Student Support Navigator |
Caring for Every Student at UCC
At Upper Canada College, we know that academic growth, emotional health, and physical wellbeing are deeply connected. Our Student Support Navigator framework is designed to make sure every student gets exactly what they need, when they need it.
Each student’s journey through Upper Canada College’s Student Support Navigator is distinct. We create a personalized path tailored to the specific strengths and needs of each student.
Your child’s form teacher or adviser is always your primary point of contact, but your family’s comfort comes first. If you or your child prefer to connect directly with a specific specialist—such as a counsellor, learning strategist, or health team member—please feel free to reach out to them directly. Whatever pathway feels right for your child, our entire team collaborates behind the scenes to support their journey every step of the way.
Depending on what your child needs, their support journey usually starts with one of three main hubs:
- Academic Guidance and Growth
- Wernham West Centre for Learning
- Student Services
The Support Compass represents our commitment to the whole student, guiding every boy toward holistic excellence and helping him become the best version of himself. Throughout his UCC journey, your child can expect dedicated care across all four points of the compass:
- Physical Wellbeing: Clinical care, health promotion, and physical wellness managed through our Health Centre.
- Mental Wellbeing: Mental and emotional health support delivered through Counselling Services.
- Learning Wellbeing: Learning strategies, cognitive support, and academic accommodations supported by the Wernham West Centre for Learning (WWCfL).
- Best Self: Personal growth, academic progress, and post-secondary guidance facilitated through Academic Guidance & Growth.
Each of our three support hub teams collaborate closely, ensuring wrap-around care so no student ever navigates his path alone.
How Support Evolves as Your Child Grows
As students mature through the College, the way they access and manage their support shifts to help them build independence:
Primary Division (JK–Year 5): Relational & Teacher-Led
Care is rooted directly in the classroom. Parents coordinate all aspects of student care directly with the Home Form Teacher, who serves as the central hub for your child’s needs.
Middle Division (Years 6–7): Collaborative & Team-Led
Care becomes a team effort. The Form Adviser coordinates closely between the family, faculty, the Wernham West Centre for Learning, and Student Services, to tackle emerging challenges together.
Senior Division (Years 8–12): Expert-Led & Student-Empowered
As boys prepare for university, we empower them to take the lead in their own care. Students learn to self-advocate and access specialized support hubs—such as the Health Centre, Wernham West Centre for Learning, or the University Counselling Office—directly, with faculty guidance whenever needed.
Levels of Care: Meeting Students Where They Are
To ensure every student gets the right level of help at the right time, UCC uses a proactive framework called a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). Our approach is built on four essential practices to ensure no student falls through the cracks:
Proactive Check-Ins (Screening): We don’t wait for a student to struggle before offering help. Throughout the year, our teachers and advisers actively observe and assess academic, emotional, and social well-being to identify any student who might need extra support. This is a support for all students led by faculty and support staff.
Tier 1 (Universal Support) : This includes everyday classroom adjustments, skill building, regular check-ins, and well-being routines built directly into the daily curriculum. This is a support for many students and is led by our Academic Guidance and Growth team, the Wernham West Centre for Learning and/or Student Services.
Tier 2 (Short Term/Focused Support): Short term, focused help that is implemented as student needs presents themself. This might include small group academic or social/emotional coaching, formalized learning support, medical accommodations, or targeted short-term counseling. This is a support for some students and is led by the Wernham West Centre for Learning and Student Services.
Tier 3 (Specialized Support): Comprehensive, intensive care for complex or high priority needs. This involves multi-disciplinary team support, specialized assessments, and long-term plans. This is a support for a few students and is led by the Wernham West Centre for Learning and Student Services.
Moving between these tiers is a normal, fluid process. Support scales up or down based on what your child needs. For example, a student might use Tier 2 support for a few weeks to catch up in a subject or recover from an injury, and then return seamlessly to Tier 1 as their confidence grows.
Student Profiles
The following list of student profiles is not an exhaustive list, but one that may showcase some of the needs that we often deal with through our Pathways to Support at UCC:
