IPPN

Published: 20 January 2021

Children in Special Classes

1. The proposal by the DES for the partial return of pupils with SEN is contingent on full agreement being reached with all Unions in the Primary School sector. This has not yet been achieved
2. School Leaders are advised to contact the parents of those children to ascertain if they wish their child to return to school or to continue to engage with on-line learning from home
3. School Leaders are advised to plan, with the relevant Special Class Teachers, for how in-school learning can be delivered to those special class pupils who wish to avail of it. This includes mobilising the Special Class Teachers and SNAs who will be required. These staff members will be required to confirm to the principal that their COVID-19 status has not changed since they last completed a RTW form
4. School Leaders are advised to liaise with the Chairperson of the BoM in relation to the plan.

Children with SEN in Mainstream Classes

• 1. The proposal by the DES for the partial return of pupils with SEN is contingent on full agreement being reached with all Unions in the Primary School sector. This has not yet been achieved
• 2.  School Leaders are advised in the first instance to identify those children with critical and significant additional needs. The following may help to identify this cohort of children:
  
  
• Accessing support at the School Support Plus stage of the Continuum of Support e.g. children who are assessed as having Autism, sensory impairment and other disabilities such as Down syndrome etc. Receiving specific individualised interventions, teaching approaches and / or learning activities
• Have a level of SEN which is beyond the additional teaching support provided for children with mild learning difficulties, or who require additional teaching support in literacy and numeracy at whole school support or additional classroom support level
• Be considered socially vulnerable by their teachers. This opinion should be based on their knowledge and experience of the children and their home circumstances
• Further clarification to identify children in this cohort may be found in the DES publication “Guidelines for Primary Schools: Supporting Pupils with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools”, published in April 2017
• Following consultation between the mainstream class teacher, SET teacher and other relevant personnel, a child may be considered for face-to-face support based on the level of need and resources available

• 3. Having identified the pupils concerned, the school leader, SENCO, designated SET or class teacher should contact the parents of those children to ascertain if they wish their child to be considered for return to school or to continue to engage with on-line learning from home
• 4.School Leaders are advised to plan, with the relevant Class Teachers and Special Education Teachers, for how in-school learning can be delivered to those pupils who wish to avail of it. It will also cater for how remote learning for those SEN pupils who do not wish to come into the school or who, although not in the above cohort, have been receiving remote support from a SET.

School Leaders will need to identify, and mobilise, those SETs and SNAs who will be required to implement the in-school and remote elements of the plan. These staff members will be required to confirm to the principal that their COVID-19 status has not changed since they last completed a RTW form.

In devising this plan, a certain amount of flexibility will be required. There may be pupils who wish to avail of in-school learning, and pupils who have been receiving remote support from a SET teacher and who, because they are not the above cohort or because their parents do not wish them to attend for in-school lessons at present, will still require on-line support from a SET. The plan may require that some SETs conduct in-school lessons while others continue to provide remote support. Some schools may decide that SETs will provide a blend of in-school support for some pupils and remote support for others.

School Leaders are advised to plan for a gradual implementation of the plan, ensuring that pupil and staff safety remains paramount.

School Leaders are advised to liaise with the Chairperson of the BoM in relation to the plan