Learner support · Grades 8–12
Learner support and wellbeing
Online school works best when nobody slips through the cracks. Here’s who’s in your child’s corner, and how they help.
UCT Online High School gives every learner a Support Advisor, backed by a Wellbeing and Engagement team that includes an HPCSA-registered School Counsellor and an Academic Support Lead. Together they help with exam concessions under SACAI guidelines, learning differences, exam coaching and study skills, and socio-emotional wellbeing, from Grade 8 to matric.
Every learner
Has a dedicated Support Advisor
HPCSA
Registered School Counsellor
13
Types of exam concession under SACAI guidelines
4
Wellbeing Waves podcast series
How support works
We believe wellbeing goes hand in hand with excellence
Our Wellbeing and Engagement team looks after three things: academic support, socio-emotional wellbeing and engagement. Alongside the curriculum, they teach the life skills that don’t appear on a timetable.
Support Advisor
Every learner has a dedicated Support Advisor who checks in regularly, keeps an eye on their progress and reaches out when something looks off.
Wellbeing and Engagement team
When a learner needs more than their Support Advisor can offer, the Advisor brings in our School Counsellor or Academic Support Lead.
Outside professionals
If a learner needs support beyond our duty of care, the School Counsellor refers them to an outside professional. We don’t cover the cost of all external support.
Meet the Wellbeing and Engagement team
Head of Wellbeing and Engagement
Leads the team and our approach to wellbeing, with a background in educational psychology.
Academic Support Lead
An occupational therapist by background, who looks after concessions, learning differences and study skills.
School Counsellor
An HPCSA-registered counsellor who supports learners’ socio-emotional wellbeing, one on one.
Academic support
Help to learn in the way that works for them
Our Academic Support team helps with concessions, exam preparation, learning differences and study skills, so every learner can reach their potential.
Exam concessions
Concessions are adjustments to assessments, cycle tests and exams that let learners show what they know in a way that suits them. They create a fair testing environment for learners with different learning styles, disabilities or temporary conditions.
Concessions follow SACAI’s guidelines, with separate guides for Grades 8 and 9 and for Grades 10 to 12. Our team takes learners and guardians through the rules and requirements for each one.
Types of concession
- Extra time
- Typing
- Enlarged print
- Exemption from orals
- Handwriting
- Prompter
- Reader
- Scribe
- Rest breaks
- Spelling concession
- Electronic reader or C-Pen
- Separate venue
- Subject exemptions
Exam coaching
Short video clips and guides that take learners through exam season in three stages.
Preparing for exams
Setting up a study space that keeps you focused (desk up, light up and never give up), then planning revision with tools like the priority matrix.
The act of studying
Understanding your learning style, choosing study techniques that suit it, and making time to memorise and revise.
Before and during exams
Building a routine that brings calm before an exam starts, so learners feel in control and can manage normal exam jitters.
Learning differences
Learners take in, process and engage with information in different ways, and we celebrate that. Neurodiversity includes many neurological conditions, such as:
- ADHD
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Dyslexia
- Dysgraphia
- Dyscalculia
- Dyspraxia
- Tourette’s syndrome
- OCD
The Learning Differences Society
Hosted by our Academic Support Lead, the Society is a community where learners with learning differences connect, socialise and share strategies that help. Learners join through their Support Advisor, and a Learning Differences Guide is there for everyone.
Learning effectively
Guides to help learners study smarter, not just longer.
Study Skills Guide
Study techniques and test-taking skills, all in one place.
Using Tech for Academic Success
How to use technology to stay productive and learn more effectively.
Counselling and socio-emotional support
Support for the ups and downs of being a teenager
Our School Counsellor is there for learners who are struggling. Learners also have a learner-only wellbeing site full of guides and resources they can dip into any time.
Guides for every learner
Practical, age-appropriate guides on:
- Healthy coping skills
- Mental health awareness
- Navigating social media
- Stress and anxiety
- Grief and loss
- Motivation
- Self-care
Extra support for matrics
Grade 12 comes with its own pressures, from writing exams at a physical venue to planning life after school.
The Ultimate Exam Companion for Grade 12
An interactive guide with science-backed strategies for the exam period: healthy sleep, managing anxiety, eating well, affirmations and recovering afterwards, plus checklists for writing at a physical venue.
Life After Matric Guide
For whatever comes next, whether that’s studying, a gap year or finding your feet. It includes resources on bursaries and financial aid, and ways to volunteer and gain experience.
Wellbeing Waves podcast
Real conversations about growing up
Our own podcast, made by the Wellbeing and Engagement team. Experts, counsellors and learners share personal stories and practical strategies for the teenage years.
Socio-Emotional Support Series
Conversations with learners, mental health advocates and our counsellors on coping with stress, self-care, accessibility and exam preparation.
Mindful Bodies
Everyday struggles with body image and relationships with food, with practical tips to build confidence.
Academic Support Series
A five-part series on executive function skills, from self-talk and attention to getting started on tasks and checking your own work.
Open Conversation
Four episodes on self-care, inclusivity, the impact of Covid-19 and career conversations.
Safeguarding
A safe, inclusive place to learn
- Learning Facilitators are registered with SACE (the South African Council for Educators).
- Everyone who works directly with learners has a clear background check and two levels of ECIS child protection training.
- A zero-tolerance policy on bullying, with clear rules of engagement for learners, staff and guardians.
- Interactions on the Online Campus are monitored, and learners can report anything that doesn’t feel right.
FAQs
Questions guardians ask about support
What type of support is available to my child?
Support is directly offered by Support Coaches, School Counsellors and our highly responsive Technical Support Team who are available to assist and support learners throughout their entire high school career.
Our team is constantly monitoring their progress proactively, reaching out to them where required.
Are Support Coaches equipped to provide emotional and mental health support?
Our Support Coaches are dedicated to nurturing and developing our high school learners holistically. While our Support Coaches are equipped to provide excellent holistic support, they are not counsellors. When a high school learner is in need of emotional or mental health support that is outside the bounds of the Support Coaches purview, they will refer them to our School Counsellor. Our School Counsellor will supply a referral where matters exceed their duty of care. UCT Online High School does not cover costs for all external support.
What about safety within the learning experience?
UCT Online High School takes the safeguarding of children very seriously. It’s compulsory for our Learning Facilitators to be registered with the South African Council of Educators (SACE). Learning Facilitators, Support Coaches and other team members who engage directly with children are required to have an up-to-date, valid, clear background check and complete two levels of Child Protection training.
How is cyberbullying managed?
Through Valenture Institute, UCT Online High School is proud to be a member of the Educational Collaborative for International Schools (ECIS) Community. All team members who engage with learners have completed up to ECIS level two training on Child Protection. Learn more about the ECIS Community here.
We have a zero-tolerance policy toward any form of bullying. We know that learners learn best in a safe and calm environment that is free from disruption or intimidation. Key staff members that engage with learners during their learning journey complete intensive training to ensure that they are fully equipped to offer support as and if appropriate.
For more information on our safeguarding of children policy, please read here.
Is UCT Online High School a safe and inclusive environment?
A resounding yes! UCT Online High School is strongly committed to offering an inclusive learning experience. We celebrate the uniqueness of individuality. Our policies and rules are there to support and uphold these principles
Can’t find your answer? Browse all FAQs or contact our admissions team.
Support that goes all the way to matric
Structure, a Support Advisor and a whole team in your child’s corner.