Inclusion and Special Educational Needs
Thank you for taking the time to visit the Inclusion and Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) section of our website. Our aim is to ensure that all students are supported and able to access all areas of school life including the taught curriculum, the assessment and examination system and the extra curricular, social and sporting life of the school.
The department has a lively, well qualified and committed team of teachers and support staff who are available to meet with parents and students to help ensure that good study habits are developed from Year 7 onwards.
In order to address the specific educational needs of all students, we provide in-class support, workshops, clubs and individualized programmes.
The Learning Zone
Our Learning Zone provides a dedicated area where vulnerable students are individually supported so that they can access the curriculum at an appropriate level. Clubs are also held at break and lunch time to encourage students to be self-aware and become fully integrated into the life of the school community.
The Learning Space
This newly refurbished area will provide support for those on the autistic spectrum and those with speech, language and communication difficulties (SLCD). This bright learning environment with a dedicated chill-out room and sensory garden will enable students to feel secure and be supported appropriately.
Mentoring
Mentoring has long been acknowledged as a way in which an older, wiser person helps prepare a younger one for a future role in society. It is a nurturing process where the role model teaches, sponsors, encourages, counsels and befriends. In the mentoring process an ongoing, caring relationship develops between the mentor and mentee. At Waldegrave mentoring is an effective method of supporting young people to achieve clearly-defined, negotiated aims. There are several mentoring schemes within the school. These include:
- Business Mentoring
- PGCE students mentoring scheme
- Richmond College A level students who mentor Year 11 students in science
- Learning Mentors mentor Key Stage 4 students who may, for example, have been absent from school due to illness, in order to help them focus on accessing work they have missed
Gifted and Talented Opportunities
Key Stage 3 students have a range of opportunities to extend their learning including clubs and competitions, trips and visits, and school events. In Key Stage 4 students are encouraged to participate in Public Speaking competitions, Theatre Visits and a wide variety of lectures.
Each year we are invited to send a group of Y10 and Y 12 students to Oriel College, Oxford for a taster session for those students who are likely to want to apply to Oxbridge universities in sixth form.
Sixth form students are invited to a wide range of events and conferences that offer a chance to think beyond the limits of exam specifications.
If you would like to know more about Gifted and Talented Opportunities, please speak to your daughter’s subject teacher or contact the Inclusion Team.
SEND Information Report 2019-20