A Message from the Principal

This term parents are invited to review our Learning Support policy through the school docs portal. Please use the following instructions:

1. Visit the website https://thorrington.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm
2. Enter the username (thorrington) and password (learning).
3. Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.
4. Read the policy.
5. Click the Policy Review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.
6. Select the reviewer type "Parent".
7. Enter your name (optional).
8. Submit your ratings and comments.
9. If you don't have internet access, school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy and a review form

Learning support can be a contentious subject as we have a finite amount of resources to apply to extra staffing and resources to meet the diverse needs across our school. We believe that every student has the right to achieve success and make progress at school, regardless of their ability. 

Students who need learning support include:

• neurodiverse learners and learners with disabilities, learning difficulties, communication or behaviour difficulties, and/or sensory or physical impairments
• gifted learners
• English language learners (ELL)
• those who are not achieving, or at risk of not achieving
• those at risk of disengaging.

Although our teachers differentiate approaches to teaching and learning to meet as many of these needs as possible within the normal daily programme we often need to utilise additional support through our learning assistants and outside agencies.   

Anna Clark, our second deputy principal holds the responsibility of SENCO (special education needs coordinator) at Te Kura o Huriawa Thorrington and has initiated literacy-based training for our learning assistants this year to better equip them to work with small groups of students. As part of the leadership team, Anna is focused on ensuring that any intervention we put in place is making a difference for a child's learning. This means regularly looking at the data to ensure that we are applying our resources where they can make the most difference.  As we are a decile ten school the amount of funding that we get from the government for learning support is considerably lower than schools at the other end of the decile scale. Like the presupposition that parents in higher decile schools can afford to pay for school fees and extra activities for their children, we are funded as if children in higher decile school communities will not have learning needs to the extent that children in lower decile school communities have. As we have no choice but to struggle with the inequity of this funding model, we are fortunate that our Board of Trustees allows us to apply considerable resources from our operational grant to help meet learning needs across our school.  Anna's depth of knowledge around the science of how children learn (especially in literacy) coupled with the support of well-qualified and committed teachers will help us to best apply these resources.

Through my experience as a school leader and in my own field of research  I know that getting the right support for children causes considerable anxiety for parents. There is no one programme, resource, or agency that has all the answers but we are always open to considering all approaches so that we can better meet children's needs. A lot of our professional reading as educators and leaders delves into new research about the variables around children's learning, and which interventions maximise impact in children's learning. Like everything in education this is a changing landscape but engaging in new research is a part of the leadership professional standards and as such an integral part of our job as leaders.  Sometimes parents have a hunch that there is a gap in the way their child learns or sometimes teachers will alert parents to a hunch that they have. Whatever the catalyst we are wanting to engage with you around your child's learning, through the  Home Base Teacher, the team leader, or at a leadership level.

Dogs

We have noticed over the past few weeks that there have been a few dogs coming into the school (with their owners). Please ensure, if you bring your dog to school (during pick up and drop off times) that they are tied up outside the school boundary fences, or on the grass by the staff carpark. We are in the process of replacing signs that were destroyed about the rules around dogs at school. We appreciate your assistance with this health and safety matter.

Ngā mihi nui

Christine Harris
Principal - Tumuaki