Provision
Parents will receive, for their approval, an Individual Education Plan (IEP – LOA 2/3/4). This IEP takes into account the student’s strengths and needs and identifies learning expectations. A student may have several components to their IEP according their needs. IEPs provide a framework for communicating information about the student and they help teachers and parents monitor and support progress.
IEPs are reviewed twice per year, in December and June.
Every LOA1/2 student has a Individual Needs teacher who is responsible for liaising with teachers, tutors and home to monitor and support student’s development, progress and welfare.
Every LOA3/4 student has a Individual Needs teacher or ‘keyworker’ who is responsible for their academic progress and well being. They liaise between teachers, tutors and home to monitor and support student’s development, progress and welfare. The role of the Key worker is:
- The point of contact for parents regarding IN issues
- To write IEP targets and monitor and review the implementation of these
- To regularly meet parents to discuss and review targets and progress
During the school year, a student may be referred to the Individual Needs Department due to concerns about their progress. Once a referral has been received an investigation will be actioned in following order:
- Classroom observation
- Meeting with student/parent
- Internal testing
- Educational Psychologist involvement where necessary
The outcome of the investigation will be:
An Individual Education Plan (IEP) that details provision and strategies to support the students which are shared and implemented by the students classroom teachers. Parents and students also contribute to this process.
We have an ESF Educational psychologist for South Island School. They have three scheduled visits per term. They are available for individual assessments, training, advice and guidance to staff. The Director of Inclusion coordinates these visits and the day’s programme.
Extra Transition Visit
An extra transition visit can be arranged for students who may be anxious about moving up to secondary school.
Case Conferences
We hold case conferences with teachers to provide additional expertise for students with more complex needs.
Emotional Literacy Support Programme
The Emotional Literacy Support Programme (ELSA) is an individualised intervention programme run by trained Educational Assistants. South Island School recognises that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed. The ELSA Programme supports pupils with a range of social and emotional needs such as social skills, emotions, bereavement, social stories and therapeutic stories, anger management, self-esteem and friendship. The ELSA Programme runs on Tuesday mornings from 9-10am.
Lego Club
Lego Club is a social development programme for children with social communication difficulties run by trained Educational Assistants. The programme teaches students skills like turn-taking, sharing, listening, conversation, teamwork, shared attention and problem-solving. The Lego Club runs on Tuesday mornings from 9-10am.
School Counsellor
Students may face many issues as they grow up, be it peer pressure, academic struggles or adapting to a new school. Apart from approaching their tutors or the Head of House or Learning Family Head, we also encourage students to use our counselling service as an additional, confidential support to help them address difficulties that affect their social, emotional or intellectual wellbeing. We believe that students will benefit from counselling by improving their self-awareness and wellbeing. We offer students two qualified counselors who visit the school regularly.
School Social Worker – Miss Kamy Yeung
As well as counselling, Kamy also offers group services such as We-Serve community service Team, Anti-Drug Force Group, Anti-cyber-bullying Group and organises various community services for the students. She is available in school on Mondays, Tuesdays & Fridays.
School Social Worker – Miss Stephanie Wan
Stephanie is dedicated to serve teenagers and enjoys listening to their life stories. She believes that everyone possesses the expertise to lead their own lives and she hopes to assist students to open up their lives to various possibilities. Apart from counselling, she will run The We Serve Community Service Team and organise different developmental programmes at South Island School.
Stephanie is available in school on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays.
Speech and Language
South Island School collaborates with Rehabilitation Consultants to provide in-school Speech and Language Therapy services for students. Therapy service is provided by a qualified professional Speech and Language Therapist during school hours on an individual or group basis and the service is privately funded by parents. Timetabling of this provision is organized and managed by the Individual Needs Department. Speech sessions will focus on the needs of each individual student and may address the following: articulation/speech, language skills (receptive and expressive language including reading and writing), social communication skills, attention/memory, cognitive-linguistic skills, voice problems, oral-motor skills.
Skills for Learning
The Skills for Learning (S4L) course is designed for students who require a greater level of support in school. In Years 7-8, S4L takes place instead of a language. The programme focuses on organisation, time management, meeting deadlines, completing independent learning and support with specific curriculum areas. In Year 9, S4L takes place instead of an option. The focus shifts towards developing independent study skills in preparation for Years 10/11. In Years 10-11, the classes take place instead of one option and benefit students by allowing them to spend more time working on specific skills required for GCSE such as organisation, self-discipline, effective internet research, note taking, flashcards, writing frames, graphic organisers, understanding command terms, practicing past papers and creating a study timetable, It also allows students to spend more time working on their other subjects while receiving support from one of our Individual Needs teachers.
Access Arrangements
Access arrangements provide a range of accommodations to ensure that students with learning/physical/psychological difficulties are not disadvantaged in an exam or timed assessment by being unable to show what they know or can do due to their difficulties.
What are the possible arrangements available?
Some examples of possible arrangements that are available are listed below. They are only broad guidelines.
- Specialist equipment
- Enlarged paper
- Extra Time
- Use of a word processor
- Supervised rest breaks
- Prompter
- Computer reader
What are the requirements to qualify for access arrangement(s)?
There are strict criteria that students need to meet:
- A ‘below average’ standardised score in reading, writing, comprehension, spelling, processing speed and/or memory composite;
- History of need;
- History of provision;
- Normal way of working;
- Academic evidence
*EAL difficulties are not considered valid reasons to apply for access arrangements.
**Access arrangements are not guaranteed for all students with learning difficulties. Each case is assessed and evaluated on an individual basis by the exam boards (i.e. JCQ, IBO).
For Year 7-9, access arrangements will be given by subject teachers should a student be unable to show their understanding in an assessment under ‘typical’ conditions. The arrangements will be recorded as the evidence for the history of needs, history of provision and normal way of working.
For Year 10-13, access arrangements are available for GCSEs and IB programs. Access arrangements are applied for through the IN Department and the Examination Office. Assessments to determine eligibility are carried out by Individual Needs Specialists (RQTU) or a qualified educational/clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist depending on the student’s needs.