Enhancement Programme

Staff
EP Coordinator/ Teacher
EP Teacher

Ethos
At Horizon School we welcome children with a variety of academic backgrounds and abilities. The Enhancement Programme strives to provide a safe and secure environment for children with mild to moderate special educational needs. We work with the class/specialist teachers to provide a support system for these children to enable them to access all areas of the curriculum. We support the children to enable them to achieve their potential academically, socially and personally. We support the parents of these children to ensure continuity throughout the children's daily lives. We also support the mainstream school staff in their role of providing optimum classroom experiences for the children in the programme. This year the Enhancement Program will also include extension classes for students who require it. Key Stage Coordinators along with teachers will determine which students will benefit from these classes and make required provisions.

Admission to the Enhancement Programme

From within the school:

The class teacher expresses an initial concern, using the Initial Concerns form (available in Teacher Handbook/Red File).
The class teacher and EP Coordinator discuss concerns.
The parents are contacted by the class teacher to notify them of concerns.
Formal assessment/ observations are completed as necessary by EP Coordinator.
Class teacher, Parents, EP Teacher and EP coordinator meet to discuss results and decide on level of support necessary (initial IEP -Individualized Education Plan- Meeting).
A letter with the consent form is sent/given to the parents.
When the consent form is returned, the child is admitted to the EP.

As a new admission to the school:

Space in the EP program is limited and children from outside the school are considered on an individual basis taking into consideration the needs of all the children.
If a child is identified as needing the EP from the school application or initial assessment, the EP coordinator is notified.
The EP coordinator may assess the child, complete observations for the child and/or ask for psychological educational assessment.

Programme Set-up
The Enhancement Programme is staffed by two teachers and an assistant teacher.
All children are registered and based within the mainstream classroom. Depending on the child's needs, there are four levels of Support (see following chart). Children who attend the EP are most times supported in the classroom and sometimes withdrawn for small group instruction. During the in-class support the children participate in whole class instruction and then are given support by the EP staff member to complete their assignments. Modifications are made when necessary. When they attend small group instruction with the EP teacher, an individualized programme is developed to meet their academic needs. When possible, this programme runs parallel to the classroom curriculum.

Class/Specialist Teacher´s Responsibilities

Inform EP teacher/coordinator of any children about whom they have behaviour, attention or academic concerns.
Provide EP teacher with copies of their planning sheets prior to lessons (normally the Wednesday before).
Consult with EP teacher to write IEP (Individualised Education Plan).
Make appropriate modifications within the classroom.
Follow IEP targets as appropriate.
Inform EP teacher of child's progress in the classroom.
Inform EP teacher of outcome of meetings with child's parents.
Attend IEP Meetings.

EP Teacher´s ResponsibilitiesEP Teacher´s Responsibilities

Administer individualized formal assessments as necessary.
Write IEP's with input from class teachers.
Organise, attend and facilitate IEP meetings.
Attend team planning meetings.
Develop and monitor with class teacher behaviour contracts.
Instruct children in small groups as determined by their IEPs.
Consult with outside professionals as necessary.
Update IEP's and write reports in conjunction with school reports.

IEP Meetings

An initial IEP meeting will be held when a child is admitted into the EP programme.
Further IEP meetings will be held in parallel with Parent/Teacher Evenings. As they take longer than the average meeting, they may not necessarily be held on the same day. The IEP meeting may replace the Parent/Teacher Evening.
The class teacher, EP teacher, EP Coordinator(if necessary) and Parents will attend the IEP Meeting.

Assessment Procedures

Involvement in assessments (internal and external) for children in the Enhancement Programme needs to be looked at on a case by case basis and should involve discussions between class teachers and EP staff.

For external tests (especially Year 6 SATS), early discussion is critical in order that appropriate dispensations can be requested and applied for.

Children in the EP may carry out tests in a small group situation (with the EP teacher) to reduce stress and to allow for special dispensations such as: assistance with reading Numeracy tests, extra time, modified tests, additional breaks or scribing. In some situations, when children in the EP are following a curriculum level different to their year group they may take a test according to the curriculum they are following. In day to day assessment, children should be assessed on their progress towards their IEP objectives(targets).