Discusión y Contrastación de la Hipótesis

Under current legislation the principal of the school has the overall responsibility for ensuring that the special educational needs of students are met. As a consequence, the principal has the general responsibility for establishing and promoting whole-school policies and procedures that are supportive of the learning of all students, including those with special educational needs. In order to discharge his/her responsibilities in an efficient and effective manner, the principal should

• work with the board of management, teachers and parents in the development, implementation and review of whole-school policies that promote the inclusion of students with special educational needs

• ensure that all such policies are described in the school plan

• continuously monitor the implementation of whole-school policies and provision for special educational needs

• consult and liaise, as required, with relevant external bodies and agencies, such as the Department of Education and Science, the National Educational Psychological Service, the National Council for Special Education, the Health Service Executive, and local agencies. The principal may convene a special educational needs support team within the school to assist in providing an effective and holistic response to students’ needs throughout the curriculum. Subject to his or her overall statutory responsibilities, the principal may delegate the performance of specific responsibilities to other staff members, including members of the special educational needs support team.

3.4.1 The principal and the management of delegated functions

To provide for the effective organisation and management of interventions for students with special educational needs, the principal may convene a special educational needs support team. This team is brought together in order to support the effective provision of education to students with special educational needs and to bring about clarity in the role of different teachers. (The composition and functions of the special educational needs support team is outlined in section 3.3 above.)

In practice, a member of the special educational needs team might be assigned the responsibility for co-ordinating provision for special educational needs within the school and might assume the responsibility for whole-school functions as devolved by the principal. Where possible, this teacher should be a trained resource teacher or learning-support teacher.

The teacher with the responsibility for co-ordinating provision for special educational needs should liaise closely with the principal and the special educational needs support team and may act as an

advocate within the school for the students with special educational needs. This teacher, by arrangement with the principal, may

• assume an overall responsibility for co-ordinating the school’s provision for the inclusion of students with special educational needs

• take a leading role in making arrangements for the planning, implementation and review of individual education plans for students with special educational needs when the relevant provisions of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (2004) are implemented

• assist in programme planning for individual students with special educational needs and, as appropriate, provide advice to teacher colleagues on curriculum, teaching and learning strategies, textbooks, and other teaching and learning resources

• liaise with others, within and outside the school, to ensure that appropriate curricular programmes are available for students with special educational needs and in this regard to research new programmes and options that may need to be added to the school’s range of curricular provision

• in schools where such special programmes as the Junior Certificate Schools Programme, Leaving Certificate (Applied) and Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) courses are provided, consult and collaborate with the co-ordinators of these programmes in relation to students with special educational needs and provide advice to teacher colleagues, as appropriate

• facilitate the making of applications for reasonable accommodations in certificate examinations (RACE) for students with special educational needs and in-school arrangements for providing the appropriate accommodations for these students in school and state examinations

• liaise with support personnel and external professionals and agencies, including the co- ordination of applications to the Department of Education and Science, NCSE, NEPS, SESS, HSE and other education and health agencies, as appropriate, for resources and support services for students with special educational needs

• facilitate the arrangement of psychological or other assessment, as appropriate, of students who have special educational needs or students who are suspected of having special educational needs

• manage a tracking system for all students with special educational needs who are receiving additional special education support and maintain records of progress relating to these students

• liaise in the management, procurement and maintenance of specialised learning and teaching resources for students with special educational needs

• assist staff members in identifying and availing of career development opportunities in special education.

The principal may also delegate other functions, such as the management of an official school file on each student with special educational needs and the filing and storage of confidential reports. The student’s official school file should contain all reports by outside professionals, such as psychologists and speech and language therapists, as well as the student’s individual education plan and the principal documents relating to reviews and reformulations of the student’s individual education plan. The procedures by which access to confidential information on a particular

student, including information held in their official school file, may be obtained by staff members, parents and outside agencies should be agreed. There should be a general expectation within the school that sensitive information will be handled sympathetically and confidentially.

Given the variation between schools in the enrolment of students with special educational needs, it may be desirable in some schools for aspects of the co-ordination role to be delegated to more than one teacher.

3.4.2 The principal and the enrolment and transfer of students with special educational needs

The principal should ensure that procedures exist for consultation with feeder primary and special schools with regard to the enrolment of new students with special educational needs. The principal should also arrange for the transfer of students with special educational needs to another suitable setting for education or training (or both) when their placement in the school is completed. (See sections 2.4.4 and 2.4.5.)

3.4.3 The principal and the assessment of and provision for students with special educational needs

The principal should oversee the adoption and implementation of suitable whole-school policies and practices in relation to the education of students with special educational needs, including

• the implementation of a staged approach to the identification and assessment of students with special educational needs, as outlined in the NEPS model of service (See section 3.15.3.)

• the preparation, implementation and review of individual education plans in consultation with parents, students, teachers, special educational needs organisers, and others, as appropriate.

3.4.4 The principal and the inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream classes

The principal should ensure that mainstream teachers are aware of their responsibilities in relation to the education of students with special educational needs. The principal should facilitate the creation within mainstream classes of an inclusive environment for such students by making available appropriate information to mainstream teachers. Mainstream teachers may also require advice and training opportunities to enable them to address the individual needs of these students, including contributing to the implementation of individual education plans. With regard to the placement of a student with special educational needs in a particular class group, the mainstream teacher should be consulted and be invited to contribute to the discussion on how best to meet the student’s needs within the classroom, including contributing to the development, implementation and review of specific targets in the student’s individual education plan when the relevant sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (2004) are implemented.

3.4.5 The principal and the professional development of the staff

With the increased availability of training opportunities in universities and colleges of education and the expansion of the Special Education Support Service, the principal should facilitate the continuous professional development of all members of the staff in relation to the education of students with special educational needs. This should include ensuring that resource teachers and learning-support teachers are facilitated in taking advantage of professional development opportunities and creating structures whereby members of staff with expertise in special education can share their knowledge with other teachers.

3.4.6 The principal and parents

The principal should promote the involvement of the parents of students with special educational needs by ensuring that

• whole-school procedures are established to facilitate the effective involvement of parents in their children’s education

• parents are invited to share information regarding their children’s special educational needs and are consulted about how this information should be used in the best interests of their child

• the parents are involved in the preparation, implementation, progress and review of their children’s individual education plans

• the parents are fully aware of the school’s procedures governing access to their children’s records.