Richmond School
School Departments | Learning Support
KS3
Literacy Workshops
Students in yrs 7, 8, 9 who attend these workshops three lessons per fortnight have dropped one MFL. They aim to improve both reading and spelling of all students who attend. Places in these workshops are based on reading and spelling scores and full parental permission has been gained. In some cases students may do no MFL and do weekly workshops. These are normally very small groups and more intensive 1:1 work is carried out. A variety of resources and teaching strategies are employed focusing on more kinaesthetic methods. ICT programmes are used such as Lexia, Starspell and Wordshark. During the time students attend workshops, they are always given homework and progress is carefully monitored through biannual testing, review process and Progress Checks. When necessary, appropriate individual diagnostic testing is used to help tailor individual programmes.
Reading Workshops
These workshops take place during registration times 4 days a week. The workshops aim to boost the fluency, accuracy and understanding of students who attend, thus enabling them to participate more fully in all their lessons and feel confident about their reading skills. Students practise reading different types of text, doing comprehension exercises to ensure sound understanding of what they read.
Spelling Workshops
Spelling is taught by Look, cover, Write, Check method. Students also use various ICT programmes such as ‘Starspell’, ‘Units of Sound’, ‘Wordshark’ and ‘Wordmania’. Students who need to improve their spelling skills attend spelling workshops during tutorial time once a week. A variety of methods are used to support them but they focus on specific spelling rules / patterns/ sounds and are tested weekly. When they have improved their spelling to an acceptable level they are returned to normal tutorial sessions. Students who are severely Dyslexic have 1:1 sessions either at tutor time or during lesson time where a specific programme will be followed to address their needs. Vernon spelling test is administered biannually to record progress.
Enhanced Mainstream Provision For Specific Learning Difficulties
As from January 2010 as part of the LA’s SEN / Behaviour review Richmond School was designated as an Enhanced Mainstream School for Specific Learning Difficulties. There are 7 EMS SpLD spread across the county. These form part of the Cognition and Learning Network coordinated by Access and Inclusion Services within the LA. Each EMS has a support base at the heart of the school, with assistance from the LA to fund specialist resources.
The aim is that the support base will be fully integrated into Richmond School, promoting an inclusive culture and raising awareness of SpLD, whilst assisting in the removal of barriers to achievement for all young people, helping to challenge the preconceptions associated with SpLD, and providing training and professional development for staff.
EMS staff will initially deliver ‘outreach’ services to 43 local schools for individual pupils who need specialist support to meet their learning needs. Outreach support will follow a referral through an Educational Psychologist.
n the future ‘in reach’ could be available for pupils with a statement of special educational needs for SpLD who require individual support and teaching and whose needs cannot be met in their local community school
Contact Information
Mrs J Clarke- jclarke@richmondschool.net