BREADCRUMB

Learning Support

At DCSJS, we are an inclusive community with a strong commitment to meeting the needs of every learner. Our pastoral care and SEND provision work hand-in-hand to ensure that pupils with additional needs feel safe, understood and able to thrive.

Every child at St John’s benefits from small class sizes and a warm, home-from-home environment where they can truly thrive. Teachers carefully adapt tasks to suit individual abilities and provide in-class support where needed.

If your child is facing barriers to learning, we take a highly responsive and personalised approach. We offer tailored classroom adaptations, support from qualified teachers and teaching assistants, and access to specialist interventions.

Graduated Pathway of Support

We follow Gloucestershire’s Graduated Pathway of Support (Assess → Plan → Do → Review) ensuring that support is tailored, consistent and responsive. This means we identify needs early, plan personalised support and continually review progress with pupils and families.

Inclusive Classroom Teaching

Every pupil experiences high-quality, inclusive classroom teaching. Teachers adapt:

  • Expectations and tasks
  • Classroom routines
  • The learning environment
  • Resources and visual supports
  • Opportunities for movement and sensory breaks
My Plan for Additional Needs

Where additional needs are identified, pupils may have a My Plan outlining targeted support and strategies.

  • Created collaboratively with pupils, parents, teachers, and pastoral staff

  • Reviewed regularly to ensure it meets each child’s need

Pastoral Support for SEND Pupils

Our Pastoral Pathway provides extra support, including:

  • TEAA (Trusted, Emotionally Available Adults): regular check-ins, reassurance and emotional grounding
  • ELSA programmes: 6–8 week support blocks for emotional regulation, self-esteem, friendships or anxiety
  • School-based counselling/Psychotherapy: for pupils with more complex emotional needs
  • Clear wellbeing curriculum: weekly lessons building emotional literacy, resilience and self-regulation skills
Working with External Professionals

Where appropriate, we work closely with:

  • Educational Psychologists
  • Early Help and external wellbeing teams
  • Speech & Language and occupational therapy services
  • CAMHS/SPACE ND and other health professionals.

This ensures pupils benefit from a holistic and joined-up approach.

Early Monitoring and Intervention

We believe in early monitoring and intervention. We use:

  • Classroom observation
  • Academic and pastoral monitoring
  • STEER Tracking (Years 3–8)
  • Smoothwall Pulse wellbeing check-ins to identify concerns quickly and intervene before needs escalate.

Where required, pupils can access:

  • Additional 1:1 support lessons
  • targeted interventions delivered by highly trained staff


We work closely with families at every stage. Our goal is always the same, to understand each pupil as an individual and provide the pastoral and academic support they need to flourish.

Head of Learning Support

Sarah Batchelor
Head of Learning Support

Our Head of Learning Support ensures that every child who needs additional help receives the best support possible. She oversees individual plans, monitors progress, and works closely with teachers to create tailored solutions for each child’s needs.

 

Q & A