Leading the SEN Process
in Challenging Times
Ceist Conference 2010
THE CHARTER
•“A CEIST school promotes quality and excellence in
teaching and learning”
•“The educational needs of the students are identified and
suitable programmes and curricula are provided to meet
the breadth of needs identified so that all students can
participate with dignity and confidence”
•“The school is innovative and creative in its response to
the needs of the students so that the highest standards
are achieved and maintained”
•“A CEIST school is open and accessible to all without
discrimination. It promotes a positive attitude towards the
social inclusion of minority groups and stands in solidarity
with those most in need”
THE CHARTER
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“Educational programmes are delivered through quality
teaching and learning promote the development of the
whole person”
“The curriculum is designed to meet the needs of all
students, encouraging and challenging them to develop
their natural talents, to realise their potential and to
strive for individual excellence”
“The school acknowledges the primary role of parents
or guardians in the growth and development of the
young person and provides opportunity for their
participation in the life of the school”
“In the allocation of resources, priority is given
to services for students who have special needs”
What is the purpose of your school?
SOCIAL JUSTICE
Standards &
Performance
Individual
Growth &
Learning
Economic
Cultural
Transmission
West-Burnham, 2007
WHY SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED?
“ At micro level, moral purpose in
education means making a
difference in the life chances of all
students- more of a difference for the
disadvantaged because they have
further to go..
At the macro level, moral purpose is
education’s contribution to societal
development and democracy.” Fullan
Fullan
Children who have SEN….
are the least successful in traditional
measures
 are the hardest to teach by traditional
measures
 are the least powerful in insisting that
their needs are met
 are the most dependent on schools for
their educational resources

Empowerment…
‘lies in striving that those hands –
whether of individuals or entire
peoples – need to be extended
less and less in supplication
….they become hands which
work, and by working transform
the world’
Freire
WHAT THE REPORTS SAY!!!!!
“The combined allocations provide a total
of 109.75 hours of support teaching.
However, at the time of the evaluation, the
school timetable showed that only 58.40 of
these teaching hours were being used to
provide direct instruction to the specific
students. This is a matter of great concern.
“ Inspection Report 2010
 “There is little evidence of a planning
structure for resource teachers”.
Inspection Report 2010
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WHAT THE REPORTS SAY!!!!!
“All lessons formed part of a cohesive sequence
and detailed written lesson plans were evident in all
cases”…….
“The participation and achievements of students with
special educational needs in State examinations are
rightfully a source of pride for school management, staff
and parents. The bar of expectation is set realistically
high, as indicated by a review of recent state
examination results and the levels taken. The school
is also mindful of students who are identified as
exceptionally gifted and talented”. Inspection Report 2010
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WHAT THE REPORTS SAY!!!!!
“At the time of the inspection the master timetable did
not reflect the full range of supports as identified
above”. Inspection Report 2010
“The provision in place to support the school’s
newcomer students is also inadequate. The provision
lacks any real coherent plan and the time allocation
intended to support those students having English as an
additional language is not being used for its intended
purpose. Steps must be taken immediately to ensure
that the resources provided to the school be used for
their intended purpose and that arrangements must be
put in place by the school to address the linguistic and
wider social needs of the newcomer students”.
Inspection Report EAL & WSE 2010
WHAT THE REPORTS SAY!!!!!
“Timetabling of the additional teaching hours
provided, is done in tandem with the
construction of the main timetable
resulting in the school being able to provide a
more consistent, cohesive and structured
sequence of lessons across the school week
and from year to year. Such practice is highly
commended and allows for the creation of a
core, but not exclusive, team of teachers to
work with identified students and access
relevant continuing professional learning”.
Inspection Report 2010
Core Praxis - Crucials
Allocations
 CPD
 Communication
 Culture of expectation
 Affirmation
 Modes of delivery
 Respect
 Collaboration
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HOW DO WE DO IT
 Irish Exemption
 Curricular reduction - Caution
 Subject withdrawal
 Group withdrawal/creation
 Smaller Classes
 SNA Support
 Care Team
 Links with other schools
 Therapies/Interventions
 Doubling up on options
 Team Teaching
 Initiatives – Homework Clubs (students)
 HSCL
Who is involved in SEN
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Subject Teachers
Special Needs Assistant
Learning Support Teacher
Resource Teacher
Special Class Teacher
LCA/JCSP Coordinators/Teachers
Special Education Needs Coordinator
English Language Support
Teacher
Guidance Counsellor
Chaplain
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HSCL
SENO
Visiting Teachers
NEPS
EWO
External Agents
Parents
Care Team
Students
THE IEP AS AN EXAMPLE OF GOOD
PRACTICE
 “…specifies
the learning goals
that are to be achieved by the
student over a set period of
time and the teaching
strategies, resources and
supports necessary to achieve
these goals”
 (NCSE Guidelines)
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
1. School leadership is second only to
classroom teaching as an influence on pupil
learning.
2. Almost all successful leaders draw on the
same repertoire of basic leadership practices.
3. The ways in which leaders apply these basic
leadership practices – not the practices
themselves – demonstrate responsiveness to,
rather than dictation by, the contexts in
which they work.
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
4. School leaders improve teaching and learning
indirectly and most powerfully through their
influence on staff motivation, commitment
and working conditions.
5. School leadership has a greater influence on
schools and students when it is widely
distributed.
6. Some patterns of distribution are more
effective than others.
7. A small handful of personal traits explains a
high proportion of the variation in leadership
effectiveness.
Leithwood et al 2006
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
PRINCIPAL
SUPPORT
STAFF
STUDENT
“Leader is an
agent of
change”
SEN Team
“Schools for tomorrow will require leaders who are
passionately, obsessively, creatively and steadfastly
committed to enhancing students’ learning” Fink 2005
In Challenging Circumstances
The most successful school leaders
are open-minded and ready to
learn from others. They are also
flexible rather than dogmatic in
their thinking within a system of
core values, persistent (e.g. in
pursuit of high expectations of staff
motivation, commitment, learning
and achievement for all), resilient
and optimistic
Creating The New You
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Affirmations
Imagination
Raising expectation