“ The work that we're doing together enables each boy to be his best – exactly what the Collegemission states .” Lesley Anderson-McKenna
focus is the Year 9 students and the Year 10 literacy classes, Gill Kilpatrick, who looks after both Year 10 and senior students, and Alex Robertson, whose focus is English as a second language. Annie Smith performs the task of reader/writer administrator. The Learning Centre has made another change too, with educational psychologists now coming into College to conduct full diagnostic assessments for boys who are struggling. Historically, boys have always had to go out of the school for this to happen. “Now the psychologists come in, and can liaise with parents and staff, and that’s a positive thing for the boys,” says Lesley. Boys come to the attention of the Centre through information from primary schools, the department’s own testing, and sometimes
referrals from classroom teachers. Occasionally a student may come and ask for assistance, recognising that he is struggling in the classroom. International students, for whom English is a second language, are also catered for by the Centre. “As much as we can, we identify those boys needing help early in the year. That way we can be sure they are getting the best assistance possible to help them succeed at College.”
a little bit,” says Lesley, with a nod to a poster above her desk. It shows an elephant, a monkey and a goldfish standing beneath a tree, and the words “To take this exam, everyone needs to climb that tree”. With well over 100 boys catered for by the Learning Centre, Lesley says their individualised programmes ensure every opportunity is provided for each student to succeed in his studies. And succeed they do! Just recently an Old Boy dropped in to share the news that he had just graduated from Lincoln University with a B grade average. “A number of our learning support students are with us for the duration of their secondary studies, and many of them end up at university.” Teaching them is a talented team of specialists – Kate Morris, whose
College Issue 34 2018
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