St Joseph s Institution International SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS POLICY

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1 St Joseph s Institution International SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS POLICY 1. SEN Philosophy and Rationale We come to our definition of Special Educational Needs in Section 2 below, but in a real sense we all have our own special learning needs, so we should readily recognise and support the learning needs of everyone in our community. Our Mission Statement encapsulates both aspects: enabling youth to learn how to learn, and to learn how to live, empowering them to become people of integrity and people for others. The Catholic Lasallian ethos of SJI International places central importance on the value of every individual student as part of the community. As our Vision Statement says, we aim to nurture students who are sensitive and considerate in their dealing with other people, lack prejudice and are enterprising in establishing relations with people who are different from them, are willing to accept responsibility in society, particularly in order to serve others, are risk-takers, willing to seek challenging experiences that will facilitate their personal growth, strive to make full use of their talents. In line with the IB teaching philosophy, we aim to encourage students to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people with their differences can also be right (IB mission statement 2004). In the field of SEN, the IB philosophy and practice are particularly significant. Difference and diversity are central in the IB World Schools where all students enrolled in the IB programme should receive meaningful and equitable access to the curriculum (SEN within the IB programme 2010) In keeping with our Mission Statement and the IBO values, at SJI International we strive to recognize and meet the academic, emotional and pastoral needs of all students in order to guide them to reach their full potential in an enjoyable and successful manner. Staff members at SJI International are fully committed to providing a high quality education to every student who attends our school. We firmly believe that all students have an entitlement to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum that is accessible to them, and that they have the right to be fully included in all aspects of school life. We recognise the strengths of every student and ensure that all are given the opportunity to contribute to the social and cultural activities of the school. We recognise that students learn at different rates and that there are many factors affecting achievement, including ability, emotional state, age and maturity. We also believe that many students, at some time in their school career, may experience difficulties which affect their learning, and we recognise that these may be long or short term. 1

2 We believe in equal opportunities and try to meet the physical, emotional and intellectual needs of all students. To that end, we endeavour to monitor students who are not making adequate progress in the four broad areas of: communication and interaction; cognition and learning; behavioural, emotional and/or social development; and (sometimes) sensory and/or physical development. We believe that all practitioners are teachers of students who are experiencing learning difficulties and that they will provide differentiated teaching strategies, resources and material according to the needs of the students in their classes. 2. Definition of SEN Pupils have SEN if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special education provision to be made for them.' Pupils have a learning difficulty if they: a) have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age; or b) have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the international community of school c) are under compulsory school age and fall within the definition at a) or b) above or would do so if special education was not made for them. The school recognises that provision for pupils with special educational needs is the responsibility of the whole school and that all teachers are teachers of pupils with special educational needs. 3. English as an Additional Language and SEN Pupils must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught. Lack of competence in English must not be equated with learning difficulties or special educational needs, as understood by the SEN Code of Practice. Nevertheless, when pupils for whom English is an additional language make slow progress their subject teachers should not assume that this is due to their language status; they may indeed have learning difficulties. The identification and assessment of the special educational needs of young people whose first language is not English requires particular care. It is necessary to consider the young person within the context of (their) home, culture and community... SEN Code of Practice 2

3 Even in schools with a designated SENCO and Teacher/Department of EAL (English as an Additional Language), responsibility for this initial identification belongs to subject teachers and tutors. 4. Special Educational Needs Objectives To identify, assess and provide support for all students of SJI International with Special Educational Needs. To provide a programme of appropriate screening and assessment that will enable the school to identify, at the earliest possible opportunity, all students with special educational needs. To ensure that appropriate resources are available to support in the identification, assessment, implementation and monitoring of special educational needs. To ensure that all students with special educational needs are included as fully as possible into the life of the school and are treated no less favourably than other students are. To ensure that full use is made of supporting agencies outside the school. To support and guide staff on issues relating to the implementation of the Individual Educational Plans for all students. To ensure that liaison between special educational needs and all departments is ongoing and that staff are aware of the needs of students with special educational needs. To consider Special Educational Needs across all curriculum areas and all aspects of teaching and learning. 5. Admission SJI International s admission procedure aims to identify the academic abilities of prospective students. Provision for students with learning difficulties is a whole school matter. All students who are admitted into school are fully integrated unless it would be incompatible with the efficient education of other students, and there are no reasonable steps that can be taken to prevent incompatibility. We endeavour to ensure that appropriate provision is made to cater for their needs. 6. The management of SEN provision in the School A Learning Development Department Coordinator, Mrs Leggeri, has been recently appointed. Her role is to identify the students who have additional needs and coordinate their support in collaboration with the Head of Pastoral, Mrs Susi Teo, Pastoral Team, the Head of Senior School and the IB coordinator. Mr Roberts, the Principal of SJI International, oversees the programmes of studies of all students in the school while Mr Glew, Vice Principal Academic, line manages Special Educational Needs. 3

4 The LDD coordinator aims to identify as early as possible, those students who need additional help and to offer them the maximum possible effective support. The nature of this support depends on the needs of the student. The LDD Coordinator is currently working on the identification and assessment procedure of SEN. In the near future, SEN support provision will be implemented. Some SEN support will take place within the classroom setting alongside the mainstream teachers. SEN support will also involve a withdrawal from the lesson, so that the LDD teacher may teach the lesson in a small group setting. Some SEN students may qualify for individual withdrawal support. We work closely with all parents and carers and listen to their views, so as to build on students previous experiences, knowledge, understanding and skills to help them develop in all aspects of the curriculum. Early identification, assessment and intervention are recognised as the key to meeting the needs of the individual student. Parents and carers will normally be the prime experts on their own children. Parents will always be kept informed of any additional or different provision being given and invited to contribute to and attend any review meetings about their child. We aim for all the students to receive a broad and balanced curriculum, relevant to the needs of the individual. Access to the curriculum is therefore facilitated by whatever means necessary to ensure that success is achieved. We encourage all mainstream teachers of SEN students to: 1. set suitable learning challenges 2. respond to students' diverse learning needs 3. find means of overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of students. 7. Procedures for Identification and Assessment We are committed to the early identification and intervention of the needs of SEN students. The school s system for regularly observing, assessing and recording the progress of all students together with the Tutor/Tutee system is used to identify those students who are not progressing satisfactorily and who may have additional needs. The school system includes essential reference to information provided by: Grade 6 INCAS Elementary School results, PLSE results for external students Grade 6 SEN Referrals Previous academic records Standardised screening and assessment tools (Midyis,Yellis, Alis, Reading tests, end of year exams) Ongoing teacher assessment Observation of behavioural, emotional, and/or social development 4

5 Concerns raised by teachers by LDD referrals Assessments from specialised services Analysis of examination results Once this data is collected, the SEN register is drawn up. The students are categorised according to whether they are considered candidates for School Monitor (i.e. the mainstream teachers monitor the SEN students progress and provide appropriate differentiation to meet their needs.), for School Action (i.e. that all the necessary support can be met within the school), or for School Action Plus, which, as the name implies, means that the school refers the student for outside expert help, in addition to support offered from within the school. 8. Monitoring and Review The SEN policy is subject to a regular cycle of monitoring, evaluation and review. The members of the LDD staff are constantly aware that they work under the equal opportunity ethos of the school and are directly linked to the school policy and Mission Statement. The LDD Coordinator is creating a filing system for all our students with special educational needs. The LDD Coordinator recognises that there is a constant continuum of needs and ensures that all the appropriate records are reviewed, updated and are available when needed. These are always ready for parents/carers to see and can be a source of invaluable information for teachers in other classes/the next school/further educational establishments. Plans are in place to purchase software (IEPs writer) which will enable us to produce Individual Educational Plans for all SEN students in the school. The IEPs will be written in collaboration with the mainstream staff so that subject- specific tasks can be implemented. The IEPs will be re-assessed and reviewed twice a year. All students are entitled to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum. We foster an inclusive ethos with high expectations and suitable targets. Progress for that entitlement is continually monitored using a range of strategies. All the information gained is used to support future planning in order to aid the progress of the student. 9. A school-based Graduated Response to SEN Action Who is involved? What is involved? Next steps Monitor The class teacher responsible for the pupils. The LDD coordinator who is recording the pupils progress. The teacher plans for the activities to be given the pupils at the appropriate level of need for success and progress to be achieved. If, after observations in a variety of contexts and in discussion with parents/ carers, a pupil is not making adequate 5

6 progress, an individual education plan (IEP) is considered. School Action The teacher responsible for the pupil informs the LDD Coordinator of the concern and with advice obtained, an IEP is written in consultation with the parents/carers and the pupil. The IEP is implemented in the class. Additional and/or different activities /resources are used to meet the needs of the pupil. Suggestions for support at home are considered with the parents/carers. IEP is reviewed regularly. Most pupils should make progress with the additional help but if the targets and strategies implemented in the IEP mean that adequate progress is not made, advice is requested from outside agencies. School Action Plus The LDD Coordinator requests advice from an external agency. A new IEP is devised from the additional guidance given and the teacher involved delivers the plan of action. The IEP is implemented in the class using the strategies and additional/different resources suggested. The LDD coordinator delivers individual or in-class support. IEP is reviewed regularly. The majority of pupils will make progress with the further advice and intervention but if the targets and strategies do not result in adequate progress, then all the parties involved will contribute evidence to request in-class or individual specialised support from outside agencies. 10. The Differentiated Curriculum The curriculum on offer to all students will, by necessity, be differentiated for those with learning difficulties, in order to ensure their entitlement of access and to promote their equality of opportunity. The responsibility for planning for SEN students remains with the subject teacher, in consultation with LDD colleagues. The LDD Coordinator is planning to deliver training on differentiation and support strategies and will regularly discuss techniques with mainstream teachers. The role of all members of the LDD department involves advising and modelling differentiated strategies to the mainstream staff. The mainstream curriculum may be differentiated in a number of ways, including: Materials relating to the subject being taught may be made with a specific teaching point in mind and may be presented to the SEN students or sometimes incorporated into the mainstream lessons. A support teacher may choose to focus on a particular aspect of the curriculum and reinforce concepts which may have been 6

7 misunderstood or missed out by the SEN student in previous lessons, or even in a previous year s work. Offering materials in alternative audio, video or digital / computer formats The introduction of summary sheets or glossary terms The use of additional illustrated maps or text books to be used alongside the those offered in the mainstream classroom The use of DARTs (Differentiated Activities Relating to Texts) in relation to Humanities and Literacy skills Scanning mainstream worksheets and using a computer to make cloze passages Differentiating the class work by OUTCOME, e.g. asking for less volume of work from a SEN student, so that they experience the satisfaction of completing the task but in not so much depth. Or, asking for only two relevant paragraphs from the SEN students while expecting four from other class member Offering scaffolded work sheets and accepting scaffolded work as a final and not simply a first draft Offering plenty of practice in class with mathematical concepts while the rest of the class is completing a number of other activities The use of quickly drawn spider graphs to confirm the relationships between ideas and concepts Offering multiple choice answers to the key concepts being taught (this can be done quietly and verbally) Encouraging access to specialised websites which make learning a fun activity Acting as a scribe for brainstorming the ideas and then allowing the student to copy his/ her ideas at a later time 11. When the Differentiated Curriculum is Not Sufficient When a period of differentiated curriculum support has not resulted in the student making adequate progress OR where the nature or level of a student s needs are unlikely to be met by such an approach, further provision of SEN support may need to be made. Further support may be indicated by the presence of some or all of the following factors There has been little or no progress made with existing interventions Additional support is required to develop literacy or numeracy skills Additional support is required for emotional, behavioural or social development Additional support is required for sensory or physical impairments Additional support is required for communication or interaction needs 7

8 It becomes clear that there is little improvement in the communication and interaction needs that are acting as a barrier to learning or is interfering with social relationships Additional diagnostic requirements may be needed and a student may then possibly be referred to an Educational Psychologist for diagnosis and consultation. 12. The Role of the Support Teacher The main role of the support teacher is to work in close partnership and in a collaborative manner with the subject teacher. This is a difficult role to perform in practice as there is no timetabled time for full collaboration outside the lessons being taught. Nevertheless the support teacher is in a position to share her/his work with the mainstream staff and must devise ways of familiarising herself/himself with the curriculum being taught. While physically in the classroom, the support teacher can tackle such tasks as: interpreting the work through simplifying the language and using one or more of the range of differentiation techniques quoted above. encouraging the students to tackle tasks through presenting them in smaller bite-sized steps helping students remain on task by providing encouragement and feedback, and introducing appropriate breaks or change in activity when appropriate, acting as a scribe in order to achieve the speed of noting the brainstormed ideas of the student(s) aiding learning by providing structured teaching in particular areas of difficulty helping with personal organisation and with any physical or medical needs constantly referring to the students IEPs to remind oneself of the targets and also to remind the subject teacher regularly of those targets which the students are working towards. The support teacher should, of course, be able to rely on the class subject teacher to provide her with copies of teaching materials, lesson plans/objectives, notice of homework etc, to ensure that their classroom partnership is a productive one. 13. Arrangements for Partnership with Parents/Carers Staff and parents/carers work closely together in identifying students with additional needs. Staff and parents/carers are fully involved in every stage of the education planning process. A letter is issued by the LDD Coordinator to all parents/carers whose children are recorded as having additional needs. When meeting parents we aim to discuss a student s strengths as well 8

9 as weaknesses. We advise parents/carers about specific and achievable ways in which the students can be supported at home. We aim to ensure that all parents/carers remain clear about the actions taken at home and at school and understand the methods through which the learning outcomes are monitored and reviewed. IEP targets include targets to work towards at home, and parents/carers are actively invited to contribute their views to this process. All IEPs will be copied and sent to parents/carers. Ideas and support for learning at home are fully discussed with parents and distributed upon request. We ensure that there is regular communication between home and school; we regularly contact parents/carers by letter and telephone in order to ensure that concerns on either side are promptly acted upon. The parents/carers can contact the LDD Coordinator to discuss any matter of concern with her at any time. 14. Student participation We encourage students to fully participate in their learning Where possible, students participate in all the decision making processes, including setting targets and contributing to their IEPs, discussing their choices, assessment of needs and in the review procedures. 15. IB, IGCSE and internal examinations Special Arrangements The Vice Principal puts in place special provisions for the internal tests (Grades 9-12, taken in July-October) and external examinations for IGCSE and IB (taken in October & November). The SEN students receive the necessary support - this can be in the form of extra time, a reader, rest periods, a prompter and, in some cases, an amanuensis. In order to identify the students who are in need of special provision in internal examination, the Vice Principal liaises with the IB Coordinator, the examination officer and the LDD coordinator. The IB coordinator and the IGSE examination officers submit the appropriate documentation for candidates with special educational needs in external examinations. It is the task of the LDD Coordinator to provide a summary of the team recommendations to support the formal application and, also, to contact the parents to apply for the SEN students EP/Medical s formal assessment. As with all matters relating to SEN, the parents/carers are kept fully informed. 16. Evaluating the Impact of the Learning Development Department The LDD department undertakes to analyse yearly all the assessment data that they hold on every SEN student. This data is used to track the student s progress in Literacy and Numeracy during the academic year This analysis of data also helps to inform the provision map for the 9

10 following academic year The LDD Coordinator reports the assessed progress of all SEN students to the Senior Management Team Whole school monitoring and evaluation procedures include sampling of work and observations. It is also essential to discuss the student s progress with the subject teacher/s of the classes where the student is receiving support. Outcomes pertinent to SEN provision and planning will be taken forward by the whole staff and used to build upon successful practice The SEN Policy will be reviewed annually by members of the LDD and SMT. 20. In-Service Training Opportunities Relating to Learning Development and Inclusion The LDD Coordinator, and/or LDD teacher, will attend seminars, when available, in order to update and revise the current trends and developments in Additional Needs Education and Inclusion. The LDD Coordinator remains informed about such developments through the means of regularly reading current educational articles and visiting dedicated websites. The School Development Plan will incorporate targets with the specific aim of addressing the issues Meeting Additional Needs and Inclusion, thus ensuring that the issues are regularly addressed and in the foreground of the planning of SMT and subject staff. The LDD Coordinator will facilitate in-house Additional Needs and Inclusion training via staff meetings and via the CPD sessions. Sylvie Leggeri (Head of LDD) September