Special Education
Aims/Objectives
- That all our students achieve to their highest potential – where possible students are helped towards sitting their Junior Certificate in as many subjects as possible. Number of subjects depends on the individual students.
- That students are taught life skills through a variety of subjects.
- That students’ self esteem and social skills are developed to help them interact with their peers and relevant adults.
At Sacred Heart Secondary School we provide for the following strands in Special Education and Learning Support Needs.
- Resource and Special Education.
- Learning support.
- International students.
1. Resource and Special Education
The Sacred Heart Secondary School has a clear policy of inclusiveness and welcome to all students of all levels of ability. Our Special Education and Resource department embraces this policy in a very special way.
The needs of each students academic, emotional, pastoral and physical, are taken into consideration when organising timetables and staffing. The staff who work with our students who have special educational needs, are dedicated teachers who provide a warm and caring working environment and who work with their students to enable them to achieve their utmost academically, while ensuring their scholastic experience is an enjoyable one.
2. Learning Support
- An entrance examination is undertaken early in the year of admission to assist the Special Needs Department in determining which students may have difficulties with Maths and/or English.
- Learning Support is provided for students:-
● Who have been diagnosed with a specific learning difficulty.
● Who have been receiving extra help with English or Maths in
primary school.
● Who find the transition from primary to secondary education
especially difficult. - Students who have been granted exemption from Irish in primary school continue with this exemption in secondary school. Extra Maths/English is provided at this time.
3. International Students
With the increase in the number of internationals into our school, Management of the Sacred Heart Secondary School has encouraged a number of it’s teachers to train in TEFL courses in order to teach English to the growing number of our foreign students. These students are withdrawn at Irish Time and where viable at times when European languages are taught.
