ASL

About Us

ASL is a fun, supportive and diverse faculty. We are here to support learners in the school with lots of different things: we offer emotional support, learning support and a safe space for our young people.

We have ASL teachers and Pupil Support Assistants who support learners both in class and out of class. We have two classrooms, a quiet space, a Life Skills area and we can often be seen pottering around in the school garden too.

In the ASL department we help young people with their reading, writing and number work. We also have activities that help with cognitive thinking and motor skills such as arts & crafts, games and topic work. Most importantly, our role is to remove any potential barriers and help learners to help themselves!

What We Do

There are various programmes and online apps that we use in school and we would encourage our young people to use these at home too:

Read & Write Gold: Read & Write Gold is an assistive technology software programme developed to improve learning for students with dyslexia. The software reads electronic text from e-books, websites, and documents created in word-processing programs. (This can be downloaded at home for free using school login details.)

IDL: Online programme to improve reading, spelling and numeracy (can be accessed at home).

Libby: Free access to audio books. Login with library membership details.

Prizmo Go (Apple only): Can be used in schools by low-vision students or students coping with dyslexia in order to improve their learning experience or reading skills.

We offer some alternative qualifications and flexible learning opportunities in ASL and we tailor teaching to the age and stage of the pupil. Some of the activities we offer:

  • Gardening
  • Boccia
  • Swimming
  • Life Skills
  • Forest Schools with Sticks & Stones and OWLs (Outdoor Woodland Learning)
  • Volunteering opportunities with Inspire By and the Mearns Coastal Healthy Living Network.
  • Art Therapy
  • And lots moreā€¦

The ASL department is always open at interval and lunchtime for any pupil who would like a supervised, safe space to go.