Educating for a Better Future: Summary of Proceedings of the 2004 Seminar Series Living
Educating for a Better Future: Summary of proceedings of the 2004 seminar series “Living, Learning and Working with Special Educational Needs”
National Disability Authority
Contents
1. Foreword 4
2. Spring Seminar: Identifying and responding to Special 6
Education Needs
3. Summer Seminar: Special Education Needs provision 10
for children under six
4. Autumn Seminar: National organisations working with 15
Special Education Needs
5. Inside I’m Dancing: Including children with Special 21
Education Needs
6. The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs 26
Act 2004: Future directions in the education for persons with
Special Education Needs
7. List of Papers 30
1. Foreword
Two significant pieces of legislation to promote the participation of children with special educational needs in mainstream schools have been enacted during the past few years: The Education Act, 1998, and the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, 2004.
The 1998 Act states that the Minister for Education and Science must “ensure that there is made available to each person resident in the State, including a person with a disability or who has other special educational needs, support services and a level and quality of education appropriate to meeting the needs and abilities of that person”.
The 2004 Act commits the State to make further provision so that students with special educational needs have the same educational rights as other children. Educational plans for children with special educational needs must be developed and reviewed annually. Health Boards now also have a statutory role in supporting the education of persons with special educational needs. Alongside these legislative developments, there has been an increase in the resources provided to the sector, with significant increases in the numbers of resource teachers and special needs assistants employed to support students with special educational needs.
It was timely therefore that National Disability Authority (NDA) organised and hosted a series of four seminars on special education in 2004.
The spring seminar focused on home and school issues. “Learning to make do won’t do” was the title of one paper. This part of the seminar considered the impact of socio-economic disadvantage and special educational needs on families and on the schooling experience. The later sessions addressed identifying special educational needs through the school psychological services and responding to special educational needs at school.
The summer seminar addressed the issue of provision for children under six who have special education needs. Current services and the framework for early learning across all early childhood settings were discussed. The seminar included papers from the Centre for Early Childhood Development & Education and the National Council for Curriculum Assessment.
The autumn seminar examined State organisations that are contributing to special education. Three newly established organisations, the National Council for Special Education, the Special Education Support Services and the National Educational Welfare Board, made presentations.
Finally, in October, twenty-five children and their teachers from four different schools were invited to participate in a book reading and discussion, to mark Children’s Book Festival 2004. Children with special educational needs along with children without special educational needs attended this event, exemplifying how children with different needs can learn in an inclusive setting.
The document concludes with an overview of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004.
Dr A Kerins
Chairperson
2. Spring Seminar: Identifying and responding to special educational needs
Held on the 30th March 2004
The early part of this seminar addressed the extent to which poverty overlaps poor educational attainment. The “Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill”, precursor to the 2004 Act, was also discussed. The second part of the day focused on the process of identifying and assessing special needs in primary schools and how this work translates into practice in schools.
Paper 1: Learning to ‘make do’ won’t do.
John Monaghan, National Vice President, St Vincent de Paul Society
This paper highlighted how the struggle to pay educational expenses on an inadequate income can affect educational performance. Where economic disadvantage and special educational needs co-exist, the challenge is increased.
The paper’s main findings were based on a survey conducted by St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) of its volunteer members, the families who receive SVP support and teachers. Each group had a different perspective on the issue thereby creating a very rich, insightful picture.
While there were differences in priority and emphasis in a number of areas from each of the three groups, there was general agreement on what is needed to address educational disadvantage. One of the key suggestions from the survey was for more support for parents and teachers and increased funding for schools in order to reduce the pupil/teacher ratio and enable schools to attract and retain dedicated/skilled teachers. A further proposal was for an increase in specialised educational services such as breakfast, homework and after-school clubs, psychological services, home school community liaison, learning support, special needs, counselling and guidance support.
The main conclusion from the SVP study, taken from the experience of members, was that tackling educational disadvantage, especially in households with inadequate income, must start at pre-school or early primary school at the latest. Many children who experience educational disadvantage leave school early. The study concludes that the way to address early school leaving is to take action early. Doing something sooner rather than later has benefits for all involved – the child, his or her family, the teacher, the school, the community, and the economy.
Paper 2: Discussion of the “Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2003”.
Mary Meaney, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Advisor, National Disability Authority
The key elements of the Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill, which after its passage through the Oireachtas became the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004, were outlined in this paper. The Act is summarised in the final section of this document.
Paper 3: Identifying and assessing special educational needs
Trevor James, Psychologist, National Educational Psychological Service
In this paper the process of identifying and assessing special needs in primary schools was outlined. It has a three-stage approach. The first stage is where the teacher has concerns and undertakes informal assessment of the child. If found necessary, a plan for the child is developed which is reviewed after two terms. The second stage is when a learning support teacher is engaged. S/he follows a remedial plan which is reviewed after one term. If there are concerns about the child’s ability to learn, the final stage is undertaken, when a psychological assessment is undertaken by an outside specialist.
The purpose of the process is to identify the nature of the child’s learning difficulty, to provide evidence of eligibility for special provision, to advise teachers and parents on remedial strategies and to provide useful information to a help diagnosis. A review component should also be included in the process.
After an assessment, a report is typically sent to the parents of the child and the school involved, outlining the needs, strategies and resources. If appropriate, a referral is made of the child to another school. Alternatively the original school applies to the Department of Education and Science for additional resources, which the Department must verify and may sanction. There is nearly always a waiting time involved. At the end of this process an individual educational plan is drawn up.
Paper 4: Responding to special educational needs at school
Deirdre O’Connor, Irish National Teachers’ Organisation
This paper set out the practical considerations in primary schools when responding to a child’s special educational needs.
The pupil teacher ratio recommended for a range of special needs was explained. For mild/borderline general learning disability the pupil teacher ratio is 11:1. However this ratio is often expressed as the number of hours a pupil is given with a resource teacher per week. A ratio of 11:1 translates as two and a half hours per school week. The resource teaching allocation for the child is usually on a one to one basis. For the rest of the time, the child participates with his/her class and the class teacher.
Four key elements in responding to children with special needs were highlighted. They are:
1. The transfer of children with special needs to post-primary schools and the information relating to their special educational needs;
2. The implications of inclusion for special schools and the risk of loss of the expertise of special school teachers;
3. The backlog in applications for resource teaching allocation;
4. The basis for future allocation of resources and, more specifically, the proposed move to a ‘weighted model’ based on predicted incidence of disabilities in the general population, rather than allocation on the basis of individual need.
Questions and answers
A number of key themes and issues emerged in the questions and answers session, in response to the papers presented.
n Addressing the need
Speakers highlighted the need to address the deficits in special needs education promptly and with a focus on the children involved. The strict eligibility criteria and the amount of resources assigned were viewed as problematic.
n Transition from primary to secondary school
It was argued that there is presently a lack of connections between primary and secondary schooling in general, but especially for children with special needs. The need for support and effective communication, co-operation and co-ordination at all levels between primary and secondary schools, in order to manage the transition and transfer of knowledge about the child to the new school, was discussed. It was felt that the designated new school should help the child settle in to a new and different environment.
n Inclusive education
While participants generally accepted the philosophy of inclusive education, some disadvantages, such as a loss of expertise of special schools/special teachers, were identified. Suggestions made to ease the implementation of inclusive education included dual enrolment in special and mainstream schools; reverse integration; and the tailoring of new and existing facilities, for example by operating special education on the same campus as for other children but utilising a different part of the campus.
n The changing role of teachers
Participants noted the continual expansion of the role of teachers. Time pressure to do new tasks leads to a trade-off between class time and the planning and organising of welfare services. This changing role relies heavily on the goodwill of the teacher and the availability of relevant training for teachers.
3. Summer Seminar: Special educational needs provision for children under six years of age.
Held on the 13th July 2004
Papers were presented on the work of the Centre for Early Childhood Development & Education (CECDE) and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in this seminar.
Paper 1: Focus on early childhood care and education
Jacqueline Fallon, Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education
In early 2001, the Minister for Education and Science asked the Dublin Institute of Technology and St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, to jointly establish the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (CECDE). CECDE was launched in October 2002 to develop and co-ordinate early childhood care and education in pursuance of the objectives of the White Paper Ready to Learn (Department of Education and Science, 1999).
The Centre is intended as the pre-runner to the country’s first Early Childhood Education Agency. Towards this end, its key functions are to:
n Develop a national framework for quality for early childhood care and education;
n Develop targeted interventions on a pilot basis for children who are educationally disadvantaged and children with special educational needs;
n Provide policy advice to the Minister for Education and Science;
n Prepare the groundwork for the establishment of an early childhood education agency as envisaged by the White Paper.
The Centre is concerned with all children from birth to six years old. This means that early education is being given specific policy attention and that the educational grey area between age four, when many children actually enter primary school, and age six, when they reach compulsory school going age, is given particular attention.
Central to CECDE’s work is the view that care and education are not two separate entities, as many believe they have been regarded in Ireland up to now. It is CECDE’s view that the two are indivisible.
National Framework for Quality
Work on the Centre’s first objective, the production of a National Framework for Quality (NFQ) for early childhood care and education, is nearing completion. Within the NFQ, three distinct elements will be identified. Firstly a set of standards will define what is understood as quality for children in the Irish context. Secondly a system of inspection or assessment will be devised to ensure that quality is achieved and maintained. Finally an infrastructure will be devised and implemented to support all those working in early childhood care and education.
Three key pillars or strands will underpin the National Framework for Quality, thus ensuring its suitability to the Irish context. The first, a conceptual framework on how young children in Ireland develop and learn, has been published. The second pillar is ongoing specific research focusing on quality in Ireland and the international context. This will distil best policy and practice nationally and internationally in relation to quality. Finally, CECDE held six consultative seminars with a range of people involved in the early childhood care and education sectors. The report on this consultation process, Talking About Quality, was published in early 2004.
First Audit of Research
CECDE has also carried out the first ever audit of children under six’s learning patterns in Ireland. The main aim of the research, which examined 1,082 wide-ranging publications, was to assess “what was out there, where the gaps were and what needs to be done.”
Within the area of special needs,
n 125 documents were included in the audit, including 49 documents specific to educational intervention and development;
n 24 on general disability;
n 22 Government policy documents;
n 3 relating to inclusion and integration;
n 17 on intellectual disabilities and
n 10 relating to physical and sensory disability.
All data collated is now available as a searchable database at the Centre, which can be contacted at 01-8842110 or www.cecde.ie.