Shiplake College has a reputation for providing support for bright pupils with mild learning difficulties, and every academic year a small number of places are allocated to pupils with these difficulties. These are called Core Places. The initial entrance assessments screen all pupils who wish to come to Shiplake, and when places are offered, pupils are placed into one of three categories; Core, Monitor or Main.
Resources
The purpose-built Learning Development Department is situated on the first floor of the revolutionary John Turner Building. The Department provides a first-class environment for pupils to receive additional support, with one large classroom and four seminar rooms all equipped with high-quality technological resources.
All rooms in the Learning Development Department have kindly been sponsored by parents and friends of the College as part of the John Turner fundraising campaign. This will ensure that pupils have access to the best possible learning resources in the years to come.
The Learning Development team is comprised of six dedicated teachers, four with specialist qualifications in assisting children with special educational needs, plus an administrator. All staff undertake regular professional development and share a passion of helping pupils to overcome individual difficulties and achieve their goals whilst at Shiplake.
Core Support
Academic, social and emotional factors are all taken into account to ensure we are able to provide an appropriate learning environment for each and every pupil. Following assessment and consultation with parents, pupils identified as requiring additional learning support are offered Core places at Shiplake College. Formal initial assessments and careful information gathering facilitate understanding of pupils' individual needs and the provision of an appropriate learning environment.
Core pupils receive Core Learning Development Support, four times a week in small groups. These lessons are timetabled into the main academic timetable. In Year 9 Core pupils do not study modern foreign languages. In Year 10 and Year 11 pupils choose three optional GCSE courses rather than four, meaning they will study eight GCSEs rather than nine. Our experience informs us that the quality of the grades pupils achieve for their GCSEs always outweighs the number of subjects they study and by reducing the number of subjects we are able to keep timetabled support in place, for the Core cohort.
Recognising the changing needs of our older pupils and to prepare them for the next phase of their education, our provision in the Sixth Form is different. Pupils in Years 12 and 13 are offered support on an 'opt in' basis where pupils choose to receive two lessons of 'guided study support'. Year 12 pupils who received extra support for their GCSEs (either at Shiplake or at their previous school) are encouraged to reflect on their need for this extra support. Pupils may then 'opt in' if they feel this guided study support will be beneficial for them or to move away from the Learning Development programme.
The provision within the Sixth Form closely mirrors what is on offer at universities. By helping our Sixth Form pupils take more responsibility for their own learning we hope that they will become more confident in their ability to work independently. Guided Study support is very much pupil-led. Teachers are available to advise and guide pupils and to ensure that prep and coursework deadlines are met.
Additional Information
Pupils who are in our Monitor category may have had a history of Special Educational Needs, but are now able to function independently without support in class. We know, however, that these pupils may require Examination Access Arrangements, and therefore we keep them monitored in order to ensure that we have the necessary evidence for these arrangements to be put in place.
The majority of pupils are in our Main cohort. Whilst it would be unusual for a pupil to move out of the Core group, all of the groups are fluid in nature, as we take account of how pupils change and develop over time. The promotion of pupils' self-belief, self-esteem and self-confidence, becoming independent learners, is a key aim.
Information about the additional costs associated with Learning Development can be found on our Fees page.
Our SEND Policy, Word Processing Policy and Access Arrangement Policies are available to view here.
Curriculum
Years 7 - 9
Learning Development in Years 7 - 9 is predominantly focussed on core literacy skills. Time is spent working on spelling, punctuation, grammar, reading, comprehension, writing and responding to different texts. Support is also offered to improve study skills, and help pupils manage their workload ahead of the proceeding examination years which they will face.
Numeracy skills are touched upon where required, while pupils can also discuss issues related to prep in any subject.
GCSE
Learning Development in Years 10 and 11 is geared towards skills underpinning core GCSE subjects, especially in English. This includes vocabulary enrichment, reading, skimming and scanning, selecting and summarising in pupils’ own words. Boys practise formal and informal writing styles to assist with GCSE coursework. Towards the end of the academic year, teachers and pupils work together to establish effective revision techniques. A revision timetable is agreed to help pupils best prepare for their external examinations.
Sixth Form
From Years 7-11, the Learning Development team helps pupils develop the strategies and skills required to overcome their individual learning needs as they prepare for, and navigate, their GCSEs. Pupils also develop their metacognitive skills and awareness of ‘learning to learn’. We find that this is different in the Sixth Form as pupils’ needs change. Increasingly, we have found that pupils in the Sixth Form no longer require this intensive support. Instead, at this stage in a pupil’s career, pupils benefit from more subject-specific strategies such as structuring their essays, planning coursework tasks and conducting effective research.
Recognising the changing needs of our older pupils and to prepare them for the next phase of their education, our provision in the Sixth Form is different. Pupils in Years 12 and 13 are offered support on an 'opt in' basis where pupils choose to receive two lessons of 'guided study support'. Year 12 pupils who received extra support for their GCSEs (either at Shiplake or at their previous school) are encouraged to reflect on their need for this extra support. Pupils may then 'opt in' if they feel this guided study support will be beneficial for them or to move away from the Learning Development programme.
The provision within the Sixth Form closely mirrors what is on offer at universities. By helping our Sixth Form pupils take more responsibility for their own learning we hope that they will become more confident in their ability to work independently. Guided Study support is very much pupil-led. Teachers are available to advise and guide pupils and to ensure that prep and coursework deadlines are met.