The In School Support Programme (ISSP) gives academic support to students with special learning challenges in the areas of Language Arts and Mathematics.

This programme allows children with identified Learning Difficulties to benefit from the academic atmosphere, extra curricular activities and small class sizes offered at Sommerville. The programme is available for students in Grades One through Eight.

Coordinated by the school’s Special Education Resource Teacher, both in-class and withdrawal support is given on a weekly basis during selected Language Arts and Mathematics classes by the school’s Assisting Teacher.

There are a number of different modifications or accommodations that can be made to a student’s programme. The specific requirements for an individual student are determined by the Special Education Resource Teacher and are based on the findings of the Psychoeducational Report for that student.

As well as providing written assessments of the progress made by students within the ISSP once each term, the ISSP teacher maintains close contact with parents of children in the programme to ensure essential home-school communication.

Sommerville Manor’s philosophy for children with special learning challenges is one based on ‘inclusion’ of the student in the regular classroom setting, surrounded by students with more ‘conventional’ learning needs, yet supported by an Assisting Teacher and with programmes modified and accommodated to meet their learning needs.