Learning Support
Students with Special Educational Needs/Disabilities or Additional Learning Needs (SEND)
At Sheffield Girls’ we want to ensure that all our pupils achieve their potential through the removal of barriers to learning and participation.
What is a learning support team?
A learning support team ensures students have the necessary skills to succeed in education and their personal life. Our specialist Learning Support team Mrs Bates, Miss Holmes and Mrs Godbole, are a crucial part of ensuring the full integration and inclusion of all pupils in the life of the School maximising their learning potential.
How do we identify a student who may require additional support?
We use a variety of sources to help us identify pupils with additional learning needs, and who may require the help of our learning support team including:
- Information from parents about existing learning difficulties
- Teacher observations
- Information from previous educational settings
- Entrance examination results
- Ongoing teacher assessment
- Cognitive ability tests in Year 7(MidYIS)
- Screening tests for spelling, reading and writing (Year 7 and Year 9)
- Screening tests for Examination Access Arrangements (Year 9 onwards)
In addition, we support our pupils to feel confident and comfortable to approach us if they feel that they may have additional learning needs.
How do we support our students throughout the School?
Pupils who need specialist support with their learning include those with the following types of learning difficulty, all of which can be supported at Sheffield Girls’:
- Specific Learning Difficulties, e.g. dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia
- Emotional, behavioural or social difficulties, e.g. ADHD or ASD
- Speech, language and communication needs
- Sensory and physical difficulties
Personal and tailored support for pupils at the School
Staff are provided with pupil profiles for all pupils who have an additional need. This indicates the areas of challenge for those pupils and gives strategies for the teachers to follow to ensure that each individual’s needs are met. Our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Champions in the Senior School are teacher representatives from each department who will help us to ensure that the needs of pupils with SEND are fully met within their curriculum area.
Learning support across the School
In the Infant and Junior School, we provide 1:1 and small group intervention for pupils who need additional support, this can be academic or pastoral. In the Seniors, the Learning Support team have an open-door policy. Students are aware that they can email us at any time to discuss any concerns or support requests. We also drop into lessons to check in with pupils on a regular basis. Our Year 13 SEND prefects help us to run a weekly lunchtime homework club that offers Senior pupils support with homework tasks, organisational skills and revision. We also have a team of Year 12 volunteers who are ‘Reading Buddies’ for our Infant and Junior pupils.
Our Learning Support Hub is a place where pupils feel welcome and supported both academically and emotionally.
How do we work alongside parents/carers to support a child's needs?
We know that students thrive when there is a strong partnership between us and their parents and carers. At Sheffield Girls’ we value the knowledge parents have of their children and use this to enable us to work in partnership with them to provide effective learning support. We will always inform parents of any concerns we have and discuss fully any action we feel is necessary.
‘At Sheffield Girls’, we see our school community as a place that individuals belong and feel a sense of unity and togetherness within.’
Sophie, Year 10
