Strengthening Specialised Education Support in the WCED Provincial Principals’ Forum 10 February 2012

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OBTAIN BASELINE DATA OBTAIN INFORMATION RE DISTRICT PRACTICE OBTAIN INFORMATION RE STAKEHOLDER NEEDS DEVELOP COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF WHITE PAPER 6 IDENTIFY RESOURCES MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES ADVOCACY

THE SHIFT …From Special Needs Education to Specialised Education Support… …A Specialised Education Support Service that enhances education for all

THE DRIFT Mainstream not coping with under-performing learners Low intensity support (e.g. from Learning Support Teachers) not enough Need for moderate level of support but until 2010 resources not really available in the ordinary/mainstream school Learners needing a moderate level of support referred to Special Schools (high intensity support) as pre- Full Service/Inclusive Schools and Inclusive Education teams there was little or no alternative Soon there was not enough place in Special Schools for learners needing high intensity support

WHITE PAPER 6 (2001) Building an Inclusive Education and Training System Continuum of Support Full Service/Inclusive Schools (108) Special Schools (73) Ordinary/Mainstream Schools 0 LOW MODERATE HIGH HIGH Special Special Schools Schools as Resource Centres(17) + IE Teams Mainstream + Itinerant Learning Support Teacher + Mainstream Unit/Resource Class + Specialist Support ( IE Team) + Itinerant Learning Support Teacher Special Care Centres (47) + MD Team

Full-service/Inclusive schools A full-service school Is equipped and supported to provide for a greater range of learning needs Acts as a beacon of the transformation in education by developing cultures, policies and practices that celebrate diversity, value educational innovation and differentiate to meet the needs of all learners

High intensity support needs learners in Special Schools

Strengthening the mainstream

Capacity building of staff at Special Schools and Mainstream Schools

Using our skills to improve Mainstream and Special Schools

Using data to determine provisioning

Baseline Assessments

Impact assessment

Upstream helping

Starting with the last S in SIAS - ensuring support is in place first

NB Developments affecting SES Premier’s Deaf Task Team WCFID Court Case CAPS Grade R pilot SoS, SID curriculum development National Audit of Special Schools Integrated School Health Plan Care and Support for Teaching and Learning Right to Education for Children with Disabilities Campaign

Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) is a national framework proposed by the Department of Basic Education to facilitate the co-ordination and integration of interventions which aim to address the needs of vulnerable learners.

CSTL · Infrastructure, water and sanitation · Safety and security · Social welfare services · Nutrition · Health promotion · Psychosocial support · Curriculum support · Co-curricular activities · Material support

Strengthening Specialised Education Support - The 10 point plan

Strengthening Specialised Education Support 1. Strengthening of Special Schools by the additional training of staff, provision of resources, quality assurance and exposure to best practice models. 2. Incrementally transforming Special Schools into Resource Centres for mainstream and other Special Schools. 3. Targeting provision of additional places in Special Schools for learners identified as having high support needs in areas where such provision does not exist or for categories of disability where there is a shortage of places. 4. Developing appropriate educational programmes and support for out of school LSEN/learners who experience barriers to learning. 5. Transforming selected mainstream schools into model Inclusive Schools which are strengthened and supported to cater for learners with low to moderate levels of support needs and to improve academic outcomes for all. Model inclusive schools to serve as beacons for the strengthening and transformation of all mainstream schools.

Strengthening Specialised Education Support 1. Identifying local examples of good practice and resources re LSEN/Barriers to Learning and disseminating these. 2. Enhancing Specialised Education Support provision by ensuring that all specialised staff provide high quality service and focus on preventative and capacity building interventions. 3. Developing capacity in all sectors of the Education Department to understand to provide an appropriate response re barriers to learning / special educational needs. 4. Fostering inter-sectoral partnerships for early identification and intervention for LSEN/prevention of barriers to learning and for continued support where needed. 5. Harnessing the contribution of parents and civil society to include and support learners who are differently abled or experience barriers to learning thus helping to build the desired inclusive South African society.

Role of the Specialised Learner and Educator Support Component The Vision in White Paper 6, is the development by the Specialised Education support component and other role-players of an inclusive education and training system. In such an inclusive system, there will be capacity at all sites of learning and in all sectors of the education system to identify and address barriers to learning and development. The education system will be able to recognise and then accommodate diverse learning needs. Specialised support will be provided in a range of settings for all those learners who require this..

DBE Action Plan to 2014 GOAL 26 “To increase the number of schools which effectively implement the Inclusive Education policy and have access to centres which offer specialist services”

Operationalising the plan for Strengthening Specialised Education Support

Progress towards implementing the Inclusive Education model