.

Reporting

All Coach House children have an Individual Education Programme (IEP) prepared for them by their teacher. This IEP will report on assessment tests completed by the children and set targets for the term. All parents, whose children are new to the Coach House, are invited during the first term to spend time with us during a lesson so as to observe, discuss and be made aware of the style of teaching that will take place and how best they may help. An updated IEP is sent out termly and staff are always available to meet parents. A parental response sheet is attached to all IEP’s to help encourage feedback.

Inclusion

The school believes that only if the Special Needs department is integrated within the mainstream can it be fully effective. Thus, the Learning Support Coordinators are encouraged, at the school’s weekly staff meetings, to discuss progress and concerns for individual children. The LSCOs are expected to inform staff, via INSET, of special educational needs such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Asperger’s Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and how best to support the individual in the classroom.

Facilities

Special Needs has its own building on campus and is extremely well resourced with the latest in computer software and hardware. The school takes teaching of Special Needs extremely seriously and, as a consequence, the LSCOs are part of the Senior Management of the school. They are also given a generous budget to allow the department to keep itself at the forefront of new initiatives.

Charges

When support involves withdrawal from the classroom, and the provision of individual specialist teaching in the Coach House, a charge is made. Children’s needs vary enormously but as a guideline, most children require two specialist lessons of 35 minutes per week. For those who require support both in Literacy and Numeracy, this may rise to four lessons.

Inspection

The school is regularly inspected by the Council for Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic Pupils (CReSTeD). In October 2009 CReSTeD contacted parents at random and the Inspector noted that staff at the Learning Support Unit (LSU) were singled out for praise. One parent commented that Coach House has really turned her daughter around and that she is now an ‘A’ student with increased confidence. Another said that the Special Needs provisions are a great strength of the school.

The Inspector concluded the report by noting, “A major strength of the school is its whole school approach to supporting all pupils including its Dyslexics. A dynamic Head leads the senior management team and staff in an entirely child focused and productive way. Superlatives in Education are rarely used. However, at Clifton College Prep it is clear that a carefully thought out plan focused at an integrated and highly effective learning support strategy across the entire school is fully embedded.

The Learning Support Unit is a pathfinder in effective learning, ably supported by the rest of the staff.

Continuing Registration of Clifton College Prep is both appropriate and highly recommended."

The report can be read in full.

Further Information

For further information on learning support at Clifton College Preparatory School, please contact the School office on 0117 315 7502 or email Mrs Broadley or Mrs Palmer.