Inclusivity measures in full swing

All teachers working with the special schools have been professionally trained and supported by experts, many from the United Kingdom. They have been provided by in-service training, such as in ICT, Assistive Technology and curriculum development and implementation.

The pre-budget document stated that: "the implementation of the Spiteri Report on Inclusive Education has started in earnest and a number of its recommendations have already been implemented and others are being phased in".

George Borg, Special and Inclusive Education School Network coordinator, confirmed that many of the recommendations have been successfully implemented.

The Special and Inclusive Education School Network forms part of the Education Division within the Ministry of Education, Youth and Employment, and is composed of four schools - San Miguel School, Dun Manwel Attard School, the Guardian Angel School and the Helen Keller School.

Mr Borg explained that the network, operating from a newly set up administration centre in Hamrun, offers a wide-spectrum of peripatetic teachers service supporting students attending in both mainstream and special schools.

"These include the Early Intervention Teachers Team, the Visually Impaired Teachers Team, the Hearing Impaired Teachers Team, Home Tuition Teachers, Hospital Classes, the Statementing Moderating Panel and the Appeals Board. Other facilities offered at the administration centre include an equipped lecture hall for the delivery of continuous professional development of all staff involved."

Mr Borg explained that the educational entry requirements for the recent call for applications for kindergarten assistants within the Education Division have been raised to a minimum standard of Advanced Level Matriculation.

"A 10-week evening course consisting of 70 hours of professional training for Supply LSAs (kindergarten assistants) has already been attended by some 130 participants. These Supply LSAs are already employed with the Education Division and are also working or supporting students with individual educational needs," Mr Borg said.

"Further parallel courses will be starting this October for a further 500 applicants so that by the end of the next scholastic year all Supply LSAs would have attended this basic course equipping all LSAs with the necessary know-how and basic skills to better carry out their duties in all state schools," Mr Borg explained. Furthermore, "newly graduated teachers are now able to apply to teach directly within the special education sector," he said.

Other implemented measures are the Education Division's hiring of services of sign language interpreters from the Ghaqda Persuni Neqsin mis-Smigh, and the hiring of qualified nurses to work with students attending special schools to ensure continuous para-medical support during school-hours.

Mr Borg also explained that a transition programme was designed and implemented during the last academic year for all students with individual educational needs.

"This involves the assessment and planning of educational needs of students prior to being moved from Year 3 to Year 4 which means being transferred from Primary School A to B."

A major recommendation in the Spiteri Report was the transforming of all special schools into resource centres supporting students attending mainstream schools.

"This has been firmly set on course. Within the Council of Heads of the Special Schools Network, heads of special schools meet regularly and work together offering mutual support and uniformity for the benefit of all their students. Thus, the network is in the process of developing and implementing the Curriculum for all students attending special schools. Designed within the parameters of the National Framework Curriculum, the proposed curriculum will help all mainstream teachers to meet the individual educational needs of their students," Mr Borg explained.

Individual Ability Profiles and a Common Assessment Framework, which all special schools have started using to assess the students, are giving the network a clear picture of both the individual and school ability profiles.

Mr Borg explained that proper measures could therefore be implemented in time and according to needs. "Moreover, such individual and school profiles would eventually help in monitoring and evaluating the progress made by the initiates taken by the special schools and the proposed curriculum. The pooling of resources within the network and especially those of the special schools, has resulted in more sharing and better use of all human, financial and material resources available to it."

Mr Borg also said that studies are being conducted so as to initiate the necessary restructuring of all special schools with the aim of proposing the establishment a Post-Secondary Education provision for students with individual educational needs.

Moreover, further professional and specific training for teachers working with students having individual or special educational needs - for teachers educating students with impaired vision, with impaired hearing, with the autistic spectrum, with students diagnosed as having profound and multiple learning difficulties - is in process.