Children and young people have additional support needs if they require extra support to benefit from school education at any time and for any reason. All pupils at Wellington School follow the mainstream curriculum and the Support for Learning (SfL) Department aims to support the education of those pupils who require additional help to fully access the curriculum. The SfL Department encourages pupils to maximise their individual academic achievements.

Head of Support for Learning, Mrs Jakeman, has overall responsibility for Support for Learning throughout Wellington School from Nursery through to S6. There are various SfL teachers in the Junior School and up to ten other members of staff teach part time in the Support for Learning Department in the Senior School.

Mrs Jakeman writes reports for all pupils from S2 to S6 who attend Support for Learning and attends all Parents Evenings, from S1 upwards.

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Mentoring

A very successful and well-supported mentoring scheme is in operation for S6 pupils willing to help other pupils in the School. These pupils are encouraged to act responsibly and aid the learning of younger pupils who come to rely on them as a “buddy” and helper in the classroom.

The S6 are timetabled by the SfL to attend a specific class or classes and they work with the classroom teacher and the pupil, pupils or whole class to aid the teacher as learning takes place. All S6 pupils are encouraged to give of their time for at least one period each week. They, in turn, are recognised for their commitment to the school and are awarded a Certificate for Mentoring at the end of their S6 year.

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SQA Alternative Assessment Arrangements

Information is gathered by all teaching staff to assess the likelihood of any pupil requiring Alternative Assessment Arrangements (AAA) in the SQA examinations. Arrangements will then be made, where appropriate.

Pupils who have good keyboard skills are encouraged to make use of the computer to type up assessment pieces. They may also use their own personal laptops in regular lessons. Pupils may access assistance from the use of a reader and/or a scribe and pupils with sight difficulties are assessed for suitable font size appropriate to their needs.

Parents are always welcome to discuss their child’s progress or concerns they may have with Mrs Jakeman. Please contact the school to arrange an appointment.

Memory and Study Skills Club

Mrs Jakeman, Head of Support for Learning, runs a very successful Memory and Study Skills Club for pupils in the Senior School. Mrs Jakeman teaches a range of practical skills and coping strategies to help pupils assuage anxiety and stress related to workload and examinations.

The club is not just for those who attend Support for Learning lessons, but for any pupil who feels they could benefit from the workshop. Many pupils have said that the club has been beneficial for their studies in that they challenged themselves and learned strategies for memorising. These workshops are advertised in school, on the website and on Facebook.