At Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí our focus is our students

At Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí all students are supported via a continuum of supports based on their needs as identified by the school SEN team in consultation with students and their parents or guardians.

The Department of Education has set out the Continuum of Support framework to assist schools in identifying and responding to students’ needs. This framework recognises that special educational needs occur along a continuum, ranging from mild to severe, and from transient to long term, and that students require different levels of support depending on their identified educational needs. Using this framework helps to ensure that interventions are incremental, moving from class-based interventions to more intensive and individualised support, and that they are informed by careful monitoring of progress

Using the Continuum of Support framework, schools can identify students’ educational needs, to include academic, social and emotional needs, as well as needs associated with physical, sensory, language and communication difficulties. The framework emphasises the importance of looking at a student’s needs in context, and provides useful resources to support this (for example, Learning Environment Checklist, Teacher Checklist for Whole-Class Structures and Supports).

If you have a query regarding the supports which might be available to your child please contact the school and a member of the School Leadership team or the SEN team will assist you.

Many students will have their special educational needs identified prior to their transfer to post-primary school. It is important for schools to gather information on students’ learning from primary schools and parents in order to plan provision and to ensure continuity and progression in the students’ education.

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) has developed a suite of materials to support the reporting and transfer of pupil information from primary to post primary schools.

These include

• 6th Class Report Card
• My Profile sheet for children
• My Child’s Profile sheet for parent(s)
• A Special Educational Needs Summary Form is included to support the sharing of information for children with identified learning needs

Additional information on the supports which may be available can be found on the NCSE website by clicking on the image below

State Examinations

Additional supports and accommodations can often be available to students undertaking state examinations such as the Junior Cycle Examination and the Leaving Cert Examination. The school SEN team will support students and parents/guardians in accessing the suitable supports for your child in these exams.

Further information is availabe by clicking the image below