School Policies

2007 - 2008

Code of Behaviour 2008

1. Aims:

(a) In devising this code, consideration has been given to the particular needs and circumstances of this school. The aim is to ensure that the individuality of each child is accommodated while acknowledging the right of each child to education in a relatively disruption-free environment.

(b) Every effort will be made by all members of staff to adopt a positive approach to the question of behaviour in the school.

2. Principles:

(a) The school recognises the variety of differences that exist between children and the need to tolerate these differences.

(b) It is agreed that a high standard of behaviour requires a strong sense of community within the school and a high level of co-operation among staff and between staff, parents and pupils.

(c) Every effort will be made to ensure that the code of discipline is implemented in a reasonable, fair and consistent manner.

School rules:

Safety: For my own safety and that of others-

(a) I should be careful coming to and going from school

(b) I should always walk while in the school building.

(c) I should remain seated at all times in class and while eating lunch

(d) I should walk while entering and leaving the buildings.

(e) Bring a note of explanation following absences

(f) I should never leave the school grounds without the permission of the Principal.

Caring for myself:

(a) I should respect my property, and myself always keeping my school bag, books and copies in good order.

(b) I should always be in school before the bell rings at 9.05a.m.

(c) I should show respect for my school and be proud to wear the complete school uniform every day.

(d) I should always be aware of my personal cleanliness.

(e) I should always bring a sensible, nutritional lunch to school which includes a sandwich or food of similar quality.

(f) I should always do my best in school by listening carefully, working as hard as I can and by completing my homework.

Caring for others:

(a) I should be kind and respectful to teachers and fellow pupils by being mannerly and polite, by taking turns and by remaining silent and orderly in my class line.

(b) I should behave well in class so that my fellow pupils and I can learn.

(c) I should always keep my school clean by bringing unfinished food and drinks, cartons, wrappers, etc.. home. I should show respect for the property of my fellow pupils, the school building and grounds.

(d) Be truthful and honest at all times.

Bullying:

I should never bully others. I should never allow others to bully me and if it happens I should tell my parents and my teacher. Bullying is always unacceptable. St Malachy’s is a’ bully-free’ zone.

Strategies

(a)Praise may be given by means of any one of the following:

· A quiet word or gesture to show approval

· A comment in a pupil’s exercise book

· A visit to another member of Staff or to the Principal for commendation/reward.

· A word of praise in front of a group or class.

· A system of merit marks.

· Delegating some special responsibility or privilege.

· A mention to parent, written or verbal communication.

· At an assembly of all pupils in school hall.

(b)Disapproval of unacceptable behaviour will be dealt with as follows:-

(The nature of the behaviour will determine the strategy)

· Reasoning with pupils

· Reprimand (including advice on how to improve).

· Prescribing extra work during Break and/or Lunch Time

· Prescribing extra homework

· Communication with Parents. Homework diary, telephone/email etc..

· Temporary separation from peers and/or loss of privileges.

· Referral to Principal

· Note to parents

· Meeting with parents

· Suspension/expulsion (in accordance with Education Welfare Act 2000)

Procedures:

The degree of misdemeanours i.e. minor, serious or gross, will be judged by the teachers and/or Principal based on a common sense approach with regard to the gravity/frequency of such misdemeanours, as follows

Examples of minor misdemeanours:

Interrupting class work / Arriving late for school / Running in school building / Talking in class line / Leaving seat without permission at lunch time /leaving unfinished food/drink cartons in class Leaving litter around school / Not wearing correct uniform / Being discourteous/unmannerly / Not completing homework without good reason / Not having homework signed by a parent / Endangering self/fellow pupils in class, the school yard and at break time.

Examples of steps to be taken by teachers when dealing with minor misdemeanours:

Verbal reprimand / reasoning with pupil

Noting instance of yard misbehaviour in yard book.

Prescribing extra work

Encouraging reformation

Examples of steps to be taken when dealing with regular occurrences of minor misdemeanours

Phase 1 (within the classroom)

Write punishment sheet Or one copy of school rules Or relevant rule repeatedly—all to be signed by parent

Note in homework journal to be signed by parent / Temporary separation from peers

Sending to another teacher / Denial of participation in some class activity.

Segregation from peers at break-times. Confined to a particular area of the yard.

Note to parents concerning further misbehaviour in yard

[Misbehaviour in yard consists of any action that puts the safety of self/other person at risk]

Phase 2:

1) Send to Principal

2) Class teacher meets one/both parents

3) Principal meets one/both parents concerning yard behaviour.

Examples of serious misdemeanours

Constantly disruptive in class / Telling lies / Stealing / Damaging other pupil’s property

Bullying / Back answering a teacher / Frequenting school premises after school hours without appropriate permission / Leaving school premises during school day without appropriate permission.

Not working to full potential / Using unacceptable language / Bringing weapons to school

Deliberately injuring a fellow pupil. Verbal abuse of peers. Damaging school property eg Graffiti, gouging on furniture/walls…

Examples of steps to be taken when dealing with serious misdemeanours

1) Send to Principal

2) Principal sends note in Journal to be signed by parent or letter by post.

3) Principal meets with one/both parents

4) 3 day suspension invoked by principal as has been agreed by the B.O.M.

5) Chairperson of Board Of Management informed and parents requested to meet with Chairperson and Principal to discuss child’s future behaviour.

Examples of Gross Misdemeanours

Setting fire to school property / Deliberately leaving taps/fire hose turned on

Aggressive, threatening or violent behaviour towards a teacher/pupil

Examples of steps to be taken when dealing with gross misdemeanours

1) Chairperson/Principal to sanction immediate suspension pending discussion with parents

2) Expulsion will be considered in cases of serious or gross misbehaviour in accordance with Rule 130 (6) i.e.

“ No pupil can be struck off the rolls for breaches of discipline without prior consent of patron and until alternative arrangements are made for enrolment of pupil at another suitable school in the locality”.

It should be noted that these lists consist of examples only: It is not meant to be a totally comprehensive list of misdemeanours and procedural steps.

School Policy on Bullying

Bullying is repeated aggression, verbal, psychological or physical, conducted by an individual or group against others.

A) Indications of Bullying / Behaviour:

Anxiety about travelling to/from school

Unwillingness to go to school

Deterioration in educational performance

Pattern of physical illnesses

Unexplained changes in either mood/behaviour

Visible signs of anxiety/distress

Possessions missing

Increased requests for money

Unexplained bruising

Reluctance and/or refusal to say what is troubling him/her

B) Procedures for noting and reporting incidents:

(a) All reports of bullying should be noted, investigated and dealt with by the class teacher so that pupils will gain confidence in telling. A special Incident Book will be kept in the office for this purpose only. Each teacher will keep a Behaviour/incident file for their class also.

(b) Serious cases should be referred immediately to the Principal

(d) Parents must be informed of the appropriate person to whom they can make their enquiries regarding bullying

(e) Pupils must understand that reporting is not ‘telling tales’

(f) Individual teachers should record and take appropriate measures in accordance with policy

(g) Non-teaching staff should be encouraged to report incidents. Discretion is important.

C) Procedures for investigating and dealing with bullying:

(i)Calm, unemotional problem-solving approach

(ii)Incidents best investigated outside the classroom situation

(iii) Teacher should speak separately to the pupils involved

(iv) Answers should be sought to questions of What, Where, When, Who and Why

(v) Members of a gang should be met individually and as a group

(vi) Meet parents of parties involved.

D) Programme for work with pupils:

Learning strategies should allow for the enhancement of each pupil’s self-worth – Cf. Stay Safe S.P.H.E.Lessons. Children will be consistently praised and rewarded for Good Behaviour

Incidents of concern will be recorded in the pupils’ individual school files. Each teacher will keep a behaviour record in class, which will be filed by the principal at the end of each school year

A further file, will be kept by the principal, to keep a record of consistent offenders.

An accumulation of continuous misdemeanours of a cyclical nature may result in suspension.

GENERAL RULES

(Not an exhaustive list as circumstances may call for alterations from time to time)

Clár ama na Scoile

School begins: 9.05a.m.

There is a staggered break system Session 1) 10.40a.m.-10.50a.m.

2) 10.50 a.m-11 a.m.

School Closes: 2.45p.m.

ALWAYS BE IN TIME FOR SCHOOL

Classroom

Children should be courteous and remain silent when a visitor enters the classroom.
Pupils should never leave the classroom without the teacher’s permission.
Bins provided should be used and a suitable candidate selected by the teacher as overseer.
Any child delivering a message to another class should knock on the door, enter, and seek permission if he requires to address the class. Children visiting the office should do same.
If a pupil wishes to address a teacher in class he should attract the teacher’s attention by raising a hand, he should then wait until the teacher is ready before making his contribution.

Corridor

A one way system operates for exiting and entering the school.
Children should never leave the classroom until directed to do so by a teacher.
Children should walk in single file on the RIGHT.
Only two exit/entrances are to be used unless in exceptional circumstances. They are Rear door adjacent to stage and front door at Principal’s office.
Children should leave the school grounds via Mullholland Ave. gate, Rear gate, or Anne St. gate.

School Yard

Pupils should use toilets on their way in or out at all breaktimes.
Play games on designated areas e.g. Pitches assigned to football.
Never run to line up after bell.
When entering the building, do so by designated door

REAR DOOR at all breaks CORRIDOR DOORS in the morning

Lunchtime

Eat lunch in class.
Take waste home
Packed lunches only.
Children may not leave the school at any time unless collected by a parent

Tours and excursions

Pupils representing the school on outings of any nature should behave properly at all times.

While wearing the school uniform Pupils are expected to be civil and mannerly at all times

Homework

It is the policy of the school to assign homework Mon to Thursday. Parents are strongly advised to take an active interest in their child’s homework and to sign their Homework Journal each night.

Duration of homework will depend on a number of factors - however we recommend between

1/2hour and 1 hour each night Mon to Thur inclusive. Signing by a parent indicates their satisfaction with work done. Signing should take place at least once a week THUR NIGHT preferably. This signing indicates a parents satisfaction with work completed for that week.

Special Educational Needs Policy

Introduction:

St. Malachy’s B.N.S. is an all boys primary school under the patronage of the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and caters for pupils from 2^nd to 6^th class. It is an ‘ordinary’ mainstream primary school, catering for a full cross section of children from mixed social and cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this SEN policy is to provide practical guidance for teachers, parents and other interested parties on 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 and the EPSEN Act 2004. The following pupils will receive supplementary teaching from the Learning Support Teachers and the Resource Teachers under the terms of the General Allocation Model outlined in DES Circular 02/05:

Pupils whose achievement is at or below the 10^th percentile on standardised tests in English or Mathematics.
Pupils with learning difficulties, pupils with mild social or emotional difficulties and pupils with mild co-ordination or attention control difficulties associated with identified conditions.
Pupils who have been identified as being in the low incidence category (Appendix 1 Sp. Ed. Circular 02/05) will receive an individual allocation of support through the Special Education Needs Organiser. (SENO)
Pupils who have special educational needs arising from high incidence disabilities (borderline mild general learning disability, mild general learning disability and specific learning disability).

The school currently has the following provisions to cater with Special Educational Needs and our Learning Support Team consists of:

One Learning Support Teacher.
One shared Learning Support Teacher ( 0.4 allocation ) shared with St. Malachy’s Infants School.
One Resource Teacher for children with special needs.
One shared Resource Teacher shared with St. Fursey’s N.S.

Access to and participation in the above facilities is governed by the following policies:

Learning Support Policy
Resource Teaching Policy

Implementation and Review

The implementation of this revised policy will commence in June 2008. It will be reviewed at the end of every third school year or as circumstances may warrant.

Ratification and Communication

The Board of Management of St. Malachy’s B.N.S. ratified this policy on 12^th March 2008.

A copy of this policy will be made available to teaching staff, parents of Special

Educational Needs pupils, other parents and any other relevant parties on request.

Learning Support Policy of St. Malachy’s B. N. S.

The Principal aim of Learning Support is to optimise the teaching and learning process so as to enable pupils with learning difficulties to achieve adequate levels of proficiency in literacy and numeracy before leaving primary school.

Specific Objectives of Learning Support

Through the implementation of this policy we strive to:

Facilitate pupils to participate in the full curriculum for their class level
Develop positive self-esteem and positive attitudes to school and learning
Enable pupils to monitor their own learning and become independent learners within their own ability
Involve parents in supporting their children’s learning
Promote collaboration among teachers

Guiding Principles

The school recognises that effective learning programmes are based on the following

Principles:

Effective whole-school policies
Whole school community involvement
Prevention of failure at a young level
Provision for intervention at the youngest level
Direction of resources towards pupils in greatest need
Collaboration with all educational partners

Prevention Strategies

As a means of preventing the occurrence of learning difficulties as far as possible, the following strategies are being implemented:

The developmental and implementation of agreed whole school approaches to language development, e.g. phonological awareness, and to the teaching of other aspects of English.
The development and implementation of agreed whole school approaches to the teaching of aspects of Maths, e.g. our whole school approach to the Language of Tables and Subtraction.
Promotion of parental understanding through their attendance at formal and informal Parent – Teacher Meetings as well as ongoing collaboration with Parents’ Association.
School circulars
Class-based early intervention by the class teacher resulting in provision of additional support
Ongoing observation and assessment of pupils by Class Teacher.

Selection of Pupils for Learning Support

Previous to any pupil being referred to the Learning Support Teacher the classroom teacher draws up a programme suitable to the pupil’s needs based on his/her observations.

The principle of Early Intervention applies; therefore pupils in lower classes are given priority in the allocation of Learning Support.

· Boys arriving into 2^nd Class in September of each year from the Infants School will have been given standardised tests that June, the results of which will have been passed on to the Learning Support Teacher. These results will be kept on file. Infant School Reports on each pupil will also be available.

· From 2^nd class upwards, all pupils are assessed annually, using appropriate standardised tests. Drumcondra Primary Reading Test – Revised and Drumcondra Primary Maths Test – Revised are administered and corrected by the Class Teacher. NRIT to be administered annually to all 2^nd and 5^th class pupils only. The results of these tests are collected and recorded by the Learning Support Teacher. These results are kept on file.

· Standardised Tests will be administered to any new enrolments not covered above by the Learning Support Teacher.

· Priority for Learning Support is given to those pupils who perform at or below the 10^th Percentile, excluding in the main, pupils who receive Resource Teaching or overseas pupils receiving Language Support.

· In the case of pupils performing at or below the 10^th percentile, the assessment process is followed by a meeting between the Class Teacher, the Learning Support Teacher and the Parents concerning the pupil’s performance and supplementary teaching is offered

· Written parental consent (see below for consent form) is sought for the conducting of diagnostic assessment and requesting permission for the child to attend Learning Support if required following diagnostic assessment.

· Available for diagnostic assessment along with the Drumcondra Revised Reading and Maths Tests are Aston Index, Jackson Phonics, Marino Test, RAIN Test, Graded Word Reading Test, Quest and WRaPS.

· Following diagnostic assessment by the Learning Support Teacher a further consultative meeting may be required to consider the outcome of the assessment.

I hereby give my consent for my son ___________________ to be given, if necessary, diagnostic tests by the Learning Support Teacher. I realise that following these tests my son may be selected to receive Learning Support for which I also give my consent.

Signed: _____________________________

Date: ________________________________

At this time I do not wish to give my consent to the above.

Signed: _____________________________

Date: ________________________________

In the allocation of places for Learning Support, the following are prioritised

Pupils who have special educational needs arising from high incidence disabilities (borderline mild general learning disability, mild general learning disability and specific learning disability).
Children in 2^nd class at or below the 10^th percentile in literacy.
Children in 3^rd class and 4^th class at or below the 10^th percentile in literacy.
Children in 2^nd class at or below the 10^th percentile in numeracy.
Children in 3^rd and 4^th classes at or below the 10^th percentile in numeracy –depending on overall caseload.
Support for children presenting with difficulties in literacy and numeracy in all classes.

Provision of Supplementary Teaching

· The primary work of the Learning Support Teacher is the provision of supplementary teaching to the pupils identified above.

· The school year will be divided into 2 instructional terms of approximately 20 weeks each.

· The maximum caseload at any one time shall be 30 pupils.

Classes will be intensive in terms of frequency.
A system of withdrawal and/or in-class support will operate in response to the needs of the pupils.
The Learning Support Teacher and Principal decide the size of groups, taking into account the individual needs of pupils and the overall caseload.
One to one teaching may be provided where small group teaching has not been effective and caseload permits.

The Class Teacher and the Learning Support Teacher under the direction of the Principal meet to devise Individual Learning Programmes (ILP) and/or Group Education Learning Programmes. Consultation with the parents may be considered at this stage. The pupils involved may also contribute to setting their own short-term targets.

Individual Learning Programme and Group Learning Programme

The individual learning plan/group learning plan will be in accordance with the criteria as advised in the Learning Support Guidelines, issued by the DES in 2000 and any other SEN publications. The plan will address the pupils’ full range of needs and will include:

Details from Class Teacher
Assessment results
Other relevant information, e.g. reports from other agencies
Learning strengths and attainments
Priority learning needs
Learning targets
Class-based learning activities
Supplementary support activities to include ICT
Home support activities

Each plan will be monitored through teacher observation; the keeping of planning and progress records and through the pupil’s own feedback.

A detailed review will take place at the end of instructional term. The Learning Support Teacher and/or Class Teacher may meet parents to discuss the child’s progress in the light of the review.

The Learning Support Teacher will maintain the following documentation in individualised files

Individual Profile Learning Programme
Short term planning and programme record
Other records, e.g. tape recordings of oral work
Samples of written work.
Reading analysis records.

Time-tabling

The provision of learning support is in addition to the regular class teaching in English and Maths.

Efforts are made to ensure that pupils do not miss out on the same curricular area each time they attend learning support.

The provision of learning support may include withdrawal of pupils from their classroom and/or in-class tuition. In-class support, if appropriate, will be jointly designed and monitored by the Class Teacher and Learning Support Teacher.

Continuing and Discontinuing Supplementary Teaching

In general children should not stay for more than two years in Supplementary Teaching unless they are still at or below the 10^th percentile.

Following the end of instructional term, review as detailed above, a decision is made to continue /discontinue the provision of supplementary teaching.

The criteria on which this decision is made include:

Has the pupil achieved some/all of the learning targets set?
Will the pupil be able to cope in the classroom-learning context?

A decision to continue the provision of supplementary teaching will result in a revision of the pupil’s ILP.

The decision-making process will involve consultation between the Class Teacher, Learning Support Teacher and parents. Account will also be taken of the overall learning support demands in the school.

Communication Strategies

The operation of an effective communication system between all parties involved in meeting the learning needs of the child is considered essential.

The various strands of this system include:

Discussing school policies with parents of SEN pupils and explaining how parents and teachers can work together for the benefit of pupils.
Informing parents of concerns regarding progress in school.
Outlining the school’s practice with regard to testing and follow up procedures.
Consultation between Class teacher and Learning Support teacher following a low score on a screening test
Consultation between Principal and/or Learning Support teacher and/or Class teacher and parents following a low score on a screening test, including the seeking of approval for diagnostic assessment and provision of supplementary teaching
Ongoing communication between the LST and the class teacher
Regular communication between the LST and parents.

Referral to Out-of-school Agencies

The LST co-ordinates the referral of pupils to outside agencies, e.g. Educational Psychologist.
The Principal and/or LST and/or Class Teacher meet with the parents to discuss the need for the referral and to seek consent.
The class teacher completes the necessary referral form in consultation with the appropriate school personnel.
The external professional visits the school to meet with the pupil, parents, principal, class teacher and the LST as appropriate and assessment is conducted.
This is followed by a return visit at which findings are discussed, recommendations are considered and an appropriate response is agreed.
Where concern arises regarding the manner or speed of the follow–through post assessment, the Principal with the out-of-school agency pursues such concern.

Roles and Responsibilities

The implementation of our policy will be supported as follows:

Principal

· To delegate functions and to co-ordinate Learning Support and Special Needs services

Learning Support Teacher

Assisting in the implementation of a broad range of whole school strategies designed to enhance early learning and to prevent learning difficulties
Development of individual profiles and learning programmes for pupils who are selected for supplementary teaching in consultation with the class teacher and parents
Maintaining plans for each individual or group of pupils in receipt of learning support
Delivering intensive early intervention programmes to pupils in younger classes.
Regular meetings with parents to discuss pupil’s progress
Providing teaching in English and/or Mathematics to pupils who experience low achievement
Contributing to the development of policy at the whole school level and at the cluster level where applicable
Liasing with class teacher on individual pupil’s needs and progress
Liasing with external agencies
Maintaining a list of pupils who are receiving supplementary teaching and special educational needs
Conducting diagnostic assessment.
Maintaining and reviewing pupil records
Liasing with Principal, teachers and parents.

Class Teacher

The class teacher has primary responsibility for the pupils’ learning needs within his / her class. Their responsibilities include:

Making parents aware of the concerns of the school about their child’s progress
Outlining the schools practice with regard to diagnostic testing and follow up procedures
Where required attending meeting between Learning Support Teacher and pupil’s parents
Consult and co-operate with Learning Support Teacher or Resource Teacher on pupil’s ILP
Be alert to the possibility that some children may have a specific learning difficulty and bring it to the attention of the learning support teacher
Modify class programmes to suit the needs of pupils
Where there is a classroom assistant outline their duties clearly for the instructional term

Parent

Support for and participation in their child’s learning
Provide a home environment in which there are opportunities for parent and child to participate together in language, literacy and mathematical activities
Implement suggested home based activities from the ILP
Keep the class teacher informed of any progress they observe or of any difficulties they observe in their child at home.
Participate in activities organised by the school that are designed to increase the involvement of parents in their children’s learning

Pupil

It is important for the students to have an input into the development, implementation and review of their own learning. By doing so they can:

become more independent as learners
become aware of different learning styles
become aware of their own strengths and weaknesses or needs
Enjoy success and evaluate their progress
Excel at and enjoy many curricular and extra curricular activities, which would not be practical in the mainstream class due to class size.
Develop ownership of the skills and strategies taught during supplementary teaching and apply these strategies and skills in their mainstream class situation

Board of Management

Oversee implementation and review of the Learning Support policy and the provision of adequate resources, accommodation and storage.

Provision of Resources

Resources for the provision of learning support include a variety of textbooks, library books and ancillary materials and oral language development materials.

A variety of testing materials are also in use, which include standardised, diagnostic screening, reading attainment, phonological awareness and Maths attainment.

Learning support resources will primarily be used in the learning support room.

The resources may be made available to class teachers following consultation with LST.

Success Criteria

The school-wide implementation of this policy will result in enhancement of pupil learning in the following ways:

Improved standards of academic achievement with the pupil’s individual learning programme
Enabling the discontinuation of the provision of learning support based on positive assessment results
Enhanced parental involvement in supporting their child’s learning needs
Increased opportunities for effective communication between school personnel in relation to pupils’ progress.

Resource Teaching Policy

Rationale

The purpose of this policy is to provide practical guidance for teachers, parents and other relevant persons on the provision of effective teaching support for children experiencing a learning disability or any special needs and to fulfil our obligations under the Education Act 1998.

Definition of Special Educational Needs

We understand Special Educational Needs to be that as defined in EPSEN Act 2004. Interventions with pupils will be delivered in a manner that best meets the needs identified, which may be through group or individual teaching.

Identification and Selection of Children with Special Needs

Concerns about children may arise in a number of ways:

Parents inform the principal or class teacher of a concern they have regarding their child.
Teachers may have a concern regarding a child in their class.
Concerns may arise following standardised testing.

Procedures to be Followed

Following in-class support and Learning Support the following procedures will be put in place to seek out of school assistance if thought to be necessary:

Having consulted with the teacher and parents involved, the Principal will seek appropriate assessment through the N.E.P.S. with a view to qualifying for support from the Resource Teacher.
In the situation where parents refuse to grant consent for their child to attend for either a psychological assessment or learning support, a record of the offer and its rejection will be kept in the child’s file.
The Education Welfare Act 2000 authorises the Board of Management with the consent of the parent of a child to arrange for a child to be assessed as to his or her intellectual, emotional and physical development. Such a person as may be determined by the Board with the concurrence of the parent will carry out such assessment.
Where a parent refuses to give consent the Board may apply to the Circuit Court for an order that an assessment of the child be carried out. (Section 10-5)

Aims of Special Needs Teaching

The aims of the Special Needs Teaching are:

To support as far as possible the inclusion of the child with special needs into the mainstream setting.
To develop positive self-esteem and positive attitudes about school and learning in the child.
To promote collaboration among the staff in the implementation of the whole school policies on special needs.

Role of the Resource Teacher

The role of the resource teacher is to provide support for children with special needs by:

Developing an individual learning programme for each pupil in consultation with other partners in education.
Assessing and recording the child’s needs and progress.
Setting specific time-related targets for each child and agreeing these with the class teacher and principal.
Direct teaching of the child, either in a separate room or within the mainstream class.
Advising class teachers in regard to adapting the curriculum, teaching strategies, textbooks, I.C.T. and other related matters.
Meeting and advising parents when necessary, accompanied by the class teacher as necessary.
Meeting with relevant professionals in the child’s interest e.g. psychologists, speech and language therapists and visiting teachers.

Timetabling

· The provision of special needs teaching is in addition to regular teaching.

· Time allocated to the child will depend on the demands on the service and the hours authorised by the SENO.

· Every effort will be made to ensure that pupils do not miss out on the same curricular area each time they attend except where a pupil has been exempted from a subject by the DES.

Likewise the school will endeavour to ensure that pupils do not miss classes they particularly enjoy such as Art, P.E. or Computer.

Role of the Class Teacher, Parents, Principal and Board of Management

The role of all the above in the education of children who have allocated resource teaching is as in the preceding section, i.e. the section on Learning Support.

Social Skills Group:

When required time may be allocated to a Social Skills Group. This group would comprise of children allocated Resource Hours who have trouble with communication and social skills. Included in this group may be other children who have been observed as having poor communication or social skills.

Provision for Especially Able Pupils:

The school is currently drawing up a draft policy on Especially Able Students. This policy will be based on most recent legislation and recommendations of the DES and NCCA. In the interim it is envisaged that Exceptionally Able Students will be monitored from an early age and any provision that can be made to enhance learning opportunities for them will be made.