St Helen and St Katharine’s Learning Support (LS) Department provides a range of services, resources and advice to students, with identified Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) or otherwise, as they progress through the School.
The department comprises a Head of Learning Support, two learning support teachers and a specialist 1:1 teaching assistant. All staff within the department have extensive qualifications, knowledge and experience in helping students overcome any difficulties, helping them achieve their full potential and developing lifelong learning skills for school, university and beyond.
St Helen’s has a whole school approach to supporting girls with a wide range of SEND and/or who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL), as well as informed advice for those who request it. Requests for LS involvement may come from Heads of Section, the Admissions team or directly from families.
"The Learning Support team have been pivotal to our daughter’s progress at St Helen's. They’ve not only helped her make sense of her own learning style, but also provided her with a safe space and expertise to co-create an approach to learning that works for her. She’s emerging a more capable but critically also more confident learner as a result."Year 9 parent
The LS Department is highly effective in assessing and supporting students on a spectrum of varying needs. By applying specialist knowledge, up-to-date technology and bespoke interventions, students are offered support to underpin their style of learning. This may be through one-to-one or group sessions from the Junior Department upwards. Post-intervention – through close contact with parents and teaching staff – differentiation and awareness within the classroom help to inform teachers’ approach to the best method of support for each student. All staff working with a student are regularly informed of any existing and updated SEND information.
Families are strongly encouraged to share any existing SEND information for their daughter with the Admissions team prior to application as detailed in the School’s Admissions Policy. Further information about Learning Support at St Helen’s can be found in our SEND policy.
