Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in …

1 Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in SchoolsNCSE POLICY ADVICE PAPER NO. 4 NCSE POLICY ADVICE PAPERS upporting Students with Special Educational Needs in SchoolsMay 2013 NCSE 2013 National Council for Special Education 1 2 Mill Street Trim Co. MeathT: 046 948 6400 F: 046 948 Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools iiiContentsIndex of Tables ..viForeword ..viiMessage from Sydney Blain ..ixAbbreviations ..xExecutive Summary ..3 A new model ..6 Pending implementation of new model ..8 Further recommendations ..91 Introduction .. Terms of reference.

2 State investment .. Continuum of NCSE policy advice .. Structure of paper ..192 Examination of Research and Policy Documentation .. Introduction .. Parental views on how Students with Special Educational Needs are supported in Irish schools .. Assessment and identification of Students with Special Educational Needs .. Purpose of assessment for Students with Special Educational Needs .. Limited availability of assessments .. Models of resource allocation .. Link between assessment of disability and allocation of resources .. Current resource allocation Monitoring and measuring outcomes for Students with Special Educational Needs .

3 Measuring outcomes: What, how, who? .. Individual education plans (IEPs) .. Monitoring outcomes .. National database .. Teacher education .. Developments in teacher education in Ireland ..36 iv Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Further professional development identified as required for teachers in Ireland .. Support staff in classrooms ..393 Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs .. Introduction .. The current system of identification and Before school .. At school continuum of support .. Review of the current system.

4 Summary of views expressed during consultation .. Strengths of the system .. What changes does the system require? .. NCSE policy advice: identification and assessment of Special Educational Needs .. The EPSEN Act, 2004 .. Why change the current model? .. One national system of assessment ..514 Supports Required by Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools .. Introduction .. What supports are currently available? .. Educational supports .. Health supports .. Review of current supports .. Summary of views expressed during consultation.

5 Strengths of the current system .. What requires to be reviewed? .. NCSE policy advice on supports required by Students with Special Educational Needs in schools .. Professional competence .. Early intervention .. Supports required by some children with Special Educational Needs to access education in the school setting ..65 Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools v5 resource allocation .. Introduction .. Current model for allocating additional teaching and care supports .. allocation of additional teaching supports.

6 allocation of additional care supports .. Other supports .. Review of the current system .. Summary of views expressed during the consultation process .. Strengths of the current system .. What requires to be reviewed in the system .. NCSE policy advice .. Why change? .. Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 .. Proposed new resource allocation model for mainstream classes .. Essential elements required to underpin a new model of resource allocation .. Enrolment policies and practices .. allocation and deployment of resources in mainstream schools should be in line with Students learning Needs and Robust indicators of Special Educational Needs must be developed and agreed.

7 Potential risks and benefits pertaining to the introduction of the new model .. Short-term changes to strengthen and improve current system .. Designation of Special schools as national Access to Special schools and classes .. allocation of teaching supports to Special schools and classes ..104 Appendices ..109 Appendix 1 Setting the Scene: Historical and Current Context ..109 Appendix 2 The Consultation Process ..142 Appendix 3 Framework for the Professional Development of Teachers ..158 Appendix 4 Summary of Support Needs ..163 Appendix 5 List of Recommendations.

8 165 References ..172 vi Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in SchoolsIndex of TablesTable 1: Expenditure on Special education 2004-11 ..16 Table 2: Numbers of Students in Special schools and classes as % of total school population ..17 Table 3: Teaching hours allocated per category of disability ..115 Table 4: Staffing ratios for each disability category ..115 Table 5: Approximate number of Students for whom resource teaching hours (RTHs) were allocated to schools for low incidence disabilities for the academic year 2012-13 ..118 Table 6: No of Special classes for each disability category 2012 13.

9 119 Table 7: Designation of Special schools ..120 Table 8: Numbers of new applications approved for assistive technology (AT) for academic year 2012-13 by disability category ..121 Table 9: Primary school capitation rates 2012 ..123 Table 10: Capitation expenditure ..123 Table 11: Number of Students receiving transport support for academic year 2012 13 ..124 Table 12: Accommodation suites for primary and post-primary schools ..125 Table 13: Maximum grant for ancillary services ..127 Table 14: Reasonable accommodation in certificate exams ..129 Table 15: Breakdown of approved funding for SESS for 2010-12.

10 135 Table 16: Breakdown of funding for SESS 2012 ..135 Table 17: Schools included in the DEIS scheme ..136 Table 18: From SERC to here ..138 Table 19: Special schools by county and category ..138 Table 20: Participants in consultation process ..157 Table 21: Summary of support Needs and the type of support that may be required ..163 Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools viiForewordThe NCSE has a vision of a society where children and adults with Special Educational Needs receive an education that enables them achieve their potential. We are very pleased therefore to respond to the Minister s request for advice on how Students with Special Educational Needs should, in the future, be supported in timing of this request was particularly apt given that it is now twenty years since the Special Education Review Committee (SERC) published its landmark report on Educational provision for children with Special Educational Needs .