SEN Policy 28 Nov 2023

Arklow C.B.S.

Special Educational Needs Policy

A WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH

ARKLOW C.B.S.

AMENDED OCTOBER 2023

ARKLOW CBS (AN EDMUND RICE SCHOOL)

Table of Contents

Introduction, Mission Statement and Aims

Inclusion in Arklow CBS

Categories of Special Educational Needs

Rationale of SEN Policy including Aims & Objectives of our SEN Policy

Special Educational Needs Team

Communication

SEN Model of Organisation in Arklow C.B.S.

Summary and Description of Continuum

Organisation of SEN Support

Behavioural Plans

Exemptions of Irish and Foreign Languages

Priority Areas for Development

Appendix A Teaching and Learning

Appendix B Roles and Responsibilities of SEN Team

Appendix C Roles and Responsibilities of SNA Team

Appendix D Student Support Plans

Appendix E Student Support Plan Template

Appendix F Personal Pupil Plan

Appendix G Class Assessment of Need Form B

Appendix H SET Planning Form A

Mission Statement

As a school, we endeavour to provide an atmosphere which will forge positive relationships and connections, building confidence, resilience and independence in our students while challenging all our students to develop their talents and abilities to their highest potential.

We aim to nurture our students in a supportive and caring community to develop into well rounded individuals that are prepared for life.

Arklow CBS is a Voluntary Catholic Secondary school under the Trusteeship of the Edmund Rice School Trust. We are guided by the Edmund Rice School Charter:

Nurturing Faith, Christian Spirituality and Gospel-based Values
Promoting Partnership in the School Community
Excelling in Teaching and Learning
Creating a Caring School Community
Inspiring Transformational Leadership

Our Aims

Arklow CBS aims to provide an education that enables all students to contribute meaningfully to their communities, embrace the rights and responsibilities of active citizenship and develop the knowledge and skills needed to live, learn and work in the 21^st century.

Our School Ethos

The Board of Management of Arklow CBS upholds the ethos of the school, ensuring that it is:

learner-centred, based on values of equality and human rights.

The staff at Arklow CBS keep the ethos and vision of the school visible and alive for everyone, so that they are experienced, by all members of the school community, and visitors to the school. A broad, balanced education curriculum is provided. The ethos, based on values of equality, human rights and active citizenship, permeates all teaching and learning in the school, thus challenging students to develop their own strong moral code. The school provides a caring, nurturing, safe and supportive environment, with positive teacher-student relationships. No one feels like an outsider and everyone is supported to reach his or her full academic and social potential.

Our Vision

Our vision is of a welcoming, inclusive, vibrant community where every member feels a real sense of belonging in a school characterised by the following features

SEN Vision.jpg

Section 2: Inclusion in Arklow CBS

Special educational needs (SEN) are defined in the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 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 from a person without that condition...”

As per our school admission policy, Arklow CBS welcomes students with special educational needs (SEN) and endeavours to “provide that the education of people with such needs shall wherever possible take place in an inclusive environment” (Education for Persons with Special Needs Act 2004).

The application process for a student with special educational needs will be the same as that of any other applicant. However, in order to assess the needs of an SEN student, the school authorities will meet with the parents/guardians to discuss the student’s needs and the school’s ability to meet those needs. A copy of the student’s educational, medical, or where appropriate psychological reports will be requested prior to enrolment. Arklow CBS will strive to ensure that an education appropriate to their needs is provided for students with special educational needs and will seek to: identify the needs of students in advance, acquire the necessary resources, and do all that is reasonable to accommodate the needs of a person with a disability by providing special treatment or facilities if required. All students with additional educational needs are supported in the use of ICT and any assistive technology being used by them.

We aim to ensure that Arklow CBS provides an inclusive and supportive environment for all our students, supports the acceptance of diversity and will take proactive steps to guard against unfair treatment because of disability or special need. Team Teaching is also an important teaching mechanism within the school and is also used to support students with additional educational needs in order to provide resource and learning support that promote inclusion and the enjoyment of learning for everyone (models of team teaching in Appendix A). We recognise that all our students are entitled to an education appropriate to their needs including those who may be gifted and talented and we endeavour to facilitate all our students reaching their full potential by providing a level of challenge equal to each student's ability through differentiation, additional materials and an accelerated rate of learning.

Additional Arklow CBS policies and supports that are also relevant to the area of special educational needs and advocate inclusion include our:

Admissions Policy
Anti-Bullying Policy
Code of Behaviour
Guidance and Counselling Policy
Student Support Team
Wellbeing

This Special Education Needs policy document of Arklow C.B.S. aims to outline the additional educational support for students with Special Educational Needs (SEN). It is written in the context of the Education Act 1998 (amended 2012) and takes account of the Education for Persons with Disabilities Act (EPSEN) published in 2004.

The S.E.N. policy will be reviewed annually and bases its rationale on the principles laid out in the EPSEN Act which state that:

“The education of people with SEN shall take place in an inclusive environment with those who do not have such needs”.

“People with SEN shall have the same right to avail of and benefit from, appropriate education as do their peers”.

“That people with SEN leave school with the skills necessary to participate, to the level of their capacity, in an inclusive way in the social and economic activities of society and to live independent and fulfilled lives.”

(EPSEN Act 2004)

Categories of Special Educational Needs

The various categories of Special Educational Needs, the definitions of these categories, and the criteria for the allocation of additional resources and the procedures for application are set by the Department of Education and Skills (DES) and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and are as follows, but not limited to:

Physical disability
Hearing impairment
Visual impairment
Emotional disturbance and/or behaviour problems
Severe emotional disturbance and/or behaviour problems
Mild general learning disability
Borderline general learning disability
Specific learning disability
Moderate general learning disability
Severe or profound general learning disability
Autism/autistic spectrum disorder
Pupils with special educational needs arising from an assessed syndrome
Specific speech and language disorder
Multiple disabilities

Section 3: Rationale of SEN Policy

Our SEN policy aims to outline our commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all our students. This commitment is underpinned by the ethos, aims, vision and culture of Arklow CBS and our patrons and guided by relevant legislation.

The Education Act (1998)
The Equal Status Act (2000)
The Education (Welfare) Act (2000)
The Equality Act (2004)
The Data Protection Acts (1988, 1998 and 2003)
The Freedom of Information Acts (1997 and 2003)
The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (200
The Disability Act (2005)

This policy reflects our current practice in Arklow CBS in relation to facilitating and promoting a whole school approach to special educational needs.

Aims and Objectives of our SEN Policy

To facilitate the social, emotional and educational (including literacy and numeracy) and physical wellbeing of students with special educational needs.
To ensure that Arklow CBS is an inclusive learning environment that enables students with special educational needs to live a full life and to realise his or her full potential as a unique individual through access to an appropriate broad and balanced curriculum.
To enable students with special educational needs to function as independently as possible in society through the provision of such educational supports as are necessary to realise that potential.
To help students with special educational needs develop the skills they need to continue learning in adult life.
To ensure that parents/guardians are involved in decisions about their children’s education.

Section 4: Special Educational Needs Team

The overall responsibility for the provision of education to all students, including students with special educational needs, lies with the Board of Management and under current legislation the principal of the school has the overall responsibility for ensuring that the special educational needs of students are met.

To facilitate the organisation and provision of education for students with special educational needs in Arklow CBS, we have identified both the internal and external SEN team members below.

Arklow CBS’s Internal SEN Team

Principal
Deputy Principal
Special Educational Needs Coordinator
Resource Teachers
Learning Support Teachers
Mainstream Teachers
Mainstream Teachers with Resource Hours
Guidance Counsellors
Special Educational Needs Assistants (SNA)
Students

Arklow CBS’s External SEN Team

Arklow CBS Board of Management
Parents
External Agencies
External Support Services
The Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO)

During the 2023-2024 academic year our internal SEN core team comprises of the SEN coordinator and 4 Special Education Teachers.

Mainstream Teachers

At the beginning of each school year, the SEN co-ordinator updates the SEN register and communicates the needs of First Year students with SEN to mainstream teachers.
SEN is on the agenda at staff meetings when the need arises to inform staff of SEN matters.
Information is also communicated via the Year Head and Student Support Team.
An SEN Teams is available to all staff members, where they can access and read Student Support Plans, check targets, download resources etc.

The roles and responsibilities of the SEN team are outlined below in Appendix B.

Section 5: Communication

All communication is done in a respectful, timely and confidential manner and follows best practice guidelines in relation to data protection and school policies.

SEN Team

The core SEN team meet once per week to ensure best practice in relation to the supports being provided to our students. These meetings can be formal or informal. In formal meetings, minutes are taken. There are also meetings with senior school management, meetings with external agencies, staff meetings, in-service training and staff training. Teachers will also have regular meetings with learning support teachers regarding students in class support.

SEN Register

At the beginning of each academic year a SEN Student Register is compiled and circulated to all teachers and to the SEN team. This register includes details in relation to student’s name, class and year, category of SEN, amount of support allocated, type of supports provided.

Record Keeping

All SEN records and individual SEN student files are kept in a secure file in the principal’s office and on staff only Teams Account. Best practice guidelines in relation to data protection are followed.

Parents & Guardians

Communication to parents is facilitated through our open day and information evenings, letters/phone calls/VSware texts to parents, student journal, parent-teacher meetings, meetings with SEN team.

External Agencies

Communication and meetings with external agencies e.g., NCSE are organised and attended as appropriate.

Section 6: SEN Model of Organisation in Arklow CBS

Identification Process & Screening

We encourage parents to meet with us to discuss their child’s specific needs and our school's capacity to meet the child's needs. We request that all relevant documentation and information is forwarded to us. Where diagnosis/reports are deemed inadequate or out of date, the Principal/Board of Management may insist that the parents/guardians obtain an up-to-date Educational Psychological Report. In general, the NCSE do not rely on reports which are older than 4 years.

Members of the SEN team visit all feeder students to ensure that we can prepare to support all our incoming students. We facilitate the transition from primary school for students with additional educational needs through a visit to Arklow CBS during the summer. As part of our transition programme and first year induction, we ensure that students with SEN are included and supported in their initial experiences in our school. Additionally, all students take the CAT4 exam as part of their entrance test.

Assessment – monitoring, tracking

All students listed on our SEN register have an SSP which facilitates the tracking and monitoring of specific targets and progress including specific interventions, levels of support, assessments and referrals.

Models of SEN Support

The NEPS continuum of support is used as a framework to provide support to all students with SEN. The support provided is based on the nature and extent of their individual need and is reviewed annually.

Summary and Description of Continuum

Whole-School & Classroom Support (Support for All)

Intervention at a whole school level as a proactive approach. Support for All is focused on our main student body. This phase of intervention supports and promotes positive student behaviour and wellbeing. Support for ALL aims to support and promote positive student learning and behaviour.

Key elements of this approach are:

Creating positive learning environments
Best practice in teaching, with a diversity of learning opportunities
Establishing and teaching clear behavioural and learning expectations for students
Having a system for reinforcing and monitoring students
A student support team
Listening to the voice of the student

The focus in Support for All is on preventative approaches and identifying needs through whole school systems. Interventions at this level arise directly from the information gathered. Interventions will tend to be local, specific and relatively low-key and would normally reflect the good practice already evident in schools. For example, a student who is having difficulty settling might be supported by the class tutor and perhaps be allocated a peer buddy. Where a subject teacher is aware of a student struggling with curriculum content, that student might be offered differentiated homework, or teaching methods might be adapted. Additionally, students about whom there are significant concerns may be discussed at the Student Support Team and interventions agreed may address the needs of groups of students, or individual students.

School Support (Support for Some)

Though most student’s initial needs will be met through classroom-based interventions, in some cases interventions at the Support for All level are not sufficient to fully meet the student’s educational needs. A School Support Plan may be needed. In primary schools, the decision to initiate a School Support Plan is usually taken as a result of the review of a Classroom Support Plan, by the class teacher and parent(s)/guardian(s), in collaboration with support teacher(s) in the school. In post-primary schools, the decision to initiate a Support Plan may follow actions already taken at the Support for All phase, such as a meeting of the Student Support Team, or the outcome of school-based screening and monitoring.

School Support Plus (Support for Few)

Intervention at this level is for students who have significant difficulties and may require intensive, individualised interventions. Interventions at the School Support Plus stage are likely to include:

Student Support Plans (individualised and may include behavioural plans)
Involvement of additional professional input, such as from a psychologist/ speech and language therapists etc.
Specialist interventions.

The School Support Plus (for a few) process will be initiated if, in reviewing the Support Plan, it is agreed that the student is not making adequate progress, despite purposeful efforts. This process will generally involve external professionals and support services in a more detailed problem-solving process. It is expected that the students who are receiving support at the level of School Support Plus, will be those with greatest need.

Students needing support at this level will have their needs and interventions detailed and monitored in a School Support Plus Plan. A review of work already done at the levels of Classroom Support/ Support for All and School Support/ Support for Some, and contained within the student’s Student Support File, will provide important information for this School Support Plus Plan.

The School Support Plus Plan, together with reports from other professionals, consultation records and other relevant documents, will add to the body of information that is already contained within the Student Support File – allowing the school to continue to track the student’s progress and needs over time.

Steps in developing a Support Plan

The concerned teacher(s), parent(s)/guardian(s), and support teacher(s) share and record on-going concerns regarding the student’s progress in school, as well as noting the student’s strengths and interests.

The concerned teacher needs to involve the learning support/resource teacher(s)/ guidance counsellor/ Year Head in the problem-solving process at this point.

The School Support Plan will be informed by a more systematic gathering of information about the student, which may include diagnostic assessment and observation of the student’s learning and/or behavioural/emotional/social skills. This step in the process may be informed by data gathered when completing the Support Checklist.

The Support Plan is drawn up and signed by the concerned teacher/ support teacher(s) / guidance counsellor/ Year Head and parent(s)/guardian(s) and implemented for an agreed time span.

The plan is reviewed on an on-going basis. The School Support Plan, together with reviews, checklists used and other related documents (such as a record of consultation with the NEPS psychologist), will add to the body of information that is already contained within the Student Support File, specifically for that student. This allows the school to continue to track the student’s progress and needs over time.

Resource classes and learning support are offered and can encompass both academic and social and emotional support through various modes of team teaching, in class support, 1:1 support, small group support, differentiation, literacy and numeracy support, subject specific support,

Programme planning (curricular, SSP etc.)

An SSP is put in place for each student with SEN who has been allocated specific support by the NCSE guidelines. A PPP is put in place for any student with SEN who has NCSE approved access to an SNA. The student and parents are an integral part of this process. Guidelines in relation to SSP development and review are in Appendix D.

Timetabling

SEN timetable is scheduled after the mainstream timetable has been organised and issued to teachers. This is reviewed towards the end of each term.

Access to the Curriculum

All students are provided with the opportunity to access the mainstream curriculum in junior cycle and students’ needs are supported with advice in relation to optional subjects. Where appropriate, L2LP can be facilitated to ensure that students are both challenged and rewarded at an appropriate level. Students exempt from the study of Irish attend resource during this time. Other resource and learning support are arranged to best support each individual student.

Access to Resources

Rooms 24 and 11 are primarily used for resource. All school facilities and resources are available to our SEN students.

Examinations (in house assessment, SEC exams)

An extra examination centre is provided for SEN students during our in-house exams. Applications will be made to the State Examinations Commission for RACE provision for students with SEN sitting the Junior Certificate or Leaving Certificate.

Students may also be withdrawn from class and provided for within the SEN department because of low scoring (under 10th percentile) on CAT. In addition to this support may be offered for the following reasons:

Social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties
Referral from teacher/parents
In consultation with Management

Individual Behaviour Plan

A small minority of pupils may not be willing or able to comply with school / class rules to the same extent as other pupils. For these pupils, it may be necessary to devise an Individual Behaviour Support Plan. The concept of it being a support plan is important – we want to support the pupil towards behaving in a more appropriate and acceptable way.

There are several steps to an Individual Behaviour Support Plan. These are generally the steps that one might take:

Identify Problem Behaviours
Observe and Record Behaviour
Analyse Data Gathered
Implement Intervention Strategy
Evaluate the Intervention.

Exemptions of Irish and Foreign Languages

Incoming first years with Irish and Foreign Language exemptions are noted.
Certificates of exemption from the study of Irish and Foreign Languages must be submitted with the enrolment application.
The school will only consider granting an Irish exemption when a written request is made by the student’s parents/guardians and/or concerns are raised by teachers.
The most up to date guidelines set down by the Department of Education and Skills will be adhered to.
Where possible, withdrawal for Special Education provision is arranged for SEN students who do not study Irish, during Irish class. This is not guaranteed and is limited by timetable restrictions and staff availability and completed in accordance with the Guidelines for Post-Primary Schools, Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools (2007) and with parental consent.
Applications for Irish exemptions on the grounds of SEN are made by the SEN co-ordinator and signed by the principal.
Circular 0055/2022 relates to updated regulations concerning Exemptions from the study of Irish in Post-Primary Schools. This

sets out the exceptional circumstances in which consideration may be given to granting a student an exemption from the study of Irish.

Priority Areas for Development

Ongoing development of Wellbeing Programme in the school 2023
The development of a central staff location for access to SEN student support caseload (finalised in September 2023 for the 2023/2024 academic year)
Ongoing professional development for staff around special education.
Raise teacher awareness of differentiated teaching methodologies and continuum of support model in conjunction with SSE team.
Use of ICT in SEN in acknowledgement of current targets in our School Improvement Plan.
Implementation of Team Teaching.
Whole School Approach to SEN Planning Documents – all mainstream teachers must fill out a Class Assessment of Need Form, where they outline what targets are being set and the strategies being implemented. These forms are to be uploaded to individual department plans.

The Special Educational Needs Policy was:

Reviewed by SEN Team on the 15^th March 2021

Reviewed by the SEN Team on the 21^st March 2023

Reviewed by the SEN Team on the 26^th October 2023

Ratified by the Board of Management on 28^th November 2023.

APPENDICES

A) Appendix A

B) Appendix B

C) Appendix C

D) Appendix D

E) Appendix E

F) Appendix F