 Castleknock Community College will use the resources provided by the
County Dublin VEC /Department
of Education and Science to make reasonable provision and accommodation
for students with disabilities
or special educational needs. These students are free to participate in
the life of the College in so far as is
reasonably practicable. While recognising and fully supporting parents’
rights to have a College of their
choice for their children, the College’s ability to accept students with
particular needs are dependent on the
supply of resources, suitable to the needs of the individual student,
being supplied by the Department of
Education and Science/ County Dublin VEC.
The Learning Support Department in conjunction with The Board of
Management needs to
be aware of any special needs as early as possible, so that these needs
can be assessed and addressed if
possible.
In making provision for special students the information is required to
be
included with any application to the college:
Has the student had access to any of the following?
- Special needs assistant or classroom teacher.
- Special classes.
- Help, for specific needs, from any resource teacher.
- Assistance with behavioural modification.
- Psychological Assessment. Report to be provided in strict confidence
to the College.
- Any additional resources to help with their special needs.
- Help in areas including, visual impairment, hearing impairment,
general learning
disability or emotional disturbance.
- Any resource in relation to travel or mobility.
The Board of Management, having gathered all relevant information and
professional documentation,
assesses how the needs of the special needs students can be met.
Final confirmation of a place, may in exceptional cases, be given when
the Department of Education and
Science/ County Dublin VEC /College confirm that the necessary resources
are in place.
Note: It may take some time for the Department of Education and Science/
County
Dublin VEC to process such applications. Parents are strongly advised to
inform the College
as early as possible and discuss their particular situation well in
advance of making application.
As soon as is possible, but not later than 21 days, after a parent has
provided, the relevant information, the
Board of Management shall make a decision in respect of the application
concerned and inform the parents
in writing thereof. Education Welfare Act (Section 19, (3)).
The Learning Support Department is committed to providing a
comprehensive and effective learning
support service for students. This will enable students who have special
educational needs to access
their curricula and achieve their full potential.
The Role of the
Learning Support Department
Our role is to provide a proficient and responsive learning support
service, which keeps
up-to-date with changes in curriculum, syllabi, teaching and support
methods.
Within an appropriate framework of support, we assist students
to function as independent, autonomous learners.
We are committed to the principles of equal opportunities for all.
How the Learning Support Department Operates:
We function on a withdrawal basis. This means that the students attend
support sessions
either on a one-to-one or in small group situations with their assigned
tutor in the Department’s suite of
rooms. These rooms are fully equipped with Information Technology
assistive equipment and software.
Assessment on Entry:
All students complete Entrance Assessments, which screen for basic
skills in literacy and numeracy
competency. This information, coupled with the informal information
obtained from the feeder primary
colleges assists in identifying those students with special educational
needs. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) should
forward any relevant information on their child’s learning that may
assist the Learning Support Department.
Review on Progress:
From information gathered from the initial assessments, an
individualised negotiated
educational programme is put in place for each student. Regular reviews
of pupils’ progress
are maintained and parents are informed of these.
Duration of Learning Support Provision
The Learning Support Department is responsible for providing an intense
intervention programme for those
students with special educational needs in order to facilitate their
full re-integration within the mainstream
system. The duration of this provision will be determined by the
students’ progress. Special Arrangement when sitting State Exams
The Department of Education & Science may grant special arrangements to
students with learning
difficulties. Each application is assessed on an individual basis. The
Learning Support Department
is responsible for the submission of these applications to the
Department. An up to date
psycho-educational assessment is not necessary, though if one exists it
can be forwarded
with the application.
The options of provision granted by the Department of Education &
Science are:
- To have question papers read to the candidate.
- Candidates may be permitted to record their answers on tape recorder
or word processor.
- Candidates qualify for exemption from spellings and grammatical
components in
language subjects.
If a student avails of one of the afore-mentioned provisions in the
course of a language subject, then this will
be indicated on the examination certificate. An asterisk will appear
next to the subject and a supplementary
report will accompany this.
Our positive commitment to facilitating an effective learning support
system will provide an
environment, which will promote, enhance and further develop the
acquired skills of
the pupils with learning difficulties. |
