Royal School, Armagh

Special Education Needs Policy and Disability Order

The Royal School Armagh is a selective school, which currently accepts students on the basis of the transfer test for entry to Year 8. The school is committed to ensuring that all students have access to all aspects of the broad and balanced curriculum. The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator is Dr P. Downing

It is recognised that, within the school population, there may be students who have physical, psychological or emotional special needs or may have learning difficulties or be especially gifted relative to other students in the school and for whom special measures will be needed. The school seeks to work with the students and their parents to ensure an appropriate response.

A student has special educational needs where he or she has significantly greater learning difficulties or significantly greater ability compared with students of the same age in the school, or where he or she has a disability (temporary or permanent) which prevents or hinders full access to the educational facilities provided by the school.

Identification of a particular learning need or disability may result from information provided by a parent or be contained within transfer records provided by previous schools. The school application form makes specific request for such information. In school, subject teachers may identify a learning difficulty or other special need in their subject. Year Heads or Class Tutors may recognise a pattern of learning difficulties or other special need as a result of contact with the student and all of his/her subject teachers. The regular pattern of assessments, examinations and reporting will also provide evidence of learning difficulty or other special need.

Where a potential learning difficulty or other special educational need is identified, an assessment of special educational need will take place. Initial assessment in the school will be co-ordinated by the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and will involve Year Heads, Class Tutors and Subject teachers. If required, there will be assessment by representatives of relevant outside agencies such as the Education and Library Board of the nature and magnitude of the special educational need.

When the nature of the learning difficulty or other special educational need has been ascertained, an appropriate response will be planned and implemented. The appropriate response will involve members of the teaching staff and may draw upon the expertise of representatives of relevant outside agencies. Parents and the students will be informed of, and involved in, the planned response.

Members of staff are notified of the changes to normal routine and INSET provided where necessary
These arrangements are being made for 16 students in 2005-2006 including:

Classroom assistant for Year 8 boy (Asperger’s Syndrome)

Regular nursing intervention & room arrangements for Y11 girl (Cystic Fibrosis)

Extra exam time for 1 student (Dyslexia)

Extra time for 1 student (Visual Impairment)

IEP & student mentoring for students with English as 2nd language (4 students)

IEP & student mentoring for students with learning difficulties (8 students)

IEP for 1 student (Emotional Behaviour Difficulty)

Student mentoring for 10 students in Mathematics classes

In more serious cases where an injury confines a student to a wheelchair:

Consideration is given to internal portable ramps which will allow access to rooms on the ground floor
Appropriate room changes are arranged.
Students are allowed to leave lessons early to allow them to avoid congestion at the end of lessons.
Other, identified, students are delegated to help the injured student move around the site.
Special arrangements are made for assembly, registration, breaks and lunchtimes.
Members of staff are notified of the changes to the normal routine.
 

Permanent Disability

Two students have had a degree of hearing impairment. Classroom teachers were informed of the degree of hearing loss and given relevant practical advice. The progress of the hearing-impaired students was monitored by class teachers, Class Tutors, the appropriate Head of Year and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO). Regular contact has been maintained with the specialist teacher for hearing impairment when appropriate.

Details of Existing Facilities to Assist Access to School by Students with Disabilities

Access to the Main School Building

The Concourse entrance to the school enables disabled access.

In the renovated property in the Mall (Sixth Form Boarding), a permanent ramp and rails have been have been installed enabling the main ground floor building to be accessed by wheelchair users. There is also purpose-built accommodation.

The Accessibility Plan (carried out by the disability expert employed by school architects Samuel Stevenson) covering future policies for increasing the access to the school by students with disabilities has been drawn up and costed at 1.15 million pounds. Grants have been sought in order to implement the plan.

P. Crute

Headmaster

September 2005