Learning Support

The Learning Support department is run by a team of three, all of whom have many years experience teaching and helping children who struggle to fully access the curriculum, at any age and for any reason.

The department is staffed by:

Individual support is offered according to the severity of difficulty, ranging from 1 - 6 half hour lessons a week. The children are not removed from any core academic subject lessons, or from any lessons in which they have a particular interest, in order to have these support lessons.

Although Hatherop Castle is not a specialist SEN school, we have experience working with an assortment of difficulties with a variety of severities. We cater for dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADHD, ADD and ASD. The children will be taught handwriting, spelling, reading, memory skills and exam revision techniques.

The department also caters for English as a Foreign Language and support for external agencies is also available.

Educational Psychologists can be arranged for formal assessment reports. This may be requested by a senior school. Assessment and allocation of extra time and support for exams can also be dealt with internally.

Speech Therapy and occupational therapy are also available on request, both for assessment and for ongoing remediation.

As SENCO of this department, I believe our most important role is as a link between the school staff, the child and the parents. We try to be the mediator for a child who experiences problems and frustrations which they find hard to explain and understand themselves. It is important for all parties involved in supporting these children to agree on the best possible form of support, to set realistic targets and to be constant in expectations.

Head of Department: Mrs Amanda Davies Cert Ed, Dip SLD