Teacher of Academic Support

The location of the Academic Support Department, next to the Library and at the centre of the College campus, reflects the key role that it plays in academic life. Just under a quarter of pupils are on the SEND register and the highly qualified team in the department have an excellent track record of supporting each of these individuals to achieve their best across each of their academic subjects.

The work of the department is varied, providing expertise and advice for teachers as they adapt their classroom teaching to individual pupil needs, working with individuals and small groups of pupils, and carrying out assessments. They provide support for a wide range of mild special educational needs, including dyslexia, dyspraxia, ASD, AD(H)D, and other behavioural, social and emotional needs. Their teaching programmes are customised, incorporating literacy development, handwriting and touch-typing support, study skills and revision advice, and organisational support, depending on the specific needs of each pupil. The SEND provision often also includes a counselling element.

SEND pupils achieve very high value-added scores in public exams, and often cite the individual support provided by the department as a crucial element of their success.

The committed and collaborative team comprises two full-time and two part-time teachers, alongside two learning support assistants and a SEND admin assistant.