Educational Support Classes

As part of our access to learning the ALS team work with children to bridge their English understanding in school. This involves withdrawing the children from class to focus on the four strands of English: Listening and comprehension, Speaking, Reading and Writing, as well as phonics, grammar and pre-teaching or repeating vocabulary/going over classwork done in class.

• Classroom-based strategies: Teachers continually monitor student performance and learning needs, and then adjust what they teach or how they teach to improve student learning.
• School-based strategies: STIS create academic-support opportunities during the school day, such as learning labs, to increase the instructional time that academically struggling students receive, while also varying the way that instruction is delivered. For example, if students in a course primarily learn in large or small groups that all work at the same pace, students in a learning lab or other support program might work one-on-one with a teacher and be given more time to practice skills or learn complex concepts.
• After-hours strategies: Schools may provide after-school or before-school programs, usually within the school building, that provide students with tutoring or mentoring, or that help students prepare for class or acquire study skills, for example.
• Vacation-break strategies: Strategies such as summer school or “summer bridge programs” may be created to help students catch up (if they fell behind during the previous year) or prepare for the next grade (if there are concerns they might struggle academically or drop out of high school). Similar support programs and learning opportunities may be provided during vacation breaks in the fall, winter, and spring.
• Technology-assisted strategies: Schools may use digital and online learning applications, such as visual simulations or gamed-based learning, to help students grasp difficult concepts, or teachers may use course-management programs that allow them to archive course materials and communicate with students online. These options may be self-directed by students or overseen by teachers, or they may be provided during the school day or they may allow students to work from home at their own pace.

In addition to the various support settings and delivery methods described above, academic learning support may also have a specific educational focus or goal. Daily conversational English sessions, withdrawal in small groups to work on speaking, listening, reading and writing of the English language using the Intensive ALS programme.

For those children who are in the early stages of acquiring the English language, they require additional support to help make faster progress in learning English so they can begin to access the classroom teaching and learning. This programme uses an Intensive English programme and is bespoke to a child or group of children depending on need. These include:

• Relationship-based support: In schools, strategies such as teaming or advisories may be used to build stronger and more understanding relationships between teachers and students. The general idea is that students will be better served and more effectively taught if teachers know students well and understand their distinct learning needs, interests, and aspirations.
• Skill-based support: In some cases, STIS may decide to create a literacy program, which provides all students with more concentrated instruction, practice, and guidance in reading, writing, and communicating. The support may be provided during regular classes, during the school day, or after regular school hours. Support that focuses on math skills or technological literacy are two other common examples.
• Needs-based support: Many or most forms of academic support are based on identified learning needs, STIS will provide supplemental or intensive instruction, practice, and guidance to students who are struggling academically or who have specialized needs—these can include students with learning disabilities, behavioural, or developmental disabilities; students who are learning English or cannot speak English; or students who are performing academically or developing intellectually well below or above the expectations for their age or grade level.
  Some in-class support for specific areas of the curriculum to further support and aid understanding.

As Tier 2 is a bespoke service it may include any combination of the above.

For new students, the initial tests and interview will identify if ALS is required, and at which level. For existing children, there is an initial assessment at the beginning of the new academic year by the ALS team, and class teachers. This will identify which children will join the Tier 1 ALS programme.

Either at the Admissions stage or following these assessments, some children will be identified as needing Tier 2 ALS to provide further support. These children receive both Tier 1 and Tier 2 support.