THE PUPIL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL INCLUSION POLICY
The Pupil International School Inclusion Policy was drafted with the following IB standards kept in mind:
Standard and Practices (2014):
B2.8: The school provides support for its students with learning and/or special educational needs and support for their teachers.
C3.10: Teaching and learning differentiates instruction to meet students’ learning needs and styles.
Standard and Practices (2020):
Environment (02)
2.2 The school supports the identified needs of students, and evidences this support through planning, policy, and practice.
Culture (03)
2. The school implements, communicates and regularly reviews an inclusion policy that creates cultures that support all students to reach their full potential.
2.1 The school implements and reviews an inclusion policy that meets IB guidelines.
2.2 The school identifies in its inclusion policy all its legal requirements and outlines the school’s structures and processes for compliance.
2.3 The school describes in its inclusion policy the rights and responsibilities of all members of the school community and clearly states the school’s vision for implementing inclusive programmes.
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I. PHILOSOPHY
The Pupil International School’s mission is to enable every child to develop to the fullest extent the physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual dimensions of their being, in order to pursue their chosen path with confidence and success.
“Inclusion is an ongoing process that aims to increase access and engagement in learning for all students by identifying and removing barriers. It is facilitated in a culture of collaboration, mutual respect, support and problem-solving involving the whole school community.” – Learning diversity and inclusion in IB programmes, pg.3.
The Pupil believes in providing impeccable standards for the development of children in a holistic manner. To achieve this, it is imperative that prompt assistance is provided to every child in need and care of attention. It is important to acknowledge and spread awareness of the fact that ‘one size fits all’ cannot be followed in terms of education. Thus, the school aims at understanding the needs of each child to not only make the learning content diverse but also ensure that access to learning is made possible for all.
III. SCOPE :
This document applies to every member of The Pupil International School community - student, staff, parents/guardians, and visitors. Staff will also be held accountable for surveilling visitors to ensure the following of the policy expectations and practices.
IV. PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING SUPPORT AT THE PUPIL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL:
The Pupil supports and continues to work towards providing access for every student to the IB programme(s) and philosophy in its entirety. The school provides resources for every student’s learning support needs and equips their teachers and support staff accordingly. As per the IB guidance, the learning support program is run by identifying the students’ specific learning styles, scaffolding their learning and differentiating the curriculum.
The Pupil is pleased to have a team of trained specialists, who collaborate with a range of professionals to provide efficient learning support services by making use of various strategies. Our Learning Support Specialists/Teachers are trained in a wide spectrum of disorders, their specialization ranges from (not limited to) specific learning disabilities, developmental disabilities to disorders of attention.
The Pupil believes in providing the best form of education and opportunities for every child that becomes a part of the community, therefore, there will be an unbiased consideration of each admission application to ensure that the school will be able to provide equal opportunity to succeed. The seats in the Learning Support department are limited and admissions are subject to the availability of seats and resources. This is to ensure that every child is given the attention and help they require to not only learn but also develop in a holistic manner.
The Pupil’s inclusive values are reflected through the following:
• Effective whole-school policy (for EYP, PYP, and MYP) and parental acknowledgment and involvement
• Consistent enhancement of classroom-based learning and effectively dealing with learning difficulties at all levels within the school
• Provision of intensive early intervention and appropriate resources.
• Offering support to students experiencing low achievement and/or learning difficulties through a team approach which involves the students themselves, their teachers, parents and relevant support personnel
• Development and implementation of whole-school action plan to support students’ literacy progress
• Development and implementation of individual learning programmes for each student in receipt of supplementary teaching, based on an assessment of needs and a specification of learning targets for the student
• Establishment of effective home-school partnerships, including the development and sharing of support strategies for parents
• Collaboration with the team of professionals and special-educators, along with the form teachers to develop dynamic plans which will be reviewed and updated based on regular assessment of progress and achievement of levels of learning
• Planning strategically to improve the accessibility of the school’s premises (ramps and lifts for physically challenged students) and curriculum for all students, and surveilling the execution of the same
• Orientation sessions for the new teachers to get them familiarized with the school’s inclusion policy.
V. PROCEDURES FOR DEVELOPMENT & IMPLEMENTATION:
At The Pupil, the Pupil Assisted Learning Support (PALS) team provides various forms of support for children who face barriers to their learning. The support is given to students who are not able to make progress in spite of in-class interventions and differentiated teaching. The general forms of support are push-in or pull-out.
While following push-in support, the teacher works with the student in a small group/ 1:1 to help the student take part in class activities. This is done by giving them extra academic support and encouragement. It also caters to the child’s access to the general curriculum being followed while also limiting any disruption to their learning schedule. This includes modifications within the classroom environment. While following pull-out support, the teacher works with the student individually, outside of the class environment, to meet the specific learning need that cannot be supported in class. This is dependent on the child’s education needs and can include separate sessions with resources and tools that will bolster their confidence and improve their learning, assistance during exams, etc. as assessed and assigned by the PALS team member and the respective form/grade teacher in charge of the particular student’s profile. The provision of assistance for exams is usually evaluated and confirmed by the following members: PALS team, grade teacher, PYPC, Principal, and the Director.
The students who are assigned to the PALS program will have an individualized educational plan (IEP) with recommended accommodations and modifications as detailed in diagnostic reports from qualified specialists such as pediatricians and educational psychologists.
The procedure followed to assess and provide counseling and learning support:
• Form in-charge and co-teacher will provide a report on the child’s progress in all fronts (academic, soft skills, work behaviour)
• Based on the direction offered by the Principal and PYPC on receival of the report, the child’s learning will be assessed for a period of time after consulting with the PALS team.
• The PALS team will fill a detailed observation form of the current profile of the child, which will be shared with the PYPC and the Principal.
• Collaborative sharing of strategies by the PALS team with the form in charge and the co-teacher will take place to apply the same to assess the child’s response.
• After a significant period of general assessment in class, the PALS team acquires extensive feedback from all the teachers interacting/teaching the child and prepares an observation report.
• Based on the findings of the observation report, the Principal informs the parents about the future course of action which may include:
- Remedial classes for extra academic support.
- Carrying out child’s psycho-educational profiling, which reveals the true nature of support required the child requires
- Need for a formal assessment with educational psychologists and special educator team
- Assignment of a learning support faculty to the student.
If a child is unable to access or make sufficient progress, the PALS team may suggest an evaluation by an outside agency. This would depend on what best fits the child’s individual needs and the following situations:
• Little or no significant progress even when a student is receiving support in school
• Continued difficulty in developing literacy or numeracy skills
• Sensory or physical challenges which continue to affect the child’s learning, that can’t be satisfied by the accommodations and modifications to the child’s learning environment
The student’s individualized educational plan (IEP) helps in catering to the following areas of concern:
• Academics;
• Social and Emotional development;
• Behavioural skills;
• Strategies for form in-charge and co-teachers;
• Recommendations to parents
• Review reports, comments and updates
• The signatures of all stakeholders involved.
Points to note:
The PALS faculty devises an appropriate IEP with specific learning and behaviour targets to suit the learning needs of the child.
Students who have received a diagnosis by a certified Child Psychologist/Paediatrician may be exempted from the second language by having their documents approved by the Director.
VI. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Form in-charge and Co-teacher:
• Maintain a profile/record for every child to record overall progress (academic, social skills, work behaviour, etc.) with sufficient material to supplement their report
• Discuss concerns about students in their class with the PALS team if they have concerns about a student’s academic performance, behaviour, study/social skills, communication skills, as well as difficulties with gross and fine motor tasks
• Record concerns and keeps a log of observations and steps they have taken to help the student (to be maintained in the child’s profile/record)
• Learn, develop and implement differentiated teaching to meet the needs of all students in their class
• Builds on the strengths of each child, enhancing the student’s self-esteem
• Creates and propagates an environment where all students are accepted for their differences
• Plans and collaborates with the PALS team/faculty on a regular basis
• Shares lesson plans in advance with the PALS faculty to facilitate in-class support sessions
• Maintains frequent and efficient communication with parents by sharing information pertaining to the regular programme and extra support provided, and the child’s progress
Learning Support Teacher (PALS team):
• Promotes a school-wide understanding of learning differences
• Coordinates and plans Learning Support with the classroom/subject teacher on a regular basis
• Plans lessons for pull-out support sessions and assigns homework if necessary
• Provides support to students receiving Learning Support during in-class sessions, classroom/subject teacher planning for guidance
• Provides guidance and professional development to specialists and new faculty to assist them in understanding and meeting the needs of students receiving additional support
• Coordinates the development of the IEP with the classroom/subject teacher and the Principal
• Maintains frequent and effective communication with parents by sharing information pertaining to Learning Support
• Maintains Learning Support records current and archived as appropriate
• Participates in ongoing professional learning and maintain a personal portfolio of professional development activities relevant to Learning Support;
• Suggests possible resources or strategies that could be used in support of the child, both in class and at home;
• Contacts and networks with external agencies for informal advice and further information if needed.
Parent/Guardian:
• Provide the form teacher, PALS faculty, and PYPC with any relevant information, including details about the child’s health, early development and behaviour at home
• Offer support and encouragement to the child and cooperate with the school for the child’s welfare and development
• Sign and return copies of any home-school liaison arrangements, and attend all review meetings
• Supervise the child at home when doing any work which will help the child achieve the set targets, as agreed at the review meeting;
• Ensure their child has adequate sleep and rest and is fully equipped and punctual for school;
• Provide the school with their views on the child’s progress and the support given.
School community:
• Responsible for updating Inclusion policies and procedures;
• Supports the team during parent-teacher meetings, when necessary;
• Communicates the Learning Support procedure to staff;
• Promotes the use of the IEP as one of the primary means of tracking student progress in the Learning Support Programme.
Sharing of Information:
The learning support teacher respects the rights and responsibilities of parents for their children and endeavors to establish, as appropriate a collaborative relationship with parents to facilitate the student’s maximum development. There is ongoing communication between the parents and the PALS team. Regular feedback and progress of the child is shared with the parents. There are records of confidential students’ files, which are kept inside locked cupboards, with the relevant information comprising of IEPs and sessions reports. These files are accessible to the Learning Support Educator, PYPC, Principal and Director.
VII. EXIT FROM LEARNING SUPPORT
• A student recommended for the mainstream classes will make the transition from the Learning Support Programme when they attain an appropriate level of success/achievement in their regular classroom and no longer require pull-out and/or in-class support
• Before any final action is taken, the student’s family is fully informed of the decision and the implications
• The form teacher and the assigned PALS faculty completes the Learning Support Exit form (evaluation of classroom performance).
• The exit may also take place if the parent expresses the inability to support the formal learning support at school on account of financial constraints, in such cases the child continues to be monitored by the guidance counselor assigned.
VIII. LEARNING SUPPORT PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
In The Pupil International School, there is a constant endeavour to develop the Pupil Assisted Learning Support (PALS) program. Consistent evaluation of the delivery of our program helps us in improving the program’s functionality. Teachers are provided with regular training and networking opportunities to hone their skills to enable differentiation of learning and meeting the needs of children.
Candidates who require inclusive assessment arrangements may have Learning Support requirements due to one or more of the following reasons:
• Autism spectrum / Asperger’s syndrome
• Learning difficulties and disabilities
• Medical conditions
• Mental, Physical, Emotional, and Sensory challenges
• Speech and/or communication difficulties
IX. GUIDELINES:
● The Inclusion policy and procedures are available on request.
● The policy is communicated at the time of admission and during the course of the child’s education.
● Guidance and resources on student inclusion, physical and mental health issues are available from the class teachers, the principal, and the school’s visiting psychologist at PTMs.
● The school community will practice all steps towards making every child feel included, important, and most importantly cared for.
X. POLICY REVIEW:
The Inclusion policy is a working document that will be updated annually. The Policy Review Committee is made up of the Director, Principal, the Primary Years Programme Coordinator (PYPC), the Pupil Assisted Support Program team, and the consulting educational psychologist.
The last Review is done in March 2021
Next Review in March 2022
XI. RESOURCES:
1. The LEARNING Code of Practice (Nov, 2001)
2. Learning diversity in the International Baccalaureate programmes: Special educational needs within the International Baccalaureate programmes (2010)