Abbot's Hill welcomes girls with a wide range of skills and talent. We are committed to helping pupils achieve their best in all aspects of school life. We support girls with mainly Dyslexia and Dyspraxia type problems, but we also support girls with Dyscalculia, Speech & Language difficulties, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and traits of Asperger's Syndrome.
We provide support in both St Nicholas and Baird House and work in close consultation with teachers and parents.
St Nicholas House
In St Nicholas House support can be given to pupils in Reception if needed, but support is generally provided to pupils in Years 1 through to Years 6.
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On entry to St Nicholas House all pupils are assessed. Those pupils diagnosed with a Specific Learning Difficulty would give the school an up-to-date Educational Psychologist's report in order to see if the school can best meet the child's needs. If a pupil is seen to be struggling with their learning, assessments are conducted in house to get an idea of the difficulty, where recommendations will be made to see an Education Psychologist if deemed necessary or one to one support by a specialist teacher.
Baird House
On entry to Year 7 we screen all girls in reading, spelling and writing, where we identify those girls who have difficulties in literacy skills. Those girls who are identified as needing extra support will be recommended for one to one or small group tuition by a specialist teacher. If they are already diagnosed with a learning difficulty then support lessons would be arranged prior to entry into Baird House.
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In Years 10 and 11 some girls are allowed to keep one GCSE option block ‘free' for private study, thereby reducing the pressure of work. This extra time can be used to reinforce work done in lessons, or to have their support lessons.
Support lessons are planned around the pupils' targets which are encapsulated in an Individual Education Plan (IEP). The specialist teachers and pupils agree targets which relate closely to the students current levels of achievement and needs. They plan an appropriate programme of study based on these targets. The work of the department is based on the needs of the pupil as assessed in their core subjects and on their literacy level. The skills taught are to enable the pupil to access the curriculum with greater ease. The Learning Support teachers incorporate multi-sensory reading and spelling techniques to help improve pupils' literacy skills. Pupils are encouraged to apply these techniques in the classroom.