Resource & Learning Support

Committed to Educating All Students

A person with additional educational needs includes any student who is restricted in some way that makes it difficult for him/her to participate in and benefit from education due to his/her physical, sensory, mental health or learning disability or any other condition.

The Education for persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004, states that a child with SEN should be educated in an inclusive environment with children who do not have such needs unless the nature or degree of those needs of the child is such that to do so would be inconsistent with the best interest of the child or the effective provision of education for children with whom the child is to be educated.

St. Aloysius’ School is committed to providing an education to all students but with the support of the Resource and Learning Support Department it enables students with SEN to fulfil their academic, social, moral, cultural and physical potential.

The Resource Department provides the following services;

  • Resource hours are allocated to the school in keeping with the regulations and guidelines provided by the NCSE (National Council for Special Education) and the Department of Education and Science. Resource-teaching hours are allocated on behalf of every student in the school. The school management along with the specialised SEN teachers determine how best to support the teaching and learning of all students in the school. The core task of the resource teacher is the teaching of students with SEN, whether this is done one-to-one, in small groups, in special classes or through co-operative teaching with colleagues.

  • Learning support teacher posts are allocated to post-primary schools at present in accordance with the number of students enrolled. The role of the learning support teacher is to provide additional teaching support to students with low achievement in literacy or mathematics or to those with mild or transient difficulties in such areas as language and motor coordination.

  • Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are allocated to post-primary schools to provide care and assistance to students who have special educational needs. Special needs assistants are recruited specifically to assist schools in providing the necessary non-teaching services to students with assessed educational needs. The allocation of posts to the school is reviewed each year.

  • Reasonable accommodations in certificate exams. (RACE). Candidates with certain permanent or long term conditions, including visual or hearing difficulties and specific learning difficulties, that they believe will specifically impair their performance in examinations may apply to the State Exams Commission for a reasonable accommodation to be made to facilitate them in taking the examination. The school can assist with the application of this accommodation.

  • Exemption from the study of Irish: Provision can be made for certain students to be exempted from the study of Irish in limited circumstances. Students in certain categories of disability are eligible for exemption.

  • EAL Students: St. Aloysius’ School offers an inclusive environment for students for whom English is a second language. Language support teachers provide additional language support teaching for these students.

The Special Educational Needs department co-ordinator is Ms. H. Lynch.