Special Rights Report - 17th May 2021

The Principal is required to:

• • Identify students at risk of not achieving and students who are gifted and talented and implement teaching and learning strategies to address needs.

Identified Students 

• • Each fortnight at Senior Leadership Hui, Kaz shares an update re children with special rights, any new enrolments, teacher aides and funding.

  • Teachers have been asked to identify in their planning a group of target children also that may include children with special rights in their room depending on the level of need and support.

  • We also discuss at meetings which children may need extra support over and above their classroom programmes. Kaz’s role is flexible to be able to be on hand for learning and behaviour and to coordinate all the different agencies and people that are involved with our behaviour and special rights children. Her timetable needs to be flexible and specific to the needs of who she is working with.

  • We rely on class teachers to ensure they know their learner therefore their planning should reflect specific needs of children who are at risk of not achieving.

  • Planning checks, walkthroughs, IRIS observations, viewing of children’s books, regular assessment all contribute towards ensuring we are clear about children requiring extra support.

  • Services we can access are PHN (Public health nurse), SWIS (Social worker in Schools), LS (Learning Support), RDA (Riding for the Disabled), IRF (Interim Response Fund), BEH (Behaviour Hours, GSE), RTLB (Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour), RTLit (Resource Teacher of Literacy), SLT (Speech Language Therapist)

  • Each syndicate has an identified group of children that they are targeting to raise achievement in literacy and numeracy.This is monitored by the Syndicate leaders and reported back to Senior management on a regular basis.

  • In 2021 we are also trialling an approach to support our literacy called Structured Literacy alongside the Heggerty programme. Data collected so far is showing this is beneficial for all children and can be adapted to those with special learning needs.

  • We are also aware of children who have been identified as achieving well above their peers and these children are also monitored through Syndicate hui and at Senior management hui.

  • Special Rights register - Kaz keeps updated so we keep recorded of all interventions and services. 

  • Staff also record behaviour incidents on ETAP. These come straight to Principal for response and are shared with SLT and as data for referrals.

  • Hui are conducted as necessary with whanau and/or agency as required. 

  • Good relationships with whanau and their children are our priority and we work hard to create and maintain these by encouraging regular contact and communication with families.

  • SENCO supports this by ensuring agency and whanau are kept informed and staff are regularly updated, sometimes releasing teachers to hui as required.

  • SENCO keeps teachers and staff informed where necessary.

  • SENCO updates and informs staff of any behaviour, medical and dietary needs via email and also updating the register in the office.

  • Prescription medication that accompanies a diagnosis is signed by staff when administered and kept in the office. 

Children with a high level of Special Needs

• • The Ministry of Education’s Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding contributes towards covering the cost of a teacher aide for the children that have high needs. Each child also comes with a small amount for resources and consumables. Funding is allocated to employ a teacher aide but also measured to ensure other costs are covered such as holiday pay and overtime for camps, Individual Education Plan meetings and other school excursions or meetings that a teacher aide may be required to attend.

  • High funded children come with 0.1 Specialist teacher time and Very high 0.2. This funding ensures we have a full time SENCO who can cater for needs by keeping regular contact with agencies, fund providers, whanau, teachers and support staff.

  • We currently have four ORS funded children Some children are also funded through other avenues such as Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB), Oranga Tamariki, Interim Response Fund (IRF), RTLB Learning Support Fund (LSF) and ICS (In Class Support), English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and the Ministry of Education’s Learning support for behaviour. These are usually short term funding solutions while a child transitions or they are assessed further. All children continue to be mainstreamed with Kaz (Special Educational Needs Coordinator)(SENCO) supporting teacher aides and teachers. The Ministry of Education based in Kerikeri sometimes provides support with Individual Education Plans, applications and development of learning programmes.

  • We currently have 10 teacher aides, 4 who are full time (9-3) permanent and 6 fixed term who are employed as additional TA support for classrooms, behaviour needs and ORs children. 

  • Kaz meets with all support staff once a fortnight.

  • Ongoing professional development is a challenge to source for our teacher aides and teachers with regards to behaviour and special rights children, however, we endeavour to source PLD opportunities as they arise and if they fit within the budget.

Data

• • At the beginning of each year we identify the children at risk of not achieving the determined curriculum and these children are provided with extra support through Target group teaching and Individual Learning programmes as required. This is reported in key curriculum areas of Numeracy and Literacy with relevant data.