A new whole school approach to student support

I am delighted to be taking on the role of whole-school Director of Student Support at St. Julian’s. This is a newly created post which involves leading and developing the work of the student support teams across the Primary and Secondary international sections of the school, as well as overseeing the pastoral and well-being elements of our whole-school strategic plan. 

This role was created with the aim of bringing together the various specialist teams in school (including learning support, language support, psychology, counselling, and the surgery) to integrate support for students’ learning needs, mental health, and physical health. The majority of our students remain with us from Nursery right through to Year 13 and this new Student Support Team will adopt a holistic approach to supporting each individual student along this journey. 

St. Julian’s is an inclusive school with a diverse community of learners. We recognise that, at times, our students may find aspects of school life challenging and may require personalised support to enable them to access the curriculum. We also recognise the need to stretch our students to reach their full potential, and that, where students are already achieving a high level of academic success, they may require support to extend and enrich their thinking and their learning.

At St. Julian’s, we adopt what is known as a ‘social model’ of student support. This approach recognises the importance of making continual adaptations to the school environment to ensure that all students' needs are met. As such, the Student Support Team works closely with class teachers, teaching assistants, and school leaders to continually develop the inclusivity of our practice. This may involve direct work with students, but also involves observing lessons and offering guidance to teachers about differentiation, and co-planning with subject leaders to ensure that our curriculum is appropriately tailored to meet the needs of our student body. At every stage, we are committed to an evidence-informed, proactive, and reflective approach.

As with all large organisations, we recognise that achieving consistency can be a challenge and so a key priority for this year is to expand the existing excellent practice that exists in school, learn from best practice internationally, and develop an increasingly personalised approach to student support. I look forward to working closely with families to achieve this together.

Caroline Cullen
Director of Student Support