patricianhighschool

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT (S.E.S.) DRAFT POLICY


SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT (S.E.S.) POLICY FOR THE PATRICIAN HIGH SCHOOL, ENCOMPASSING LEARNING SUPPORT (L.S.) POLICY & RESOURCE TEACHING POLICY. (INITIATED SEPTEMBER 2002, REVISED MARCH 2005)

1. AIMS

The primary aims of this school in providing Special Educational Support (S.E.S.) are:
" To develop pupils' self-esteem, confidence & feelings of achievement & fulfilment in accordance with the school's Misson Statement and related policies
" To prevent early school-leaving
" To increase the literacy skills of challenged pupils to the best of our ability
" To assist the general teaching staff with the educational management of pupils with special educational need (S.E.N.) where appropriate

2. SYSTEM OF ORGANISATION

2.1 Mixed ability teaching will continue in the school as a whole, as will withdrawal of individuals & small groups for the purpose of S.E.S..

2.2 The number of pupils receiving S.E.S., particularly in the area of L.S., in any one year may vary according to perceived pupil need & school resources. All efforts will be made to keep teaching groups as small as possible, two being the optimal number of pupils per class. Under no circumstances will there be more than four pupils in an S.E.S. class.

2.3 Pupils will be withdrawn primarily, though not exclusively, from French & Irish class periods.

2.4 One period of Learning Support (L.S.) per week will be devoted to administration of S.E.S. within the school community.


3. INVOLVEMENT OF THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY

3.1 INVOLVEMENT OF STAFF
3.1.1 Currently the S.E.S. Department comprises of one qualified L.S. teacher & two Resource teachers.

3.1.2 Decisions regarding pupils to be withdrawn may be made following consultation with some or all of the following:
" Principal & / or Deputy-Principal
" First Year Head / Guidance Counsellor
" L.S. teacher & / or Resource teacher(s)

3.1.3 L. S. for a particular student shall cease only following consultation with some / all of the above.

3.1.4 The L. S. teacher shall work closely with the Resource teachers in the school.

3.1.5 For the purpose of organisation, all general correspondence relating to Resource teaching / L.S. / S.E.S. / S.E.N. shall be directed to the L.S. teacher.

3.1.6 For reasons of practicality, the L.S. teacher shall also, when feasible, hold the post of Head of S.E.S..

3.1.7 The L.S. teacher shall be seen to teach senior & exam classes - at both higher & ordinary level.


3.2 INVOLVEMENT AND SUPPORT OF THE PARENTS

3.2.1 Parental permission will be sought before a child will be given L.S. class contact time.

3.2.2 Contact with parents can be made by phone, letter or in person. Normally the relevant L.S. / Resource teacher will make the initial contact. Letters will be jointly signed by the L.S. / Resource teacher & the Principal.



3.3 INVOLVEMENT OF STUDENTS

3.3.1 No pupil felt to be in need of S.E.S. will be compelled to attend S.E.S. against his will.

3.3.2 As far as practicable the personal interests / aptitudes of each pupil, as well as his areas of learning difficulty, will inform class content.

3.3.3 The L.S. teacher will have an 'open-door' policy as regards pupils feeling free to request help.


4. ASSESSMENT & REPORTING

4.1 ASSESSMENT & REPORTING (L.S.)

4.1.1 The NFER-Nelson GRT II, the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability (NARA) & the NRIT will be the primary tests used to help determine whether a pupil should be offered L.S..

4.1.2 The L.S. teacher will bring to the attention of other staff members any pupils who may need extra assistance.

4.1.3 Test records will be stored in the L.S. room.

4.2 ASSESSMENT & REPORTING (RESOURCE)

4.2.1 A National Educational Psychological Service (N.E.P.S.) assessment, the recommendations of which are subsequently confirmed by the National Council for Special Education (N.C.S.E.) via the relevant Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator (S.E.N.C.O.), is required in order for a pupil to benefit from resource hours.


5. SELECTION OF STUDENTS FOR S.E.S.

5.1 Factors, which will be taken into consideration when admitting pupils to L.S. may include the following:
" Primary school reports
" Psychological reports
" Results of Drumcondra Reasoning Tests
" NFER-Nelson GRT II
" Neale Analysis of Reading Ability (NARA)
" Teacher opinion
" Perceived likelihood of early school leaving
" Emotional / psychological condition of the child
" Desires of the parents and child

5.2 As stated above, a N.E.P.S. assessment, subsequently confirmed by the N.C.S.E. via the relevant S.E.N.C.O., is required in order for a pupil to benefit from resource hours.


6. MEASURES TO ENSURE S.E.N. PUPILS RECEIVE RELEVANT HELP

6.1 The S.E.S. Co-Ordinator / L.S. teacher will contact at the earliest opportunity feeder primary schools in order to ascertain the identity of vulnerable pupils who may benefit from S.E.S.

6.2 This information may also be sought directly from the parents / pupils.

6.3 The L.S. teacher will have an 'open-door' policy as regards pupils feeling free to request help.



7.TARGET AGE GROUPS & OBJECTIVES

7.1 The main target group for L.S. will be First Years. These pupils will be targeted more intensively than other years. The objective of S.E.S. in this school is that all pupils here will complete the Junior Certificate Exams, & that the vast majority will complete the Leaving Certificate Exams.

7.2 Resource hours are available only to those pupils who have satisfied the relevant requirements as outlined above.



8. DURATION OF L.S.

8.1 The duration of L.S. for any child will be determined by some / all of the staff members specified earlier in this document.

8.2 Attempts will be made to ensure that all pupils in need will receive at least three periods of Learning Support per week.



9. MATERIALS

9.1 The S.E.S. Department has, & will continue to have, a yearly budget, sufficient to maintain & upgrade its resources. A specific bank account exists to ensure that all S.E.S. monies will be available only for purchases / expenses relevant to the S.E.S. Department.

9.2 It has, & should maintain, access to its own computers & relevant software. It is envisaged that all S.E.S. teachers will eventually have access to private computers for the storage of confidential information.



10. DEVELOPMENT OF INCLUSIVE CURRICULUM

The school has an open door admissions policy & will continue to work at developing an inclusive school policy.



11. CERTIFICATION

11.1 Efforts are being made to provide school certification for boys who complete modules in S.E.S..

11.2 School management is investigating the possibility of adopting elements of the Junior Certificate Schools programme (JCSP).



12. LINKS WITH OUTSIDE AGENCIES

The S.E.S. Department will liase, as required, subject to legal restrictions, with various statutory and non-statutory bodies, which may or may not include the following:

" N.E.P.S.
" N.C.S.E. / S.E.N.C.O.s
" Agents of the Health Service Executives (H.S.E.s)
" Speech & language therapists

This list is not exhaustive.



13. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This school will endeavour to provide all teaching staff in general, & S.E.S. staff in particular, with opportunities for professional development in the area of S.E.N and S.E.S.



LEARNING SUPPORT POLICY FOR
THE PATRICIAN HIGH SCHOOL
(INITIATED SEPTEMBER 2002, REVISED MARCH 2005)

AIMS
The primary aims of the school in providing Learning Support are:
" To develop pupils' self-esteem, confidence & feelings of achievement & fulfilment
" To prevent early school-leaving
" To increase the literacy skills of challenged pupils to the best of our ability.

SYSTEM OF ORGANISATION
Mixed ability teaching will continue, as will withdrawal of small groups. Pupils will be withdrawn primarily, though not exclusively, from French & Irish class periods. One period of Learning Support per week will be devoted to administration of Special Education within the school community.

INVOLVEMENT OF STAFF
Decisions regarding pupils to be withdrawn will be made following consultation with some or all of the following:
" The Principal and / or the Deputy-Principal
" First Year Head / Guidance Counsellor and / or the Resource teacher(s)
" Learning Support teacher
Some or all of the same staff members shall decide when Learning Support for a particular student shall cease.

The Learning Support teacher shall work closely with the Resource teachers in the school. For the purpose of organisation, all correspondence relating to Resource teaching / Learning Support / Special Education shall be directed to the Learning Support teacher. For reasons of practicality, the Learning Support teacher shall also, when feasible, hold the post of Head of Special Education.

The Learning Support teacher shall be seen to teach senior & exam classes - at both higher & ordinary level.

INVOLVEMENT AND SUPPORT OF THE PARENTS
Parents' permission will be sought before a child will be given Learning Support. Contact with parents can be made by phone, letter or in person. Normally the Learning Support teacher will make the contact. Letters will be jointly signed by the Learning Support teacher & the Principal.

INVOLVEMENT OF STUDENTS
No pupils felt to be in need of Learning Support will be compelled to attend Learning Support against their will.

ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING
The NFER-Nelson GRT II, the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability (NARA) & the NRIT will be the primary tests used to help determine whether a pupil should be offered Learning Support. The Learning Support teacher will bring to the attention of other staff members any pupils who may need extra assistance. Test records will be stored in the Learning Support room.

SELECTION OF STUDENTS FOR LEARNING SUPPORT
The number of pupils receiving Learning Support in any one year may vary according to perceived pupil need & school resources. All efforts will be made to keep teaching groups as small as possible. Two is the optimal number of pupils per class. Under no circumstances will there be more than four pupils in a Learning Support class. Factors, which will be taken into consideration when admitting pupils to Learning Support, may include the following:
" Primary school reports
" Psychological reports
" Results of Drumcondra Reasoning Tests
" NFER-Nelson GRT II
" Neale Analysis of Reading Ability (NARA)
" Teacher opinion
" Perceived likelihood of early school leaving
" Emotional / psychological condition of the child
" Desires of the parents and child

PREVENTIVE MEASURES THAT COULD BE PUT IN PLACE
The Learning Support teacher will contact feeder schools prior to the end of the school year in an attempt to identify pupils 'at risk' at the earliest possible opportunity. This information may also be sought directly from the parents / pupils. The Learning Support teacher will have an 'open-door' policy as regards pupils feeling free to request help.

TARGET AGE GROUPS AND OBJECTIVES
The main target group will be First Years. These pupils will be targeted more intensively than other years. The objective of Learning Support in this school is that all pupils here will complete the Junior Certificate.

DURATION OF LEANING SUPPORT
The duration of Learning Support for any child will be determined by the staff members specified earlier in this document. Attempts will be made to ensure that all pupils in need will receive at least three periods of Learning Support per week.

MATERIALS
The Learning Support Department will have a yearly budget, sufficient to maintain and upgrade its resources. It has, & should maintain, access to its own computers & relevant software. It is envisaged that the Learning Support teacher will eventually have access to a private computer for the storage of confidential information.

DEVELOPMENT OF INCLUSIVE CURRICULUM
The school has an open door admissions policy & will continue to work at developing an inclusive school policy.

CERTIFICATION
Efforts will be made to provide school certification for boys who complete modules in Learning Support. School management will investigate the possibility of adopting elements of the Junior Certificate Schools programme (JCSP).