Mayville High School

Additional Information

At Mayville, we are renowned for having a dedicated and highly successful department staffed by specialist teachers who support pupils who need individual, additional or personalised support. 

The DLEU – Dyslexia & Learning Extension Unit, caters for  all moderate learning differences such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, mild dyspraxic  issues and mild pragmatic language issues as well as supports pupils who, for other reasons are struggling with their learning.

We take a holistic view that not all pupils learn at the same rate or in the same way and through our expertise, we are able to provide individual learning programmes for pupils. Pupil’s self esteem and how they feel about themselves is also central to our support; equipping them with them life-skills, coping strategies and confidence as well as curriculum achievement. 

Our large team of 9 specialist teachers can provide expert instruction using literacy programmes that have been specifically designed for learners with dyslexia and strategies that have been specifically developed for pupils with dyscalculia or who find Maths learning hard.  We also support pupils with other aspects of their learning such as organisation, revision, memory and study skills.

The unit is an integral part of the school. We work very closely with classroom staff, informing them of the nature of pupils’ weaknesses and barriers to learning and supporting them to introduce classroom practice that is more inclusive.  We ensure that skills learned in the unit are easily transferred to the classroom, and any difficulties encountered in the classroom can be addressed in the unit.

The pupils have a very positive attitude about coming to the unit because they recognise that everyone has a range of strengths and needs and while they may struggle in one area, they may equally excel in another.  Mayville offers pupils many different opportunities where they can develop their talents and strengths while providing a nurturing and supportive environment both in the classroom and through bespoke additional support. 

Some of our specialist teachers have professional qualifications in the assessment of dyslexia. If a pupil is under achieving or showing certain characteristics in their learning behaviour, they will be referred for screening.  This may result in additional support and/or a full diagnostic assessment.

The Dyslexia Unit is regularly inspected by CReSTeD, which is an independent body established to monitor and evaluate the standards of teaching and provision for dyslexic pupils within the private sector. After another successful inspection in February 2020, Mayville was again approved for registration under Category ‘DU’ as a ‘Dyslexia Unit School’. 

Access arrangements allow learners with special educational needs, disabilities, or temporary injuries to access an assessment and to show what they know and can do without changing the demands of the assessment.

These must be agreed before an assessment and may take the form of extra time, the provision of a reader or scribe, the use of speech recognition technology, a prompter, the use of a word processor, the allocation of a life speaker for pre-recorded examination components, the allowance of rest breaks, and other such aids. Mayville applies for access arrangements as appropriate for each pupil for their external and GCSE examinations via the Joint Council for Qualifications' (JCQ's) website.

All pupils are screened for extra time, regardless of whether or not they have ever received support, in-house, during UIV (Year 9). Any pupil whose results indicate that they may have difficulty completing their examinations on time owing to either reading or writing speeds, or both, is screened further individually using standardised tests, measuring aspects of their cognitive processing. If the criteria outlined by the JCQ are met then an application is made in accordance with the current regulations in consultation with both pupils and parents.