Our Approach

Inclusion

West Island School has a strong commitment to inclusion. For us this means a commitment to every student accessing the school and a commitment to personalisation of the curriculum and the classroom experience through differentiation and offering a range of activities within our CAS programme. It also means support and extension programmes which are designed to enable all students to succeed. This translates in terms of curriculum into a wide range of courses being offered at the school as well as the academic and vocational courses on offer for students.

English as an Additional and Academic Language (EAP)

To support students the school has an English as an Additional and Academic Language (EAL) faculty which provides in class support, discrete support and/ or separate lessons for identified students in all year groups. At Post 16 this team also provides an IB support programme to extend EAL language students’ academic language.

Individual Needs (IN) Faculty

The school’s Individual Needs (IN) faculty supports students with a range of needs. Mainstream students who require additional assistance may be given support tailored to their individual needs in lessons or provided with discrete sessions in a range of disciplines. . In addition the school has a Learning Centre providing for 24 students with learning difficulties who receive ongoing support and may be taught separately from the mainstream for core subjects.

In both the EAP and IN faculties the school utilises Educational Assistants alongside qualified teaching practitioners in these specialist areas of support.

Gifted Education

The school has a programme of approaches for students with strong ability through links to gifted education as well as a mentoring programme designed to develop students further who have a particular strength within subject domains or disciplines. Courses have also been developed in the school curriculum to extend these students further.

Opportunities to work with other students of a similar ability are part of our programme for this group who are identified through a range of data. The school has developed a programme to aid students wishing to access Oxbridge, Ivy League and other institutions through providing guidance and support from Year 9 onwards to ensure aspirations are appropriate and supported alongside parental understanding and commitment.

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