Rathkeale College - Learning Support

Supporting students who have been identified as having special needs
 
Definition:
Students who are identified as having special needs are those students who need extra assistance, adapted programmes or learning environments, specialised equipment or materials in order to access the curriculum and develop to their full potential in a range of settings.
 
Actions:

• Students with special educational needs are identified and monitored. 
• Details of students identified as having learning, medical, behavioural, emotional and social difficulties are collated by the Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and kept in a Special Needs Register.
• Appropriate interventions are put in place to ensure their current needs are met.
• Funding which is provided for students with special needs is used to provide assistance to enable them to progress at their optimum level.  This assistance may take the form of personnel, specialised teaching aids, books, staff training or programmes.
• Outside expertise provides support for students with special needs as necessary.
• Individual Education Plans (IEPs), Individual Behaviour Plans (IBPs), contracts or action plans are developed for students if required eg all ORRS funded children, RTLB students, students with teacher aides.
• Identified students are assessed and, where appropriate, an intervention is put into place. This intervention may include, support in the classroom, individual withdrawal, Correspondence School courses, individual programmes etc. Close contact is maintained with staff and parents and the effectiveness of the intervention is regularly reviewed and modified as required. Records of the interventions are maintained.