Learning Support

All students at St. Anthony’s are offered a range of support to suit their individual needs and learning goals. We encourage all students to develop as independent and successful learners and we are happy to offer help and advice when it is needed.

At St. Anthony’s, students are valued as individuals and their needs are considered by all staff. We are fortunate to have a dedicated team of professional teachers and other experienced staff to help and encourage all learners. Our aim is to ensure that all students enjoy a rewarding and enriching experience at St. Anthony’s.

Our Special Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator IS Mrs. C. Dugdale

Our Director of Student Support is Mrs. K. Richardson-Dunn

INTENT

What are we trying to achieve with and through our curriculum?

  • Develop our learner’s learning

To develop the appropriate subject specific knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum and beyond, so that children can flourish, reach and exceed their potential academically, physically and artistically.

  • Develop the character of our learners

To develop learners to have a holistic set of values that prepares students for adulthood, life in the modern world in a diverse and ever changing community and work place.

  • Develop strategies and behaviours that enable out students to become effective learners

To develop the behaviours learners need to succeed in the world such as concentration, perseverance, imagination, co-operation, the enjoyment of learning, self-improvement and curiosity.

  • Develop the moral compass of our learners

To understand spirituality in themselves and others, develop social skills and understand society, build a firm set of personal morality, and to engage in the culture they live in and understand the cultures of others.

 At St Anthony’s Girls’ Catholic Academy our curriculum is designed to ensure that all learners including SEND learners have high aspirations and are supported in reaching their potential.  Our curriculum should inspire a love of learning and challenge all of our students to develop their interpersonal skills, build resilience and become creative and critical thinkers.  We recognise that every student is a unique individual and we celebrate and welcome differences within our school community.  We believe that the ability to learn is underpinned by the teaching of basic skills, concepts and values. At St Anthony’s we provide enhancement and enrichment opportunities to engage learning.  We encourage our students to be curious and have the courage to try new experiences and gain new knowledge in a supportive environment.  We believe we are an integral part of the wider community and develop this through our curriculum. By developing new skills and supported in preparation for adulthood our students can be strong members of our communities both now and in the future.

To support our SEND students our curriculum aims to give students the same opportunities as their peers. Whilst identifying gaps in learning and providing interventions and nurture group teaching which can over come barriers to learning closing the gap between the performance of SEND students and their peers.

At KS3 students follow a broad and balances curriculum including:

Mathematics

English

Science

History

Geography

RE

Art

Music

Technology

ICT

Physical Education

CIAG

Reading for Pleasure

At KS4:

Many of our SEND students are given the opportunity to follow the EBACC route where appropriate.  Some of our SEND students are supported with additional timetabled maths and English lessons (in addition to the core subjects of Mathematics, English, Science and RE) alongside other option subjects such as Photography and Childcare.

For a small number of students who require additional support we have specialist interventions groups which support our curriculum.  Specialist interventions include:

  • 1:1 literacy and numeracy tuition
  • Targeted subject teacher support for individual students
  • Staff mentoring programmes
  • Y11 timetabled after school revision
  • Access to Heggerty maths, SAM learning, Renaissance learning – online intervention which can be accessed at home
  • 1:1 work with TA’s/small group interventions (reading, phonics, handwriting, pre-teaching of subject specific vocabulary, numeracy, preparation for adulthood, study skills)

 

Implementation

Develop our learner’s learning

All subject leaders have assessed how their subject can be delivered and implemented to support SEND learners.  SEND students are provided with opportunities to engage in a range of extra curricular activities and educational visits which enhance subject knowledge and provide real life experiences.  SEND students are supported with a range of small group intervention/1:1 interventions which are evaluated regularly to monitor impact.  SEND students may be invited to one of the following interventions which run alongside their usual curriculum to ensure they are supported in following an aspiration curriculum which gives them the best opportunity possible in later life:

  • Reading intervention
  • Numeracy Intervention
  • Phonics teaching (Read, Write, Inc)
  • Pre-teaching of subject specific vocabulary
  • Toe by Toe and dyslexia support
  • Study Skills
  • Preparation for Adulthood
  • Social skills support
  • Access to pupil support and counselling services
  • Additional timetabled maths and English lessons where appropriate
  • Staff mentoring

Develop the character of our learners – The Mercy Ethos

Key Aims:

The ethos of the Academy is based upon the vision of Catherine McAuley founder of the Sister of Mercy.

As a Mercy Academy our education vision and ethos is:

  • Christ Centred The Mercy Academy recognises the dignity of the human person and the command of Christ to love and care for each other. We aim to build up self-esteem among individuals’ ad create a community marked by, caring and belonging that leads to personalised learning.
  • Faith Enlightened In the Mercy Academy, faith, culture and life are in dialogue and harmony. The Catholic faith is at the heart of the school life and is integral to its liturgies, rituals and symbolism and prayer spaces.
  • Shows Concern for the Poor, Especially Women and Girls The Mercy school sets it’s clear aim to work towards eradicating suffering and it’s causes. IT seeks to create compassion as the driving force in the search for justice for those at the margins of the community. Students should be educated to question the status quo and to be active for social change and the promotion of equal opportunities.
  • Builds Communities The Mercy Academy shows social responsibility for the world we inhabit. It should work towards creating a world where everyone can live lives of dignity and decency with respect for life. The school is a community where parents, staff and students share a common vision as a community of warmth and love.
  • Pursues Excellence The Mercy Academy enables every student to achieve her potential. It is committed to high quality teaching and learning and to building a community of reflective learners working to the highest standards. Respect is at the heart of the school community. There is a commitment to inventiveness and change.

Our school ethos is embedded throughout our curriculum, CIAG lessons and the Preparation for Adulthood work which supports our SEND learners.

Develop strategies and behaviours that enable out students to become effective learners

At St Anthony’s we have a National Curriculum as a starting point, and embellish and deepen further as a school.  Through Quality First Teaching and evidence based practice we expose our learners to quality teaching and learning.  Teachers encourage independent learning and provide a range of learning experiences to scaffold and engage SEND learners.  Retention and recall opportunities are embedded in all lessons to support SEND learners with retention of knowledge.  Regular assessment opportunities are used to identify gaps in knowledge and support individual students. Teachers develop learning opportunities which encourage independent thought and look for ways to develop god learning behaviours.  Metacognitive approaches are embedded so that students are given opportunities to learn about their learning supporting their independence.

Develop the moral compass of our learners

When planning the curriculum teachers embed opportunities for students to understand morality and the wider world. They do this through CIAG lessons, working with the community and beyond. Our school chaplain supports the social, emotional and moral development of our students through collective worship and pastoral care.

Impact

 Develop our learner’s learning

Our KS4 data has shown we are closing the gap between the performance of SEND students compared to non SEND students.  Regular analysis of data allows us to target individual support where needed to support learning.  We intend that the impact is that all learners will be academically and physically prepared for life beyond school and are supported in making the progress expected from KS2.

Develop the character of our learners

The impact will be that our learners will have fully rounded characters with a clear understanding of complex values like equality, friendship, trust and many others. Only by really learning what these mean will our learners be able to develop a character that prepares them for living in the community demonstrating tolerance and equality. We measure this not just by the work our children produce, but in the behaviours we see each and every day in all learners on the playground, in corridors, and in the many roles we give them. The impact of this intention is seen in the daily interaction of all members of our community, including staff and children.

Develop strategies and behaviours that enable out students to become effective learners

Through the development of evidence based CPD we are able to embed teaching and learning strategies into our curriculum which are monitored through our learning walk.  Staff CPD has included:

  • Growth mindset
  • Use of assessment
  • Magenta Principles
  • Retention and Recall
  • Rosenshine Principles
  • Embedding literacy across the curriculum
  • SEND provision for all SEND needs and ranges. Staff support available on VLE for all SEND needs

The impact we intend to achieve by developing this intention is seen by how the children approach challenges every day. This could be on the playground, in a game or disagreement, or in class in a complex learning challenge. The impact should be that children don’t give up, are highly motivated to succeed and achieve and are equipped with all the personal skills to do this.

Develop the moral compass of our learners

Our learners will be motivated by a strong personal sense of morality. They will make decisions for the right reasons and in the best interests of their community. They will be able to decide what is right and what is wrong, and will be resilient to the influence of others. They will go out into the world and make a difference in their own life and to others. Our learners will be the owners of their own destinies.