Academic Support

At New Mills School we recognise that at times many students need support with their academic studies. On entering the school, students who have not met the expected standards at primary school form part of our "catch up cohort". More about this can be found on our Catch Up Premium page. Additionally we have many students who display a learning difference and require additional support from our SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) team. More about the work they do can be found on our SEND Provision page.

Teachers at our school also support students who are finding their studies difficult through a "wave" approach. Initially, students receive additional support or "intervention" within their normal classes. This is "wave 1 support" and it takes many forms, some of which are noticeable to the student and others which are not. Examples of this wave 1 support may be additional or different work, priority support from their teacher or a move to a more suitable location within the class.

All students are monitored carefully and if wave 1 work is not enough to support a student to get back on track we employ "wave 2" interventions. These again take many forms, but most usually they are additional sessions working in a small group or additional practice work assigned to a student to master a concept. Additional sessions can take place before school, during tutorial time, at lunch or after school. 

If a student needs further support in one particular area we put in place wave 3 interventions. This can mean a change in curriculum, 1-2-1 work with an adult or accessing support from other agencies. Wave 3 interventions are rare, as most students find the support at wave 1 and 2 sufficient to get back on track. If a student is struggling with an aspect of learning that is affecting many subjects, for example organisation, or knowing how to revise, we can put in place support for these aspects at a wave 2 or wave 3 level. 

All additional support is centrally recorded and student progress is regularly scrutinised to ensure each student receives the support they need in a timely way to be successful.