Thomas Keble School

Thomas Keble School is a comprehensive School for pupils age 11 – 16. The school became a specialist technology college in September 2002 and a ‘high performing specialist school’ in 2006, enabling it to take on sport as a second specialism. Thomas Keble became a Foundation school in 2007 and the school was awarded Academy Status in the summer of 2011. Thomas Keble School is currently oversubscribed in all years, with strong parental support -the school population has now risen to 690. The pupils come from surrounding villages and from the town of Stroud five miles away. There is full access to all areas of the school for pupils with a physical disability, including wheelchair users. A lift allows access to the upper floors in the main building. There are three disabled toilets. The Learning Suite is located centrally on the ground floor of the main building and comprises two classrooms, an individual tuition/ICT area, an office and disabled toilet. Pupils identified with additional needs may access some or all of the following: in class support from a TA (pupils in the ‘S’ set for literacy and set 5 for Mathematics currently access support in all lessons across the curriculum); small extracted teaching groups for English and Mathematics led by the Learning Support teachers and HLTAs; Ruth Miskins’ phonic based complete literacy programme, ‘Read, Write,Inc.’ for all pupils in years 7-8 below Level 4 at KS2 (some may continue this programme or an alternative programme in year 9. The programme is delivered by the Read, Write, Inc. manager supported by the HLTA for English and two TAs. All are Read, Write, Inc. trained); intervention groups for dyslexia, spelling, reading, handwriting and social skills; 1:1 tuition for literacy, mathematics and social emotional support (including anger management); and specialist ICT equipment e.g. netbooks, enlarged keyboards, livescribe smart pen, voice activated softward. At the end of year 9 and beginning of year 10, pupils are identified and screened for Examination Access Arrangements. If they meet the criteria, they may be permitted a reader, scribe, rest breaks, prompt, additional time or the use of a word processor. Pupils with a sensory or physical need may also access a live speaker, oral language modifier, a practical assistant or papers with an enlarged format or Braille. Identification of difficulties and strategies to support individual students, as well as acknowledgement of successes are recorded on the pupil passports. This information is discussed and reviewed with parents, carers and pupils. Passports are updated three times per year and shared with all staff. Students with passports also have a key worker allocated to them.