From the Inclusivity Co-Ordinator

Providing Support

During the past scholastic year St Edward’s College strove to continue improving support and provide opportunities for our students, parents and staff. During this scholastic year, the department consisted of 46 LSEs who support students from Kindergarten to Year 11, the Assistant INCO and the INCO. There was a total of 127 students who are supported or were being followed closely by this Department. Head of Sections, Literacy Support Teacher, Student Support and other administrative staff also contributed in some way or another towards the optimal functioning of this department for the benefit of the students.

Preparations for the scholastic year started as from June 2021 where work was done to allocate LSEs to students. Allocations looked to pairing the LSE’s knowledge, character and skillsets with the strengths and needs of the student. The collection of the student choices in Year 9 was also carried out during the summer months to be able to schedule timetables for LSEs in the Middle School given that there were several shared students in that section choosing different subjects.

LSE recruitment was held through the summer as well as during the scholastic year. When the allocations were finalised, a handover between the LSEs, teachers, and the INCO was done to ensure a smooth transition for the students. During this stage communications with the Heads of Sections was imperative. To initiate communications with parents, LSEs sent an introductory email with the aim of getting to know each other and leaning about the student/s through the parents.

Believing in open communication with parents, during the summer months several meetings were also held with parents of new entrants to get to know the students better and collect valuable information and reports. With the parents’ consent, this information was to be passed on to the prospective LSEs or used to apply for statementing.

To keep on improving the quality and experience of our students in College, a revised edition of the booklet ‘Happy Learners: Knowing our students’ needs students’ learning needs’ was issued. This newly compiled booklet for educators consisted of information about learners with diverse needs and strategies to support the learner in class. This resource was made available and easily accessible on the staff’s section on the College website.

The parents of students who were to sit for SEC or benchmark exams in 2022 were contacted during the summer months to make sure they would have enough time to compile the reports needed to apply for the exam access arrangements. To make sure that all the students have the access arrangements recommended by the professionals and agreed with the parents, a new record system was created. In preparation for the exams, collaboration with the LSEs, Heads of Departments, the Logistics Coordinator and Exams Secretary was put in place to ensure the smooth running and set up of accessible exam papers as well as for the logistics of the examinations.

An informative meeting with all LSEs was held as an introduction for the scholastic year with regards to the new role of the INCO assistant and the logistics of the department for the year. Training was also given to the LSEs with regards to daily practice, the new improved format of documents to be used for report writing, including the IEP document, student profiles and daily record sheets. Feedback on the documentation used during the previous year was collected during the summer months from the LSEs and the new format was based on this feedback and the evolving needs of the department. Information sheets were also provided as a take home and for reference. Mentoring and supervision of LSEs and their practice carried on throughout the year to give quality support to the students. Internal tutoring was also done for LSEs who were following courses to improve their knowledge and skill to give quality support to the students.

Formal meetings with the parents were held twice during the year, once at the beginning of the year to set up the goals to be worked on and another meeting towards the end of the year to review these set goals and pave the way for the next scholastic year. Present for these meetings together with the parents and INCO where the LSEs, and depending on the section, teachers and Heads of sections were also present. Being open to work in collaboration with other professionals who work with children, these professionals were also invited to give their input during this meeting.

Meetings between the INCO and the LSES, teachers and Heads of Sections about the students as well as student observations were held to monitor progress and development of the students and also to support the teaching team with strategies and appropriate intervention that can be used to support the children. Other meeting with parents were also held according to needs. The Inclusivity Department was always open to communication with parents and College staff to discuss any developments and queries.

To continue improving quality and assurance LSE files were monitored and feedback was given to the LSEs to keep on improving their practice. A new filing system with regards to the student files and the office files was also put in place to eliminate duplication of reports, make sure that all student files were returned to the office with the necessary information and to have a better handover between one LSE and another. Also, a record system has been compiled with student information to support the daily needs of the Inclusivity Department as well as for administrative purposes.

During this scholastic year, College policies and staff handbooks were updated. The Inclusivity Department also assisted, in both practical and research terms, in implementing actions that improve the school, inclusion, and the quality of education. Research and communications with post-secondary education institutions was carried out for the College to be able to give a better guide to students who fall under this department’s aegis. Inclusivity was prioritised for students during their breaks by encouraging them to join their peers. The students’ peers were also supported to understand diversity and accept each other. At College inclusive practices and ideas are woven into the curriculum and everyday practice. This is more fruitful as it is ongoing, the child is not put ‘on the spot’, and it targets inclusion not children, individually. When students preferred to participate or do another activity, their voices and choices were heard and taken into account, even if the college had to work within the restrictions and limitations which were experienced due to COVID-19.

As in other sectors, the pandemic brought several challenges to the department, two of which were the recruitment of LSEs and LSE replacements during the year. Fortunately, having LSES and other College staff who are willing to reach out and ready to give their support and cooperation, these challenges were challenges overcome.

Overall this was a successful year. From the challenges faced, this was a learning experience which makes the Inclusivity Department stronger and motivated to keep on working for the best of our students.

Clara Cremona Head of Inclusivity Co-Ordination