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Pupils with Special Disabilities DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ACT 1995 Under the terms of the Act, a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Due to the specific exclusion of Education from the main provisions of the Act, the significant implication for schools lies in the duty under Part IV of the Act to publish information under three headings :
The categorisation of some pupils as "having learning difficulties" is viewed by us as over-simplistic. Instead we accept that all pupils are liable at some time to experience difficulties and to require support, and we recognise that this will include very able pupils as well as those who struggle with aspects of work or have very specific disabilities. Children with disabilities are catered for in the school according to Angus Education Department's policy. This endorses the principle that such children should be educated as locally as is possible consistent with meeting their needs effectively. The central element of the process of admitting a child with disabilities to the school is a case conference involving parents, child, school, Education Department staff and other specialist agencies as appropriate. There is a dedicated Support for Learning team, comprising the equivalent of five full-time teachers and two care assistants, who are deployed to cater for pupils with special educational needs, and whose work is coordinated by the Principal Teacher (Support for Learning) in consultation with the Head Teacher. The school's policy is to support the education of pupils with disabilities alongside their peer group in the mainstream classroom situation, as far as this is possible. Individually targeted work at a level accessible to the child and designed to support learning progress is normally provided by the class teacher or Support for Learning staff. Progress is monitored from day-to-day and is regularly reported to parents who are also consulted if any change in the programme of support is being considered. Although Support for Learning staff and/or care assistants are regularly deployed as necessary for children with disabilities, as for every other child the aim will be to promote the greatest possible degree of independence in learning, in self-management and in social activity. To cater for the needs of children with disabilities, adaptations have been made to the school buildings and entrances to allow access to pupils in wheelchairs or who otherwise experience restricted mobility. In cases where specialised equipment is identified as being necessary to facilitate a child's progress within the peer group, the school and the Education Authority will work with colleagues in Healthcare Trusts to provide it where possible.
There are some pupils whose special educational needs are so pronounced and/or so specific that a Record Of Needs has been opened for them. The Record Of Needs is a legal document which binds the education authority to meeting the special educational needs of a pupil as they are identified at a case conference composed of parents, school representatives and outside agencies. Once a Record Of Needs is opened it must be continually reviewed to take account of the pupil's changing needs and to define future needs. Individual programmes of study are negotiated for all pupils with a Record Of Needs ; there were 17 such pupils in September 1998. |