Student Support

We always aim to meet the needs of every individual. After a visit to Langley by a leading HMI, her report stated that 'students and staff create a very welcoming atmosphere and take an obvious pride in the school. The expectation that all members of the school community will treat each other with courtesy and consideration is shared by staff and students. This was an evident strength of the school at break and lunchtime during the visit where students treated each other and staff in a friendly and respectful manner.'

We believe in a holistic approach to education, where academic and personal development and well-being drive everything we do. We monitor students’ progress closely through regular assessment. This allows us to address underachievement quickly and provide new challenges for those who are doing well. This is accomplished through:

• close scrutiny of classwork and homework

• moderation of student work against national standards

• assessments at regular intervals through a subject course

• termly home/school reporting

Each term, parents receive an interim report which records their child’s attitude to work and attainment level for each subject. Parents will also receive a report prior to the Parents’ consultation evening.

We are passionate about the education of all of our learners, including our more able learners. We identify these through a mixture of data analysis, testing and teacher nomination. The school aims to engage our high attaining learners by using higher-order questioning methodologies within lessons, setting challenging targets and offering a range of enrichment activities out of lesson time as well as beyond the school day. We understand, though, that all students develop at different rates and some may experience long or short term learning difficulties. Students who are identified as needing support receive appropriate help of the highest quality.

Langley has always believed in academic rigour and challenge. We are fortunate to have highly-qualified, experienced teachers and support staff to deliver a curriculum that is rooted in high uptake and high achievement levels in academic subjects. The government has refocused school curricula on academic subjects through the introduction of the English Baccalaureate measure (the percentage of students who gain an 9–4 in English, Maths, two Sciences, a foreign language and a humanities subject). Rebalancing the curriculum to become more academic was never an issue at Langley as we believe in the importance of these ‘facilitating subjects’ underpinning our curriculum models. When the more-challenging ‘EBacc’ measure was first introduced, we were one of the top-performing non-selective state schools in the West Midlands. Our EBacc performance has remained consistently strong.

Arrangements for new students

We recognise the importance of a smooth, supportive and positive transition and we support this by:

• visiting all main primary partner schools to gather information about the children coming to us in September. All partners are contacted for detailed information.

• inviting all new students and parents to an individual interview with an experienced member of staff prior to their arrival at Langley. This enables us to answer any concerns and allows every student to help overcome anxieties.

• A well planned Induction programme to enable students to feel confident ahead of the start of Langley.

Providing for the individual and special needs of student

We pride ourselves on our philosophy of recognising students as individuals, each with their different strengths, weaknesses and individual learning styles. Our outstanding results are achieved through a variety of initiatives including:-

 Detailed initial assessment in Year 7 to provide a full profile of every student's strengths, weaknesses and areas for development.

 In Key Stage 3, any numeracy and literacy needs are supported with small group structured teaching and peer support programmes, for example additional literacy lessons and a Paired Reading Scheme.

 In Key Stage 4, a varied range of courses cater for a wide range of levels of ability, recognising the importance of the academic and vocational elements of a balanced curriculum.

 Setting of groups, where appropriate, allows us to support the needs of all ranges of ability.

 An additional resource base providing specialist support for students with physical disabilities, ensuring that all students are supported and are able to access the full curriculum.

 A resource base for students with a diagnosis of dyslexia and an EHCP.

 We have full involvement of external agencies in the planning of provision for children with a wide range of needs.

On a regular basis, the Governing Body approves the arrangements to ensure the inclusion of children with disabilities into the school. The steps taken are detailed in the regularly reviewed SEND Policy which also describes the facilities available for providing access into and around the school, in the classrooms and also provision for emergencies. Further information can be found on our school website.

Our Dyslexia Centre

The Dyslexia Centre is a five-year provision; the first two years involve an intensive programme of literacy and numeracy intervention for children with a EHCP for Dyslexia and co-occurring needs. These programmes are detailed but flexible and are very much student driven, as is the whole focus of the Centre. Our intention is to integrate Year 9 students into mainstream subjects, thus giving them an overview of the curriculum and helping them to identify their own particular learning styles and to discover the subjects they intend to pursue in Year 10 and Year 11.

Each child’s EHCP is regularly reviewed and the student is set individualised targets which are monitored regularly and updated accordingly. Teaching is holistic, enabling children to grow both socially and academically, equipping them for the next stage of their educational journey.

High quality teaching, every day in every classroom

Langley School prides itself on the high quality of our classroom teaching; when our young people come through our doors, we want to be delivering the very best education. This is not only because we want our young people to make progress and achieve the results that will enable them to move on to their chosen pathways but also to ensure that the learners in our classrooms are happy, engaged and interested, able and willing and able to question and challenge and think for themselves.

The Langley team is made up of highly qualified specialist staff that really care about our young people, working together to ensure they became the best possible versions of themselves. Our ethos is very much about encouraging experimentation so that lessons are engaging, imaginative and exciting and in which students are invited to be active participants in their learning.

Staff training is centred around Teaching and Learning Communities where teaching strategies and resources are shared and trialled. All staff are engaged in this programme of professional development and are invested in developing their pedagogical skills so that our students can benefit from teaching which is the best it can be.

Pupil Premium

At Langley, we want all young people in our care to achieve the full extent of their potential. Ensuring an effective teacher is in front of every class, and that every teacher is supported to keep improving, is the key ingredient to achieving this. For students in need of additional support, we provide a range of targeted academic support to complement classroom teaching. We work closely with families to support positive learning behaviours and remove nonacademic barriers to attainment, ensuring that every young person has equal access to resources, opportunities and experiences to enable them to shine. Be the best we can be

‘‘I really feel like the teachers in the school care about the child themselves and not just about the grades. It feels very child focussed and I have been very happy to send my children here.’’

Parent 2022