Dainfern College

Learner Support

Preamble

Dainfern College offers an academic environment that strives to meet the needs of the community. The College offers a mainstream education and the majority of our learners continue with tertiary studies once they have completed their schooling. All of the subjects offered at Grade 12 level are designated subjects. This means that all of our subjects are accepted at South African universities.

We strive to support all of our learners to succeed within the academic offering of the College. We are inclusive of learners who may need additional support to succeed in the mainstream academic environment. The information in this document is to be used to understand the support offered at Dainfern College.

Dainfern College has comprehensive Learner Support structures in place across the school as well as a dedicated Learner Support Centre.

Learner Support Ethos and Policy

Vision

To enable, empower and allow all Dainfern College learners to develop and grow to their fullest potential in all areas of their school life.

To develop dynamic, inclusive and progressive whole school support for all learners at Dainfern College; with the intention of supporting and extending all learners so that they have numerous opportunities to experience success whatever their academic, emotional and developmental needs.

Mission

To build, grow and develop whole school learning support that is accessible to every child at the College and that meets the following academic, emotional and developmental needs:

• Pastoral care for all learners
• Building confidence and self esteem
• Achieving individual potential
• Building partnerships between the learner, teacher and parent with a common aim of meeting the child’s needs
• *Occupational therapy
• *Speech therapy
• *Physiotherapy
• *Psychotherapy
• Counselling support
• Academic support
• *Remedial academic support
• Study skills support
• Planning and organisational support
• TEFL support
• Teacher training and support
• Extension support

* To parent account

Rationale

The school adopts a uniform approach to support processes and pastoral care to ensure continuity throughout the school. This will serve learners, teachers and parents. Different areas of the school may have different support needs but the process of support is the same.

Support structures

The following support structures are in place:

The Dainfern College Learner Support Centre was built in 2012. It consists of three offices as follows:

Office 1: Lynne Ryan – Counsellor in the High School

Office 2: Educational psychologist – High and Preparatory School

Office 3: Academic learner support office – High School

Psychotherapy

(To parent account)

Mary Bothma is our educational psychologist. She works at the school two days a week and charges parents directly. Mary offers the following support services:

• Educational assessments for accommodations. These assessments are IEB compliant.
• Career assessments and counselling for subject and post-school choices.
• Psychotherapy for children and for parents.
• Psychotherapy for teachers when necessary.
• Post-traumatic stress counselling.

Academic learner support

(To parent account)

Micgelle Macaulay provides learner support in the High School, working with students to develop study and exam-writing skills; to develop planning and organisational skills; to build confidence; and to support learners with accommodations. 

There are three academic support therapists who work in the Senior Preparatory School.

Junior Preparatory support structures are also in place – Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Remedial Academic Support.

Foreign language learners

Heather Parry is a qualified TEFL teacher who supports learners who learn English as a foreign language.

Sessions will be to parent account.

Facilitation

Facilitators in the classroom – this currently happens in the Senior Preparatory School.

Facilitators for assessments where accommodations are indicated and approved.

Accommodations

Accommodations are put in place after application to the IEB and receiving of approval. The process followed is as per the Dainfern College Accommodations Policy which is informed by the IEB requirements for accommodations.

The cost of some accommodations e.g. a reader or a scribe will be to the parents’ account.

Daily counselling support

Eva Odendaal provides counselling support in the Senior and Junior Preparatory Schools.

Lynne Ryan provides counselling support in the High School.

Study skills and organisational support

High School assistance in these areas is given by Michelle Macaulay, together with Learner Support staff.

Learner support teams

Case meetings are held in the Senior and Junior Preparatory Schools.

Parent, learner and teacher communications and support

Meetings are held with parents to find appropriate support for learners.

Please contact the following people for support needs and concerns:

Junior Preparatory School: Mrs Patti Blackhurst

Senior Preparatory School: Ms Margie Pettit

High School: Ms Lynne Ryan

Click here for our Learner Support Accommodations Policy.