• Slideshow - The core values of Downend School are simple; they are focused on a sense of belonging, a belief that all students have it within themselves to be effective learners and that we can extend this learning beyond the reach of school and into the future
  • Slideshow - The core values of Downend School are simple; they are focused on a sense of belonging, a belief that all students have it within themselves to be effective learners and that we can extend this learning beyond the reach of school and into the future
  • Slideshow - The core values of Downend School are simple; they are focused on a sense of belonging, a belief that all students have it within themselves to be effective learners and that we can extend this learning beyond the reach of school and into the future
  • Slideshow - The core values of Downend School are simple; they are focused on a sense of belonging, a belief that all students have it within themselves to be effective learners and that we can extend this learning beyond the reach of school and into the future
  • Slideshow - The core values of Downend School are simple; they are focused on a sense of belonging, a belief that all students have it within themselves to be effective learners and that we can extend this learning beyond the reach of school and into the future
  • Slideshow - The core values of Downend School are simple; they are focused on a sense of belonging, a belief that all students have it within themselves to be effective learners and that we can extend this learning beyond the reach of school and into the future
  • Slideshow - The core values of Downend School are simple; they are focused on a sense of belonging, a belief that all students have it within themselves to be effective learners and that we can extend this learning beyond the reach of school and into the future
  • Slideshow - The core values of Downend School are simple; they are focused on a sense of belonging, a belief that all students have it within themselves to be effective learners and that we can extend this learning beyond the reach of school and into the future
  • Slideshow - The core values of Downend School are simple; they are focused on a sense of belonging, a belief that all students have it within themselves to be effective learners and that we can extend this learning beyond the reach of school and into the future

Student Support

Information for Parents

 

Parents / carers with concerns about their child's behaviour, communication, language or social development: read this leaflet


The National Autistic Society (including Asperger syndrome) website ; list of local branches here

YoungMinds: for parents / carers of children with Autism and Asperger syndrome website

Living Autism website

(Downend School is not responsible for the content of external websites)

 

Student Support

Downend school has strong links with many of its feeder schools. In Term 6 we identify those students who might find the transition from primary to secondary school daunting. With them in mind, and working closely with staff from primary schools, we establish an identified group of students who meet on a weekly basis and form a club with rules that they establish and activities of their choosing. Staff from Downend visit this club and allay fears that the students might have about the transition to Downend. Visits are made by the club after school and a treasure hunt is held to familiarise the students with the layout of our school. At the beginning of September the club continues to meet, but now at Downend, and sessions centre around issues that will have arisen once students have begun life at Downend. These sessions finish with a get-together to which the parents are invited and hopefully the students go on to flourish and enjoy the opportunities available to them.

The Student Support Faculty has a team of twelve Teaching Assistants who support students from Year 7 through to Year 11 across the entire curriculum.

These members of staff are deployed according to their own curriculum strengths; all-in class support is carried out sensitively and with a real understanding of the needs of the whole class while also managing to address the needs of specific students within the group.

This support enables the students to focus on set tasks, engage with all activities and complete work to the best of their ability.

Through working together this closely, a positive relationship develops between students and the Teaching Assistants which often results in their roles extending beyond the classroom.

Pupil Inclusion Centre

Back To Top

Thisinitiative is aimed at supporting students with a wide range of different needs. We have supported KS4 students with course work and exam preparation; students who have joined us from other schools and are finding the move unsettling; students who have to cope with a range of medical needs; pupils who may have missed substantial amounts of schooling and need to develop good attendance routines; and other students who need to re-focus on appropriate classroom behaviours . We feel we have made a positive contribution to improving the school experience for our students.

Student Support

     

  • Creative Media Festival
    PIC Creative Workshop
  • Year 7 Students Making Fortresses
    Making Fortresses

Literacy Support

Back To Top

Students have their reading and spelling ability tested on entry into year 7. As a result of these tests we identify students who will need additional literacy support. This may take the form of an individual reading programme on a daily basis, a weekly intervention to support spelling skills or handwriting skills, or attendance at a weekly reading club in the Learning Resource Centre.

Student Support

Lunch Club

Back To Top

We are very aware that some students will need a quiet place during unstructured times and with this in mind we run a daily lunch club where students either eat lunch together or play games. They also have access to computer games, all under the watchful eye of our learning support staff.

Lunch Club

Students Support Teaching Groups

Back To Top

As a result of primary liaison and KS2 results students who will need a differentiated approach for much of the curriculum are placed in small groups of about 8 students. They are taught in these groups for about 70% of their timetable: this allows for considerable one-to-one contact with the teachers, facilitating reinforcement and repetition of basic skills. These students will also be supported by the school’s teaching assistants in mainstream classes.

Student Support

Exam Concessions

Back To Top

Students with a variety of needs will qualify for exam concessions: this could be 25% additional time, a scribe, a reader, or the use of a laptop. Learning support staff identify these students and ensure that the concessions are in place in time for Year 9 SATS, GCSEs and all examinations in our Post16 Centre.

logos