Spec Educ Policy May 2021

Arklow C.B.S.

Special Educational Needs Policy

Section 1: Introduction, Vision, Aim, Ethos of Arklow C.B.S.

Section 2: Inclusion in Arklow CBS & Categories of SEN.

Section 3: Rationale, Aims & Objectives of our SEN Policy.

Section 4: Our SEN Team.

Section 5: Communication.

Section 6: SEN Model of Organisation.

Section 7: Appendices.

Section 1: Introduction

Arklow C.B.S. is a Voluntary Catholic Secondary School and was opened by the Christian Brothers in 1961 to provide a second level education to boys in Arklow in the Edmund Rice Tradition. The school runs under the guidance of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust. Students come to Arklow C.B.S. from a variety of primary schools in Arklow and the surrounding areas. Student engagement is fostered through a strong emphasis on positive education, which includes a focus on the wellbeing and learning of all our students.

The five key elements of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust Charter are

• Nurturing faith, Christian spirituality and Gospel-based values.
• Promoting partnership.
• Excelling in teaching and learning.
• Creating a caring school community.
• Inspiring transformational leadership.

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:

Our Aims

Arklow C.B.S. 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 C.B.S. upholds the ethos of the school, ensuring that it is:

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

The Principal and leadership team keeps 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. Everyone is supported to reach his or her full academic and social potential.

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 C.B.S. 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 also be requested. 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 individual programmes 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 C.B.S. 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 C.B.S. 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 every 3 years and bases its rationale on the principles laid out in the EPSEN Act which states 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 C.B.S. 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 C.B.S. 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 C.B.S. 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 C.B.S., we have identified both the internal and external SEN team members below.

Arklow C.B.S.’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 C.B.S.’s External SEN Team

• Arklow C.B.S. Board of Management
• Parents
• External Agencies
• External Support Services
• The Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO)

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 SEN team meet on a regular basis in order 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. Best practice guidelines in relation to data protection are followed.

• Parents & Guardians

Communication to parents is facilitated through our open evening 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 request that the parents/guardians obtain an up-to-date Educational Psychological Report.

We 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 C.B.S. 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 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.

Continuum of Support

Summary and Description of Continuum

Whole-School & Classroom Support (Support for All)i.e. All Students

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)e.g., Irish Exemption Students

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. 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.

A range of interventions may be used, some short-term and some long-term. These may include:

• A process of consultation and planned intervention
• Group /and or individual plans and interventions
• Subject goals
• Accommodations to support learning and social interaction

School Support Plus (Support for Few) e.g., ASD Students

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.

Organisation of SEN Support

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 learning support 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 a number of steps to an Individual Behaviour Support Plan. These are generally the steps that one might take:

1. Identify Problem Behaviours: Make a record of all the inappropriate / problem behaviours being exhibited by this pupil. Identify one that causes most concern / that you would like to change, or perhaps identify one that you think you have most likelihood of succeeding with.
2. Observe and Record Behaviour: Having selected one behaviour, document each time this behaviour occurs. The purpose of this is to get a baseline record of the behaviour. In this process, you can note exactly what is happening, when it is happening, who is present at the time, and what is the intensity of the behaviour.
3. Analyse Data Gathered: Once the recording phase has passed, an analysis of the data may be able to answer the following two questions: What does this data tell me? What can I do about it?
4. Implement Intervention Strategy: This can be the difficult part. We need to identify ways of helping / encouraging the pupil to change his/her behaviour to a more acceptable behaviour.
5. Evaluate the Intervention: Assess after one day / week / month whether the plan is working or not. If not, think about whether it is worth persisting with it for more time or to try a different approach. At this stage, communication with all parties is vital – consult with other staff members, parents and with the pupil to get their views on how the support plan is working.

Ratified by The Board of Management on 25^th May 2021.

This SEN policy will be reviewed every 3 years.

APPENDICES

A) Appendix A

B) Appendix B

C) Appendix C

D) Appendix D

E) Appendix E

F) Appendix F