Inclusion at New Rickstones Academy:
The Inclusion team believes that every child matters and that the fundamental purpose of education is to prepare students to lead fulfilled, productive, responsible, happy and successful adult lives. We seek to do this by enabling each student to discover and develop their full potential and to make their best better.
The need for high self-esteem, individual self-confidence and the capability to manage personal change is important for life after school. The Inclusion team offers support and expertise to help resolve difficulties and promote positive solutions for students experiencing barriers to their learning. At times students need reinforcement, confidence boosting and reassurance in certain areas of their learning.
The team consists of Mr Wilding (Assistant Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead); Mrs Cruci (SENDCO) and Miss Scrivener (Assistant SENDCO).
We have a team of HLTA/LSAs who lead main intervention areas within the department.
In addition to this, we work closely with a wide range of outside agencies such as educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, outreach support services and occupational therapists.
The Academy supports Accelerated Reader and Lexia programmes. Further support is offered to our weakest readers (reading age sub-9 years) through LSA targeted support in the inclusion room. This occurs during DEAR sessions and through paired reading with selected Year 10 students each day.
LSA support:
All our LSAs are trained to NVQ Level 2/3, in supporting teaching and learning. While there is whole class teaching, some typical approaches include:
1. Encouraging students to concentrate and engage in thier learning. Students need to be reminded discreetly that they must look and listen to the teacher and to other pupils who are contributing to the lesson.
2. Repeating questions that the teacher has asked and giving the students strategies to help them find an answer for themselves. An example of this would be that an LSA could repeat the question using simplified vocabulary or explaining the words that are being used.
3. Alerting the teacher if the students have some answers. Some students frequently lack confidence and are not willing to speak out in front of the class even when they have an answer. This is an opportunity to value their contribution.
4. Asking further questions that will help the students to think when they are discussing in groups or pairs. Giving the students prompts when they are stuck or asking the students to discuss what the question is. Asking can help understanding. Also, using a copy of the resource that the teacher has on the board to focus the students on the set task.
Intervention and Support Areas:
Rapid Progress Group: This unit provides a support for students who may initially struggle to access learning in mainstream lessons. It is aimed at KS3. The aim of this unit is to support and boost literacy and numeracy levels of Year 7 students achieving level 3a and below on entry. Using the Springboard model, lessons are planned, targeted and differentiated to suit individual students within the group.