Warwick School

At Warwick, we recognise that boys may be able to access an academic curriculum but may need extra help because of a specific learning difficulty - most commonly dyslexia, but we also have dyspraxic boys and boys who have Asperger’s Syndrome. The purpose of the Curriculum Support department is to offer support to such boys.

Before boys with a specific learning difficulty take the entrance examination, we ask that parents submit the educational psychologist’s report and we follow the recommendations made in the report. This usually means awarding extra time in the entrance examination.

Once at the school, boys in the Lower Fourth and Upper Fourth (Y7 and Y8) attend Curriculum Support lessons instead of going to Latin. If the support continues into the Lower Fifth (Y9) this is usually instead of one of the Lower Fifth options. Occasionally, boys have CS lessons instead of studying a modern foreign language at GCSE (Y10 & Y11).

Where boys are withdrawn from lessons to have support with a specialist teacher, the charge is £31 per hour for individual lessons, and £15.50 for group lessons. Most boys are taught in pairs, and most have 1 hr 45 minutes of tuition per week.

There is a Curriculum Support register that is circulated to all staff. The register includes the names of all boys known to have a specific learning difficulty, and includes brief notes on each one. If a boy has an IEP, a copy is made available to staff via the school’s Intranet.

Dyslexia

The department has two dyslexia specialists. If a boy’s performance in the entrance exam suggests that he will need support (usually to develop literacy skills) then his offer of a place will specify that he will have Curriculum Support lessons. An IEP will be devised and appropriate support will be given.

Dysgraphia

Boys with dysgraphia are able to type up their work, provided their typing speed is such that they can keep up, and they print off work at home and stick it in their books. We have a number of such boys whose parents have equipped them with a simple word processing tool which can be used with ease in the classroom.

Asperger’s Syndrome

We have a number of boys who have Asperger Syndrome. We try to cater for them by making reasonable adjustments, for example advising teachers about what to expect, providing a safe haven at more socially stressful times of day, giving priority lunch passes to avoid the need to queue, etc.

English as an Additional Language

Specialist Lessons

Pupils are assessed upon entry to the school and, where EAL lessons are required, small classes of between 1 and 6 pupils are timetabled. Specialist individually-tailored lessons focus upon the development of the four key English Language skills: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. Regular assessments are used to monitor progress and cross-curricular support is provided where necessary.

Pupils whose English reaches near-native proficiency are eligible for transfer to mainstream English classes and each pupil is considered on an individual basis.

There will be an additional cost for EAL tuition, which will be added to the termly bill

Staff

The EAL Department at Warwick School has an expert team of highly qualified and experienced teachers.

Examinations

EAL pupils follow a comprehensive English Language programme leading to the Cambridge First Certificate in English in the Middle 5th (Year 10) and the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) in the Upper 5th or Sixth Form. The IELTS examination is especially important for access to British universities.

Outstanding results have been achieved to date and pupils invariably go on to study at some of the leading universities in Britain.