“When I first came to the school I struggled with communication and had very bad social anxiety. The Resource helped me make friends, build my confidence and stick with school and not give up. They helped me when school got too much and the staff are very helpful and understanding. They even help with things out of school. I am now finishing my A-levels in the 6^th form and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without The Resource. The Resource has helped me so much academically and in general life, and I am a much more confident person.”

“The Resource has helped me do better in my lessons by supporting me in lessons during my pre-sixth form years. They’ve also helped me gain the confidence to socialise with other students, not just in The Resource, and they’ve helped me overcome some of the issues I have with my family. Compared to now, when I was in year 7 I had a lot of issues with stuff like concentration in lessons and socializing, now my concentration is a lot better, and I found my best friend last September all thanks to the IR bringing up my confidence! I still struggle with a few things, but I’m getting better at coping with the things I struggle with.”

“When I look back on how the IR has helped me, it would be hard to tell that I was the same person compared to my Y7 counterpart. Before, I could not really work with anyone in a group project because I wanted lots of attention, I wanted my opinion to be the most important, I could get very angry when things didn’t go how I wanted it to go, I wouldn’t be too surprised if others felt like they were talking to an infant trapped in a Y7’s body. Thankfully, the teachers in the IR helped me to overcome these issues. We had conversations about my issues and highlighted the problems that arose from said issues. We also worked on strategies to help overcome those difficulties and so I wouldn’t spend lots of time acting like a weeping, snotty brat. Because of these actions I’m now thankfully nothing like I was in Y7. I now realise that I don’t need everyone’s attention or to agree with my opinions and I don’t get angry when things don’t go quite as I planned. Sometimes, I even laugh at myself because of it. I think the best thing being a loved and very well respected member of the IR is that it acts as a safe zone for people who, like me, need support in social situations or maybe even need help with coping with the lessons as I have seen in some children.”

“If I had to describe what the resource has helped me with over the past 6 years, it would be general help and managing anxiety. Even if I personally haven’t needed to rely on their help to access the national curriculum as much as others might, it has been incredibly helpful to have a place I can go to at break or lunch to get out of the mainstream system and people to talk to if anything is bothering me in particular and to take most of the stress and anxiety out of the national curriculum.”

“I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to know that my son is so looking forward to going back to school, and to know that he really enjoys his time there. It has not always been the case, but he has really grown in confidence and ability since year 7. That is purely down to the hard work and effort of the staff, and the fantastic communication between school and myself.”

“The staff have consistently provided excellent support to children in the resource who need extra support which has been evidenced in the progress that the children make.  I have noticed how well my son has progressed over the last two years.  The resource team have regular communication with myself and keep me informed of any issues concerns, and share positive stories too.” 

“The support provided by the IR is of high quality and consistently so. Outside of lesson time the IR staff will discuss with teachers individual learning plans and regularly give additional support after the lessons to the students (e.g. homework and further practice). Staff are always active in lessons, taking guidance in lessons but also using their initiative and knowledge of individuals to maximise progression.”

“The Resource staff are always an invaluable presence in the classroom. Not only do they provide reassuring familiarity and understanding of the students they support, but they apply a multitude of strategies and adaptations to enable students to access and engage in lesson content. Resource staff are proactive in working with teachers to ensure our Resource students get the most possible out of their time in the classroom.”