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 reasonable 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.

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?

1. Special needs assistant or classroom teacher.
2. Special classes.
3. Help, for specific needs, from any resource teacher.
4. Assistance with behavioural modification.
5. Psychological assessment. Report to be provided in strict confidence to the College.
6. Any additional resources to help with their special needs.
7. Help in areas including, visual impairment, hearing impairment, general learning disability or emotional disturbance.
8. 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/ College confirm that the necessary resources are in place.

Note: It may take some time for the Department of Education and Science 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. EducationWelfare Act (Section 19, (3)).

The Learning Support Dept. 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 IT 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:

1. To have question papers read to the candidate.
2. Candidates may be permitted to record their answers on tape recorder or word processor.
3. 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.