We monitor progress using teachers’ assessments combined with tests which provide standardised national norms. This allows us to track the individual progress of every child.

Testing is operated unobtrusively to the point that younger children do not even realise they are being tested. Little do they know their results allow us to fine-tune their personalised learning programme.

Whole-school screening is also used at various points to make sure children are reaching their potential.

Alongside the observations of staff, the school’s screening programme is specifically designed to detect, at an early stage, those children who may need additional help.

Children may experience difficulty with some aspects of their learning or they may have a specific diagnosis such as dyslexia.

All our specialist support teachers are qualified to work with children with specific learning difficulties. We also have close ties with a speech and language therapist, physiotherapist and visual perceptual therapist, who can all help to support the children in school.

Learning support is a positive experience to ensure every child makes the best possible progress. Lessons support work in the classroom and teach strategies to support any specific difficulties.

Talent spotting is part of our job. If a child if gifted in a particular discipline we build a personalised programme providing the challenge of advanced problem-solving techniques, answering open-ended questions and learning to apply the processes they have been taught in class to unfamiliar contexts.

Children with particular talent in sport, music and drama are encouraged to nurture their skills through deliberate practice, and opportunities to perform, remembering that, from a growth mindset perspective, ‘hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard’ (Tim Notke).