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Student Support

In Individual Learning our aim is to ensure that all students are suppported and able to access the National Curriculum at an appropriate level. The department has a lively, well qualified and committed team of teachers and support staff who are available to meet parents and students.

In order to address the specific educational needs of all students, we provide in-class support, workshops, clubs and individualised programmes. Some programmes take place outside class; these programmes are normally run on a half-termly rotational basis so that disruption to individual lessons is minimized.

Mentoring

Mentoring has long been acknowledged as a way in which an older, wiser person helps prepare a younger one for a future role in society. It is a nurturing process where the role model teaches, sponsors, encourages, counsels and befriends. In the mentoring process an ongoing, caring relationship develops between the mentor and mentee. At Waldegrave mentoring is an effective method of supporting young people to achieve clearly-defined, negotiated aims. There are several mentoring schemes within the school. These include:

  • Business Mentoring
  • PGCE students mentoring scheme
  • Richmond College A level students who mentor Year 11 students in science
  • Learning Mentors mentor Key Stage 4 students who may, for example, have been absent from school due to illness, in order to help them focus on accessing work they have missed

The Business Mentoring Scheme is aimed at students in Years 10 and 11 who could benefit from:

  • contact with an adult other than a teacher who provides encouragement
  • the chance to discuss difficulties and possible solutions with someone in a one-to-one setting
  • an opportunity to find out about someone's experience of life and work
  • help with target setting and action planning.

Mentoring requires a clear commitment from both mentor and mentee and much of what is discussed is confidential. Mentor and mentee sign a contract in which is outlined meeting times and expected outcomes. Business Mentoring sessions take place between 8am and 8.40 am in the Individual Learning Centre.

Gifted and Talented Opportunities

Key Stage 3 students have a range of opportunities to extend their learning including visits, such as attending a series of Christmas lectures at the Royal Institution. In Key Stage 4 students are encouraged to participate in Public Speaking competitions, Theatre Visits and a wide variety of lectures. A group from Year 10 also attend Richmond Adult College for twilight courses provided specifically to extend and enrich students' experiences.

In Years 8 and 9 a cohort of students follows a Critical Thinking Course in partnership with Brunel University. This innovative course enables students to develop a range of thinking skills in a clear, logical and consistent manner. It has considerable potential to enable students to improve their performance in other subjects and is good preparation for the'cut and thrust' of Higher Education. One student commented that she felt it helped her look at the structure of arguments so that she could formulate arguments without weaknesses.

Another group of students who followed the Critical Thinking course in Years 8 and 9 go on to Richmond upon Thames College to do AS Level Critical Thinking in Year 10.

There are close links with Jesus College, Oxford, and groups from Year 10 and 11 have the opportunity to visit the college and explore Oxbridge options.