We are an educationally inclusive school and therefore support all pupils in achieving to the best of their ability at every stage of their development. We use teacher judgement and assessment scores to identify difficulties. Through early intervention approaches, the school works closely with the pupil and parent in actively supporting the child’s need. The school also works closely with all external agencies in the support of all pupils with additional needs and will always work alongside parents to keep them informed of their child’s support and progress.

We offer a wide range of small group and individual support programmes including Reading Partners, Catch Up Maths, Lexia, ‘Have a Go Spelling Scheme’ and Toe by Toe. This provides the children with the opportunity to gain confidence in Reading, Spelling and Numeracy skills. The support is delivered by our classroom assistants who liaise closely with the class teacher and principal. Several of our parents have been trained in Time to Read in association with Business in the Community.

Accelerated Reader is now used by children from Primary Four to Primary Seven pupils. This is a personalized reading programme which allows children to follow their own reading interests and move on at their own rate. It allows teachers to carefully monitor individuals and track progress. The online quiz at the end of each books generates excitement and we have already noticed that some of our pupils are enjoying the competitive element of achieving book points. Nurture Touch Base and Friendship Group are two social skills support groups which we deliver at Ballycraigy. The children are given the opportunity to develop confidence and raise self-esteem through small group work.