top of page

Special Education Needs

Special Education Needs

Introduction

St. Columba’s National School is a primary school under the patronage of the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin. It is a mainstream primary school, catering for a full cross section of children. The purpose of this SEN policy is to provide practical guidance for staff, parents and other interested parties in the provision of effective learning support to pupils experiencing low achievement and/or learning difficulties, as well as to fulfil our obligations under the Education Act 1998. Since June 2013, SET must now also provide support to newcomer children to promote the pupil’s development of English language proficiency so that he/she can gain access to the curriculum and ultimately access the same educational opportunities as his/her English-speaking peers.


Rationale

The purpose of this policy is to: 

- provide practical guidance to staff, parents and other interested parties about our SEN procedures and practices. 

- outline the framework for addressing additional needs in our school. 

- comply with legislation (Education Act 1998, Equal Status Act, 2000, fulfil DES circular 0013/17 Circular to the Management Authorities of all Mainstream Primary Schools; Special Education Teaching Allocation, and new 2017 Guidelines for Primary Schools: Supporting Pupils with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools).


Aims of the Policy 

St. Columba’s N.S. is committed to helping all our pupils to achieve their full potential. The provision of a quality system of SEN support teaching is integral to this commitment. Through the implementation of our SEN policy we aim to: 

- support the inclusion of children with SEN in our school 

- develop positive attitudes about school and learning in all our pupils 

- ensure that the Staged Approach/Continuum of Support is implemented 

- optimise the teaching and learning process in order to enable pupils with learning difficulties to achieve adequate levels of proficiency in literacy and numeracy before leaving primary school (Guidelines for Schools, p15) 

- enable pupils to participate in the full primary school curriculum at a level suitable to their abilities

- support appropriate differentiation in the classroom 

- support pupils’ development both socially and emotionally 

- involve parents in supporting their children

- promote collaboration among teachers in the implementation of whole-school policies on special education for our pupils. 


Specifically, this policy aims to outline our procedures and practices of how we

- identify special educational needs in our pupils

- allocate resources to effectively meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs 

- track, monitor, review and report on the progress of pupils with special educational needs 

- communicate information between the SET team, principal, staff and parents/guardians.


Principles of SEN Support 

The provision of SEN support in St. Columba’s N.S. is guided by the following principles: 


  • Direction of resources towards children with the greatest need.

  • Effective whole-school policies. 

  • Implementation of a staged approach to support provision at Class Support/School - Support/School Support Plus levels.

  • Provision of the model(s) of intervention appropriate to the individual child, including the withdrawal model, in-class support model, individual/group work, or a combination of the above.

Identifying Pupils with Special Educational Needs - A Continuum of Support

We use the Continuum of Support Framework set out by the Department of Education to identify and support children with SEN. We recognise that special educational needs occur along a continuum, ranging from mild to severe, and from transient to long-term and that  pupils require different levels of support at different stages, depending on their identified additional needs. By using this framework a staged approach is implemented to ensure that our support and interventions are incremental, moving from class based interventions to more intensive and individualised support, and are informed by careful monitoring of progress. The Continuum of Support is a problem-solving model of assessment and intervention that enables us to gather and analyse data, as well as to plan and review the progress of individual pupils.


Stage 1: Classroom Support 

Classroom Support is the most common, and typically the first response to emerging needs. It is a response for pupils who have distinct or individual educational needs and who require approaches to learning and/or behaviour which are additional to or different from those required by other pupils in their class. Problem-solving at this level typically begins when a parent or teacher expresses concerns about an individual pupil. The class teacher and parents, with support from the SET when necessary, discuss the nature of the problem and consider strategies which may be effective. Classroom Support incorporates the simple, informal problem-solving approaches commonly used by class teachers to support emerging needs.


Stage 2: School Support 

In some cases, interventions at classroom support level are not enough to fully meet the pupil’s

special educational needs. School Support may, therefore, be required. The class teacher will involve the Special Education Team in the problem solving process at this point and it will include a gathering of information and the development and monitoring of a School Support Plan.


Stage 3: School Support Plus

If a pupil’s additional educational needs are severe and/or persistent, they are likely to need intensive support. School Support Plus will generally involve personnel outside the school team in the problem solving, assessment and intervention process. However, the information from Classroom and School Support interventions will provide the starting point for problem-solving at this level.


Order of Priority in which additional supports are allocated: 

Cognisant of the principles outlined in DES Circular 0013/2017 and the accompanying guidelines, St. Columba’s N.S. will allocate support to pupils as follows:

 

1. Those who present with the highest level of complex needs 

2. Early intervention in the Infant classes

3. Those experiencing difficulties with literacy i.e. scoring at or below the 12th percentile/ STen 3/not reaching criterion (1st Class) based on the results of standardised tests

4. Those experiencing difficulties with numeracy i.e. scoring at or below the 12th percentile/ STen 3/not reaching criterion (1st Class) based on the results of standardised tests

5. In Class Support / Power Hour

6. Those requiring English language support.


Student Support Profiles:

A Student Support Profile is opened for pupils who enter any level of the Continuum of Support while enrolled in St. Columba’s N.S. This file is a tool to record and track a pupil’s pathway through the Continuum of Support. The Student Support File facilitates teachers in documenting progress and needs over time and assists them in providing an appropriate level of support to pupils in line with their level of need. Following a period of intervention and a review of progress, a decision is made as

to the appropriate level of continuing support required by the pupil. This review may result in a decision being made to discontinue support, to continue support at the same level, or to move to increase or decrease the level of support provided. As special educational needs can vary from mild and transient to significant and enduring, educational planning reflects the level of need of each individual pupil. SSPs are reviewed in February and June, and at other times if deemed necessary.


Roles and Responsibilities:


The Principal 

As outlined in the Learning Support Guidelines (2000, P.39) the Principal, in consultation with the Board of Management, has overall responsibility for the school’s SEN programme and for the operation of services for children with Special Educational Needs. 


Board of Management 

The Board of Management has an important role in developing, supporting, and monitoring school policy on Special Educational Needs. 


SEN Co-ordinator

The SEN Co-ordinator: 

- Works on the development of the school plan for Special Educational Needs. 

- Oversees the implementation of a whole-school assessment and screening programme to identify children with very low achievement and/or learning difficulties so that they can be provided with the support they need. 

- Collaborates with the principal, SEN Team, class teachers, SNAs, external agencies (if appropriate) and parents/guardians of SEN children. 

- Keeps SET Teachers, class teachers, SNAs, and parents/guardians informed about relevant external assessments and Special Educational Needs services that are available. 

- Maintains a list of children who are receiving SEN support. 

- Collaboratively coordinates the caseloads/work schedules of the SET Team.

- Liaises with external agencies such as psychologists, family doctors, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, NEPS and the Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) to arrange assessments and special provisions for children with Special Educational Needs. 

- Collaborates with SET Team/class teachers in identification, screening, and referral procedures. 

- Ensures that all documentation relating to children who receive additional support is properly filed and secured. 

- Facilitates regular meetings between SET Team and SNA Team.


Class Teacher

The Class Teacher has primary responsibility for the progress of all children in his/her class, including those receiving Special Education provision. 

The class teacher: 

- Liaises regularly with parents/guardians on their child’s progress

- Facilitates the implementation of various models of support provided by the SEN Team

- Liaises initially with parents/guardians to make them aware of any difficulties their child may be experiencing. 

- In conjunction with the SET Team, uses classroom observations and standardised, screening, and diagnostic test results to highlight the child’s required level of support

- Collaborates with the SEN Team, SEN Teacher, and SNA on Student Support Profile

- Attends Student Support Meetings with parents/guardians, SEN Teacher, and SNA.


Special Education Teacher (SET)

SET refers to any teacher employed by the Board of Management in a Special Education Teaching role and includes what were once termed Learning Support Teachers, Resource Teachers and EAL Teachers. The SET helps to provide an education which meets the needs and abilities of children assessed as having a specific disability (as outlined in Circular 02/05) and/or children who are

experiencing low achievement as documented in standardised and/or diagnostic tests. 


The type of support offered to the pupil depends on the child’s individual needs and may take the form of:

 - curriculum support 

- life and/or social skills training 

- physical training/gross motor skill development 

- oral language development 

- behaviour modification and wellbeing programmes 

- development of anger management strategies 

- a combination of some/all of the above


The SET:

- Maintains relevant weekly/fortnightly/monthly plans on a child/group of children in receipt of Special Education Teaching. 

- In conjunction with the class teacher, implements various in-class models of support 

- In collaboration with the class teacher, gathers information on children to create a profile of children experiencing difficulties

 - In consultation with the Class Teacher, administers relevant screening and/or diagnostic tests to children who have been identified as experiencing difficulties. 

- If necessary, liaises with outside agencies (e.g. psychologists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists) on providing support and input on the teaching of children with Special Educational Needs.

 - Develops a Student Support Profile to address the needs of children experiencing low achievement as reported in relevant standardised and/or diagnostic tests

Early Intervention Strategies Intervention programmes can be an effective response to meeting the needs of children with low achievement, particularly in the areas of Literacy and Numeracy.

 

These programmes:

- are set within a specific time frame. 

- occur within the classroom setting.

 - are based on a shared expectation of success by everyone involved.

 - focus on oral language, meaningful reading activities and development of comprehension skills.

 - engage the children in frequent activities at an appropriate level of difficulty

- stress the interconnected nature of speaking, listening, reading and writing. 

- focus on language development in numeracy, and in the development of mathematical procedures and concepts.


Implementation and Review

The original policy was fully implemented by 2006. Since then, there have been several reviews of the policy. This current review is the sixth review. The Policy for SEN will be reviewed at the end of every third academic year, or more often as circumstances may warrant. This review was undertaken in June 2024.

bottom of page