Literacy & Study Skills Support
Some pupils in Years 8-10 require literacy support to help them develop their language skills, both oral and written. The English Department and the Literacy Coordinator identify pupils and their needs through teacher assessment and cohort testing. Ongoing assessment, in class and for homework, along with school examinations, are used by teachers to judge pupils’ progress and to look for areas where pupils would benefit from further support.
Cohort testing, using CAT and the Progress Test in English (PTE), help to specify areas for support still further. Pupils are supported by the Literacy Support teacher for a defined period, in small groups or one-to-one, as well as in class.
In addition, RSD offers homework support in two formats. The first is available to any pupil after school, Monday to Thursday, in the Library. This is a supervised environment and provides a quiet space for pupils waiting for later buses to complete homework, with facilities such as books, journals and computers easily accessible.
The second is Homework Club, where individual pupils are identified by the Heads of Key Stages 3 and 4 as in need of support to become better at coping with homework tasks. Pupils agree to enter Homework Club for a period of time and are offered guidance about how to organise themselves for homework and structure task completion.
Some individual pupils in Key Stage 4 are identified as requiring study skills support to help them cope with the GCSE examination process, including coursework. Pupils are supported by the Literacy Support teacher for a defined period, in small groups or one-to-one, as well as in class.
The objective in all of these instances is to support pupils in reaching a state of independence and self-management.
