ST NESSAN’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE (Pobal Choláiste Neasáin Naofa)
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS POLICY
June 2012
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St. Nessan’s Community College Special Educational Needs Policy SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY/MISSION STATEMENT St Nessan’s Community College is a multi-denominational, coeducational school. It is comprehensive in its intake and in its curricular provision. St Nessan’s Community College is committed to maintaining an educational environment where the growth, learning and development (Fás, Foghlaim, Forbairt – school motto) of our students can flourish. To further the aims of St Nessan’s Community College as expressed in the mission statement: ●
The pursuit of high standards in all endeavours will be expected and every effort will be directed towards the attainment of such standards.
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The school will do its utmost within its resources to provide appropriate opportunities so that every individual has the opportunity to gain maximum benefit from their experience in St Nessan’s Community College.
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The rights, responsibilities and dignity of all individuals within the school community will be respected. However, the Common Good takes precedence where there is a conflict between individuals.
Definition of Special Education Needs (S.E.N.) The education for Persons with Special Needs Act (E.P.S.E.N) 2004 defines special education needs as: ‘a restriction in the capacity of the person to participate in and benefit from education on account of an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or learning disability or any other condition which results in a person learning differently without that condition’
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WHOLE SCHOOL POLICY ON SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS This policy is rooted in the school’s fundamental aim to foster in students a spirit of self-reliance, independence, co-operation and responsibility and to provide them with skills for life-long learning. This policy applies to all students with special educational needs of whatever nature. Aims and Principles The Inclusion of Students with Special Educational Needs Policy aims to: •
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Enable students to live a full life and realise his/ her full potential as a unique individual through access to the appropriate broad and balanced curriculum in an inclusive environment. To enable students to function as independently as possible in society through the provision of such educational supports as are necessary to realise their potential. To enable students to continue learning in adult life.
Relationship to School’s Mission/Vision/Aim Rationale •
St Nessan’s Community College is an inclusive school. Inclusive Education implies that all children and young people, with or without disabilities or other special needs, learn together, in ordinary mainstream schools, with appropriate networks of support;
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St Nessan’s Community College is a caring College that aspires to be informed, resourced and equipped to cater for the needs of all our students.
Legislation •
Inclusion and equity are the values driving Irish social policy, including educational legislation specifically – (i) Education Act 1998 3
(ii) (iii) (iv)
Education Welfare Act 2000 Equal Status Act 2000 Education Policy on Special Education Needs 2004
Education Act 1998 (Section 9) ‘Establish and maintain an Admissions Policy which provides for maximum accessibility to the school’ ‘…. including accessibility for those with special educational needs.’ Education Welfare Act 2000 (Section 19) The Board of Management of a recognised school shall not refuse to admit as a student in such school a child, in respect of whom an application to be so admitted has been made, except where such refusal is in accordance with the policy of the recognised school concerned published under Section 15 (2)(d) of the Education Act 1998. Equal Status Act 2000 The Equal Status Act 2000 makes it illegal to discriminate against a person on a number of specified grounds, including disability. Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 Key Principles: •
Special Needs students have the same rights as their peers;
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School should be an inclusive environment;
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Greater involvement of parents;
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National Council for Special Education.
The Bill lays down clear procedures for: •
Arrangements for the referral by the school of a student for Assessment;
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Preparation of an education plan by the school;
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Involvement of the parents and the special organiser;
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Provision of services to a child to enable him or her to participate in and benefit from education;
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Preparation of an individual educational plan.
Goals/Objectives •
The objective of our Special Educational Needs Policy is not to highlight differences between individuals. Our goal is to enable all students to belong to our educational community without prejudice where individuality is recognised;
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To achieve such a goal our College demonstrates a willingness to examine and, if necessary, structure/restructure our environment and programme in response to the diverse needs of the students. We aspire to promote the full participation of all students regardless of ability or need, according to his/her potential.
DEIS St. Nessan’s Community College is a DEIS school and all of our policies reflect this. The DEIS planning team meet once a week to co-ordinate planning within the school. These meetings are chaired by the Principal. Student Information – ‘A whole school approach’ Unless there is a valid reason for withholding certain information, teachers, in order to carry out their professional duties, will have access to all information, which is likely to be relevant to teaching a student with special needs. In St. Nessan’s Community College all Psychological Reports are available for consultation only in the school office. All reports remain the property of the Minister for Education.
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POLICY CONTENT Learning Support Provision 1.
Identification of Pupils with Learning Needs • •
Prior to entrance assessment, primary schools are asked to forward existing reports/psychological assessments to Learning Support Department; Learning Support and Career Guidance supervise and correct entrance assessment, which is made up of intelligence tests and reading tests to score pupils verbal, perceptual, numerical ability and reading ages;
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Learning Support Dept. liaise with feeder schools re pupils with reports/SNA’s (Special Needs Assistants) etc. and pupils whose reading ages are four years or more behind chronological ages;
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The HSCLO visits the feeder schools and liaises with her counterparts in the Primary Sector to assist in the identification of pupils with learning needs and the collation of relevant reports and data.
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Arising from the outcomes of the general assessment tests, individual diagnostic testing takes place in the first half-term of first year to identify specific gaps in reading which form a basis for the individual learning support programme. Retests take place at the end of the school year.
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Allocation of Learning Support/Resource Time •
Resource time is allocated to those pupils with current psychological assessments who have been granted specific resource time by the Department of Education and Skills;
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It is envisaged that I.E.P. (Individual Education Plans) are devised for these pupils based on the recommendations of the reports;
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Quite often Learning Support Department assists in modifying pupils’ timetables;
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Learning support hours are provided for those pupils with a recognised diagnosed disability. Resources are allocated based on this allocation. The priority is to achieve functional literacy. Therefore there is a huge emphasis on building reading skills in first, second and third year. There are curriculum links across all subjects where support is necessary;
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Because of the complexity of timetabling, learning support is provided, where possible, to those pupils in first, second and third years who are exempt from taking Irish and who have a current psychological assessment;
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However, there is a clear distinction here between learning support and language support;
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Links with Other Agencies – Case Work •
Referral forms for Psychological Assessment are completed by Learning Support Department and Learning Support acts as a link between pupil, parent and psychologist;
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Pupils for Reasonable Accommodation at Certificate Examinations (R.A.C.E.) are identified by Learning Support Department;
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R.A.C.E. applications are completed by Examination Secretary;
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Regular meetings with outside agencies for pupils with resource time re-casework. Visitors include Social Workers, Action Project Leaders, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, HSE, etc.
Education Partners Student The College exists primarily as a place of education and St. Nessan’s Community College endeavours to provide education appropriate to each students’ ability. Students have a responsibility to the college community that by their actions/omissions they do not adversely affect the educational outcomes of other students.
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Parents/ Guardians The College recognises the role of the Parent/Guardian as the primary care. The College will include the Parent/Guardian in all important decisions concerning their child. St. Nessan’s Community College has a Home School Community Liaison Teacher and that person provides a valuable link between the College and the community. Principal/ Deputy Principal The Principal has primary responsibility for all matters relating to special needs in the college. The Principal or his nominee decides on staffing and models of delivery. Guidance Counsellor The Guidance Counsellor is a core part of the College’s special needs provision. Coordinator of Resource Teaching The Resource Coordinator will in conjunction with the Principal arrange for Psychological assessments to be carried out by NEPS. He/she will liaise with the S.E.N.O in all his/her dealings with the school. Maintain and update files on all SEN students. Liaise with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Special Needs Assistants The Special Needs Assistants will work with students and as part of whole class groups as directed by the school principal. Year Heads The College operates a system where it is envisaged that each year group is assigned a Year Head. The Year Head is primarily concerned
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with the pastoral care of the students in his/her care. The Year head also has a role in disciplinary matters and placement of students in appropriate class groups. Class Tutors The College operates a system of Class Tutors, in the Junior School, where each class group is assigned a Class Tutor. The Class Tutor is concerned with pastoral care of his/her students and acts as a conduit between subject teachers and Year Heads for disciplinary matters. Examinations Secretary The Examinations Secretary has responsibility for applying for Reasonable Accommodations for students with special educational needs. Home School Community Liaison Officer The College has a HSCL teacher as part of its DEIS funding. The HSCL teacher acts as a link between the school and the parents and community. Special Educational Needs Services Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (D.E.I.S) The College receives additional resource support under the D.E.I.S programme. National Educational Psychological Services (N.E.P.S) The College will work in a spirit of partnership to utilise the full range of services provided by N.E.P.S. Behaviour Support Classroom (N.B.S.S.) There is a Behaviour Support Classroom in St. Nessan’s Community College for students experiencing consistent behaviour difficulties which are affecting their progress in school.
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The College also benefits from level 1 and level 2 support from the NBSS Regional Development Officer. School Completion Project (S.M.I.L.E.) The SCP in St. Nessan’s Community College is known as the S.M.I.L.E. project. They monitor attendance of poor attendees and encourage school attendance through a variety of programmes delivered on and off campus. School Completion staff work with student(s) and provide a variety of extra-curricular activities. Junior Certificate Schools Programme (J.C.S.P.) All junior cycle students participate in the JCSP. The school regularly participates in JCSP initiatives and ceremonies. Leaving Cert Applied (L.C.A.) The College offers the Leaving Certificate Applied for Senior Cycle students. The combination of academic and practical work is excellent for engaging students who decide not to do the traditional leaving certificate. Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (L.C.V.P.) The College offers L.C.V.P. modules for students participating in the traditional Leaving Certificate. Book Rental Scheme All students have access to the book rental scheme. National Education Welfare Board (N.E.W.B.) St. Nessan’s Community College fulfils all its statutory obligations under the Education Welfare Act. The school works in a spirit of partnership with its Education Welfare Officer. Visiting Teacher for Hearing Impaired Students
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The College endeavours to work with the visiting teacher to make whatever adaptations are necessary for hearing impaired students to benefit fully from their time in St. Nessan’s Community College. Special Educational Needs Officer (S.E.N.O.) The College works in a spirit of partnership with the S.E.N.O. to deliver the level and type of resources required by its special needs students. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (C.A.M.H.S.) The College works in partnership with C.A.M.H.S. to ensure that students who require its services are supported fully while they attend school. Special Needs Practice in St. Nessan’s Community College Drumcondra Reasoning Test/ WRAT IV All incoming first year students are tested prior to entry utilising the Drumcondra Reasoning Test. This is used to screen students and to provide baseline data on student attainment and to identify possible special needs pupils. All first years undergo individual Wide Range Achievement Testing to provide further baseline data and to further identify special needs students. All third year students will undergo WRAT 4 testing in April/ May of third year. These results will be used as baseline data for DEIS planning purposes Reasonable Accommodation for Certificate Examinations The College will endeavour to ensure that students who have an entitlement to reasonable accommodations at state examinations will receive their entitlements. To achieve this, the College endeavours to; 1. Identify the physical, emotional, behavioural or specific learning difficulty. 11
2. Apply for the appropriate Reasonable Accommodation. (Exams Secretary) 3. Allow students to use Reasonable Accommodations in Pre and State exams. (Exams Secretary) Induction Programme All incoming first years undergo a 2/3 week Induction Programme designed to act as a bridge between primary and secondary schools. Students are eased into a secondary school curriculum Learning Support/ Resource Teaching Learning Support should be provided by suitably qualified teachers in the first instance. Resource teaching for low incidence conditions should always be provided by suitably qualified teachers. Continuity (same teacher for three years) is best practice where possible. Gifted and Talented students There is provision for gifted and talented students in St. Nessan’s Community College. Students who score over the 90th percentile are entered in the Centre for Talented Youth exams every year. Care team The College has a multi-disciplinary Care Team chaired by the Principal. Its primary focus is on the care needs of all students. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The sequence of events is as follows: •
Principal visits the feeder schools in October vis-à-vis pupils with Special Education Needs and/or psychological assessments;
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Assessment/entrance exam in March;
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Guardians are asked to forward to the school the psychological assessments so that the school can make application for resource hours;
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Copies of the reports are made available to the Learning Support Department;
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The Pastoral Care System that exists in the College disseminates the relevant information on a need to know basis;
SUCCESS CRITERIA It is our aim that: •
Every individual student achieves a standard relative to his/her ability;
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Students with Special Educational Needs participate in all aspects of school in an effort to realise their full potential;
MONITORING & REVIEW PROCEDURES This policy will be reviewed by the: •
Principal;
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Deputy Principal;
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Learning Support Department;
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And school teaching and support staff.
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