British College La Cañada

Emotional development is a key focus at British College La Cañada. We work on emotional intelligence and implement a programme whereby students develop social and emotional management skills, with the aim of promoting well-being and self-confidence, which encourages them to reach their maximum potential. The attention provided to each student is fundamental; we monitor their academic and personal development to ensure progress. Regular individual meetings are organised to review achievements and identify personal objectives to work on. In Primary, families meet with teachers twice a year; in Secondary, Academic Review Evenings allow parents to discuss progress with all teachers and plan next steps. The tutor plays a particularly important role in Secondary, serving as the first point of contact for parents and pupils regarding any academic, social or emotional concerns, and supervising progress while helping students develop study skills.

The school has a psycho-pedagogical guidance department that provides psycho-pedagogical guidance to students and is available to families for information. The team identifies educational needs for educational support and coordinates internal and external resources for educational and emotional support. It provides psycho-pedagogical advice to teachers and counselling to families, and organises talks for family guidance. Speech Therapy is available through an external service to treat pupils with difficulties in communication, language, speech and voice; therapy can occur during school hours or after school depending on the case, and disorders include stuttering, dyslalia, pronunciation disorders, and dysphonia.

English has become the vehicular language of education, going far beyond bilingualism. The British curriculum recognises and uses English as the primary language of instruction across the curriculum, supporting learners to access the content in English.

A key aspect at British College La Cañada is the importance and attention we pay to the emotional development of our students. In Health & Wellbeing we work on emotional intelligence and implement a programme whereby students develop social and emotional management skills, with the aim of promoting well-being and self-confidence, which encourages them to reach their maximum potential. At BCLC, the attention that we provide to each student is fundamental, by monitoring their academic and personal development we ensure that each student progresses. By organising individual meetings on a regular basis, where both pupils and teachers review achievements and identify personal objectives to work on which allow achievement to be maximised. Meetings on a regular basis ensure ongoing dialogue about progress, with Primary families meeting twice yearly and Secondary students engaging in Academic Review Evenings to discuss next steps and goals. The tutor supports students with academic, social or emotional issues and helps them develop appropriate study skills to improve learning.

British College La Cañada has a Whole School Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy. The policy promotes an ethos of respect for children and prioritises their emotional health and wellbeing, with pupils encouraged to speak to a staff member in confidence about any worries. The safeguarding framework includes reporting concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or, if necessary, to police or children's social care, and it requires staff training twice per term. Recruitment and safeguarding measures include identity checks, qualifications and references verification, health screenings, DBS checks, and right-to-work vetting. The policy covers safeguarding procedures, handling allegations against staff, and communication with families, including a whistleblowing channel for concerns. It recognises that certain pupils may be particularly vulnerable (including those who do not have English as a first language) and outlines procedures to keep all children safe and supported.