The Oratory School

Additional Information

At The Oratory, the goal of Curriculum Support is to help our pupils who have additional needs become independent learners and, using various strategies, overcome their difficulties, while building their self-esteem and confidence. 
 
At The Oratory, we cater for all pupils with a learning difficulty. This includes those with:

communication and interaction needs; this includes speech language and communication difficulties and autism conditions;

social, emotional and mental health needs, such as ADD;

sensory and/or physical difficulties, such as vision impairment or hearing impairment;

cognition and learning needs; this includes those with specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.

How we support SEND
We have two specialist teachers and four peripatetic teachers who offer support in English, Maths and Science.

When pupils with a specific learning difficulty apply to the school, we ask that parents submit an Educational Psychologist report, allowing us to follow the recommendations it contains. It also provides us with information about the child’s difficulty, enabling us to provide the best provision once at school.

Pupils with SEND are identified as early as possible as this ensures the best possible outcomes. We manage this through a number of strategies, which include reports from previous school, online Lucid testing when pupils first arrive at the school, and concerns from teachers and parents or other agencies. Special education provision is provided through high-quality, carefully differentiated and inclusive teaching.

All teachers at The Oratory are teachers of SEND and provide quality first teaching. Guidance is also given on how to adapt the curriculum and learning environment to best support these pupils. A SEND register is shared with all staff to ensure that all are aware of, and sensitive to, the needs of all pupils, to teach in ways that are best suited to their needs.

Progress is regularly tracked to ensure pupils meet their goals and there is regular communication between teaching staff and the department. Effective interventions are put in place, which are tailored to each individual’s needs, including 1:1 lessons, for which there is an additional charge.

Examination access arrangements
Examination access arrangements need to be approved by JCQ (The Joint Council for Qualifications) at the start of GCSE and GCE courses, with documentary evidence on file. They allow candidates with special educational needs, disabilities, learning difficulties, or temporary injuries to access the assessment. The access arrangements are put in place to ‘level the playing field’ for disadvantaged candidates. The most common access arrangements are rest breaks, the use of a keyboard, and up to 25% extra time.

In accordance with JCQ requirements, specialist assessments for access arrangements are conducted no earlier than the start of Third Form for GCSE qualifications. This can be arranged by the SENCo, with a specialist assessor, with whom the school has an established relationship, as stipulated by the JCQ regulations. There is an additional cost for this.

Study skills sessions
These are also offered in Curriculum Support to all pupils. In these sessions pupils will have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and confidence in:

revision techniques;

effective note taking and avoiding plagiarism;

planning revision and organisation;

enhancing memory techniques.

Communication
Parents are consulted and kept informed on a regular basis of the recommendations, support, and progress of their child. Advice is also sought from outside agencies to ensure all pupils achieve to the best of their ability, despite any difficulty or disability they may have. Please feel free to email the Head of Curriculum Support if you have any concerns about your child.

View The Oratory Send Policy.