Edinburgh Steiner School

Our school offers a curriculum which is carefully structured to support healthy child development. Subjects are introduced at developmentally appropriate ages. Our pupils have the same class teacher for several years during the formative years of 6 to 14, which ensures a continuity of approach and allows the class teacher to reach a more complete understanding of each child and their specific needs. However we recognise that, for many children, there are times when some extra support is needed, and our small learning support department endeavours to meet these needs by providing a range of appropriate supports. Support provided includes: eurhythmy (movement) therapy, form drawing, modelling, 'extra lesson', reflex remediation, painting therapy. We offer specific help with writing, reading and spelling or number and curricular support.

We tend to provide support for our pupils mainly through the learning support teacher or therapist working with the pupil on an individual basis. After discussion at our weekly learning support meeting the teacher or therapist, in conjunction with the class teacher and parents, will design a programme of work specifically geared to the individual pupil's needs. We may sometimes provide group support, when the teacher will work with a small group of pupils on developing, for example, reading or number skills. A learning support teacher may also work co-operatively with a class or subject teacher in the classroom setting, to help pupils with their curricular work. In the upper school our pupils undertake SQA and AQA examinations from class 10 onwards. We apply for, and arrange, any special arrangements that our pupils require. These can include, for example, extra time, having a reader and transcription and or correction of the exam paper.

09-09