Student Support at AGS

Student Support is located on the ground floor of the Languages Block and is a recently refurbished area. It is staffed daily between 08.00-17.00 and has an open door, inclusive policy. It supports students presenting with SEND (this could be Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Anxiety and/or Mental Health issues), including those on an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP), those with a formal diagnosis but no Plan and those who present with traits of SEND with no formal diagnosis. Support is based on need and not diagnosis. 

Student Support is an area accessed by students needing a quiet, safe space away from the busy school environment. In addition to the main study area, there is the ‘Chill Room’. Here students can take time to decompress, read or socialise quietly. It is also a calm space for students when they are experiencing high levels of anxiety, sensory overload or emotional difficulties. 

The Department provides for students on a Plan but also offers interventions and support to those on SEN Support. This could be in-class or 1-1 with a focus on any of the four areas of SEND: Communication & Interaction, Cognition & Learning, Social, Emotional & Mental Health and Sensory & Physical Needs. In addition, and where necessary, it will make referrals to external agencies such as the Local Authority (LA) and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Parents are kept updated at all stages of the process as school-parent collaboration and communication are key to successful outcomes for students with SEND. SEND Coffee Mornings and an active SEND WhatsApp Group contribute to the strong parental links with the Department. 

• promote a whole school approach to supporting and understanding all categories of SEND
• create an environment where vulnerable students feel welcome, safe and confident that they will be listened to and supported
• equip teachers with the skills and knowledge to provide High Quality Inclusive Teaching and learning opportunities for all students
• ensure students with SEND (including those with medical needs) can access as full a curriculum as possible, and achieve the best possible outcomes
• ensure an effective transition from Year 6 into Year 7 for those students already identified with SEND, and to support students with SEND into their next phase of education (or employment) and ultimately adulthood
• identify, in partnership with teachers and carers/parents, students with SEND and follow the graduated approach of Assess-Plan-Do-Review.
• establish positive collaboration with parents/carers of students with SEND, with the Local Authority and with other outside agencies, keeping the needs of the student at the centre of all planning
• keep up to date records of action, support and outcomes for students with SEND
• ensure students with SEND are represented proportionately in terms of academic progress and participation in inter-house and extra-curricular activities
• ensure that the statutory requirements of students with a Statement or Education and Health and Care Plan (EHCP) are met

We want to achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes for our students with SEND. We want them to become confident individuals making a successful transition into adulthood living.