Support Within The College

Reading and writing is often taken for granted, generally we assume that everyone will leave school being able to read and write. For some the journey to confidently achieve this isn't always a smooth one. I was invited to sit in on one of Mrs Johnson's extra support English lessons that takes place three times a week to help children who may struggle with basic English skills or suffer with dyslexia.

Before the lesson began, Mrs Johnson gave me an outline on what is taught in these booster lessons and how it is beneficial in many ways for students, she informed me that "punctuation, spelling and handwriting is the main focus, but we also found confidence in many young pupils has been built due to the small groups, this tends to bring out the best and we see the students blossom when they are in a bigger class".

Once the lesson began I was immediately struck by the level of team work and participation from this small group of Year 8 boys. Each one would confidently write up a spelling on the board and if wrong another would correct them. It was evident they were all comfortable in that environment as they were freely interacting with each other and the teacher.

I took the opportunity to speak to one boy who throughout the lesson was giving feedback to his peers and highlighting his own mistakes from the previous lesson when they peer assessed each others work. Josh Taylor, a Year 8 at the college told me "we are taught how to improve our use of adjectives, punctuation and also how to create longer sentences". When I asked Josh if he felt his confidence had improved, he quickly stated "Yes, I speak out loud more in class and when writing I feel myself including more detail".

I was also told about a programme that Mrs Johnson uses for her students called 'Lexia'. Lexia is mainly aimed at older students and adults, she told me "many of the other programmes for the Year 8 age group talk down to the pupils and it can be seen as patronising, so we use Lexia because the children can relate to it".  

In view of the new government directive that states every child must leave school, with a GCSE in English. I believe this class is vital for those students who may struggle in the mainstream classes to enable them to achieve the required qualification. Perhaps, more importantly, each child will gain more confidence. I feel this group shows that The Community College is there for all students and is always willing to "Strive for excellence".