Learning Support
At Woods, we understand that each child's learning journey is unique and that they progress at their own pace. Our learning support is designed to address this individuality, providing tailored assistance and strategies to ensure every child not only thrives but also develops a love for learning. We believe in close collaboration bewteen families and educators, working together to create a supportive environment where all children are enabled to reach their full potential, building their confidence and resilience along the way.
Early intervention
Early years challenges can show up in many forms, from language development and social interaction to fine motor skills or focus. At Woods, we keep a close eye on these areas from the start, so that if something needs a little extra support, we can respond early rather than waiting for it to become a bigger hurdle.
In practice, this might mean a teaching assistant working one-on-one with a child for a short stretch of the day, a smaller group activity to build a specific skill, or simply adapting how we use our forest and classroom spaces to suit how a child learns best. We keep families closely involved throughout, so that what we're noticing and trying at school lines up with what's happening at home too.
Learning support strategy
We don't have a dedicated on-site learning support department at Woods, but where a child requires specialist support, we work closely with a network of external advisors and specialists, so that our teaching team has expert guidance to draw on as specific needs emerge.
In practice, this means our teachers and the child's parents stay in close contact with these specialists, translating their advice into how we work with the child day to day, whether that's in the classroom or out in the forest. Our aim is always to build on what a child is already good at, rather than working from a one-size-fits-all approach.
English as a second language
We warmly welcome children for whom English is an additional language. Young children in particular tend to pick up a new language remarkably quickly, especially within an immersive, play-based environment like ours, so this is very rarely a barrier to joining Woods. For older children, where the gap between their current English level and what's needed to access the curriculum is more significant, we may recommend some additional English tuition alongside their time with us, simply to help them settle in and thrive as quickly as possible.
Special Educational Needs (SEN)
We celebrate every child's individuality, and are committed to supporting those with learning, communication, sensory, or behavioural needs so they can overcome barriers to learning. Because every child's path is unique, we're always happy to have a conversation with families about their child's needs and whether Woods would be the right fit.
We do accept neurodivergent children on a case-by-case basis, provided we feel confident we can genuinely meet their needs. Woods isn't set up as a specialist school for children with additional needs, so this is something we look at individually with each family.
Where full integration into class is realistic, we work closely with parents to explore what would help, whether that's dedicated learning support, occupational therapy, speech therapy, or another form of expert intervention, sometimes this might mean recommending a supplemental teacher in class. Our aim is always to be honest with families from the outset, so that if a child does join us, they can participate fully and thrive within our community.
