The Best Pastoral Care from Early Learning School to College

From Preschool to College, the welfare and care of our students is paramount. Each pupil receives the individual care and support they need to excel, both inside the classroom and within the wider school community. This can include learning support for specific subjects, exam training or language therapy, among other options. The support offered is tailored to each age group and adapted to individual student's needs.

Outstanding Student Wellbeing and Support

All students at ACG Sunderland are fully supported throughout their learning journey by experienced and committed staff members, from Early Learning to College. Discover the specific care provided for each academic stage below

All children in the ACG Sunderland Preschool are supported by highly qualified staff. Additional support for individual children is accessed, as necessary. These may include Special Education Services with its speech language therapists etc. We have key teachers that work with individual children to create individual developmental plans (IDP) to support children’s learning alongside the aspirations of their parents.

Every new student in Primary School is assigned a buddy during their first weeks of school. This helps them adapt to our culture and ways of working while feeling supported and welcomed throughout the process. For Primary School classes, regular meetings with their buddy class fosters positive relationships between children of different ages and reinforces our school values. 

Additionally, for students with specific learning difficulties, we provide extra assistance through a teacher aide. We also prepare personalised Individual Education Plans (IEPs) as needed.

Continuity of Care

Our vertical form classes are made up of students from Years 8 to 13, who are all in the same House. To ensure continuity and consistency of care, the form teacher of each class will be the same for the entire 6 years.

Deans

School deans have overall responsibility for student welfare and academic progress. The College has dedicated deans for Lower College, Upper College and international students.

Learning Support

If a College student has any learning issues, we provide them with extra support through our dedicated learning support department. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are also used, in addition to specific exam support.

Tutor System
 

Tutor System

At ACG Sunderland, each student is assigned a tutor who offers pastoral care and academic support, while maintaining regular communication with both parents and child.

At the Primary level, the homeroom teacher also acts as a tutor. For Year 7, horizontal form classes help ease the transition to College. Starting from Year 8, students are assigned to vertical form classes, which have the same tutor for 6 years. The mixed age range in these classes facilitates peer tutoring and mentoring. 

In line with our tutor system, we offer a general studies course that covers a range of topics, including bullying, cyber safety, study skills, and embracing differences. This course is incorporated within the ACG Sunderland values programme.

Learning Support

In order for children to excel at all academic stages, we have a range of support channels to enhance student learning.
 
Teachers and learning support staff work closely together to identify issues and make learning more meaningful for students who need more time. We want to ensure we are helping them the best way we can and meeting their individual needs. In some cases, students spend time in small groups for specialised support. Learning support staff also spend time alongside students in the classroom, helping them get through tasks set directly by the teacher.

We also offer two specific learning support programmes:

The Rainbow Reading Programme has been designed to present students with a variety of topics, authors, styles and illustrations to make reading interesting while their skills improve. Each story or article has been carefully selected because of its educational value and appeal to a wide range of students with varying needs and interests. Books are levelled, colour coded, and accompanied by a specially recorded CD to provide support for readers. Cloze (Text Completion), Text Sequencing, Word Search, Writing and Dice Game sheets provide meaningful text-related activities that students might bring home to complete as homework. The advantages of the Rainbow Reading Programme are that the texts are interesting and enjoyable and are selected by the students themselves. In this programme, students manage their own learning with guidance from the Teacher Aide.

Our English as a Second Language (ESL) students benefit from English language lessons which test each student entering the programme and grades them according to their ability. They attend small group sessions and are taught English with other learners at their level. Students in this programme are withdrawn from class 3 times a week for their ESOL lessons and will be tested as they progress and move up the ESOL levels.

Contact Us Today

At our school, your child will receive the best personal and academic support for their individual learning needs. Get in touch to learn more about care and wellbeing at ACG Sunderland.

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