Special Educational Needs (SEN)

We promote equal opportunities and access to the curriculum for each individual. We offer support and guidance to each student so they can experience success in every aspect of second level. Our aspiration is that all individuals with special educational needs will become independent learners who enjoy learning. We hope that all individuals under our care feel included, valued and successful.

The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs

Introduction

Learning Support/ resource is a support structure in the school to assist students to develop their abilities and skills. We recognise that each student is an individual who learns in different ways and at different rates. Learning Support/ resource is the response to the needs of students.

 

Under the model support for all, some and a few the  DES has sanctioned a bulk of hours to the school to ensure inclusion of students with SEN. The school is obliged to use these hours to support all students in their care. Ms. Louise Kenny and Ms Alaine Behan are the SEN co-ordinators. They oversee the implementation of the school’s inclusion policy working alongside management and staff. They are assisted by a group of trained teachers who work as part of a team to meet the needs of the students in the school. 

Process

In trying to implement a comprehensive learning support/ resource service, the school has adopted the following processes:

Identifying students who need  Support

  1. Group screening/assessment of all first year students
  2. Individual assessment by the Learning Support teacher
  3. Referral from:
    • Subject teachers
    • Parents
    • Educational Psychologist
    • Counsellors
    • Deans / Form teachers
    • Care Team
    • Other Professionals
  4. Monitoring of school based examinations
  5. Previous Educational Assessments
  6. Information from Primary School
  7. Information given from parents or guardians before entry to school

Planning

Once the identification of students is complete, a profile to determine the needs of a student is put together using the following sources:

  • Individual assessments are administered to students. The school uses Woodcock Johnson IV, WRAT 5, NARA, MALT 5 to assess students who have a discrepancy in the group assessments.
  • Informal assessment in the Learning Support class.
  • Information from Educational Psychological reports
  • Information from subject teacher, Form teacher and Dean
  • Information from parents or guardians in regards to their strengths and difficulties
  • Information from the student on the strengths and difficulties they have in school

.Curriculum planning

Learning Support is integrated into the Curriculum, it is flexible and responds to the support needed for some. Learning Support takes the form in the following ways:

  • Reducing the curriculum for a specific student by one or more subjects
  • Withdrawal from class on a carefully timetabled basis, as not to impact on any one subject
  • The provision of an extra teacher for Maths and English
  • Timetabled classes for students with an Irish and/ or French exemptions
  • Team teaching in English and Maths
  • Intervention classes to support literacy, numeracy and language needs

Resource is based on the support needed for a few. It is flexible to ensure it doesn’t impede on the curriculum. Resource takes the form in the following ways:

  • Speech and language group to support students with expressive and/or receptive language difficulties
  • Nurture group  to support ASD students develop socially
  • Life skills group to support DCD students with skills necessary for success at second level and beyond
  • The nurture room to support emotional and social needs

We would encourage parents to make contact with the school regarding any concerns they have in relation to the progress of their child – academically, socially and/ emotionally.

 Co-ordinators:

Ms. Samantha Hughes – Deputy Principal

Ms. Alaine Behan

Ms. Sandra Corcoran

Contact number: (053) 9377308