August 2020 marks the 10th year of Student Support Services at LIS.
The Student Support Services (SSS) department was founded in August 2010 with one Learning Support specialist, a Child Welfare & Protection team and a department coordinator. Since then, the team has increased in size to its current staffing, comprising: two nurses; three Learning Support specialists; two counsellors; a university and careers coordinator; two Child Welfare and Protection positions and a Head of Department. This multidisciplinary team of professionals works school-wide with students, their parents/guardians, teachers/educators and external care providers.
We are very lucky to have these dedicated positions at the school who ensure that every child is given the tools to participate in their education. If life for our students at LIS is very much more than merely a succession of lessons and examinations, if our young people feel secure and supported not just in their academic efforts but in every aspect of life in our complex society, then the people who play different roles in Student Support Services deserve a lot of credit.
Given the quiet and unassuming way in which they take on these roles, and the departments careful commitment to the privacy of the individual and the confidentiality of information, it may not always be clear just how much work they do to help our young people.
Dyselxia, peer conflicts, careers advice, long and short term illness or absence, feelings of isolation or culture shock… all these and more are the daily work of the members of the SSS teamas they offer a service which is exemplary among schools in Germany.
A big thank you goes to Fiona Eels and her team.