Rydal Penrhos School's Inclusion Policy.
INTRODUCTION
This policy establishes a set of principles covering the whole gamut of inclusion at Rydal Penrhos School, and should be read as pertaining to all aspects of life in both Preparatory and Senior parts of the School; the academic, the pastoral, the co-curricular, sport and boarding all play a significant role in furthering these principles.
Rydal Penrhos School is committed to providing an appropriate and high quality education to all children. We believe that all of them, be they identified as requiring Learning Support or as being Gifted and Talented, have a common entitlement to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum which is accessible to every single one of them, and to be fully included in all aspects of school life.
The Mission Statement of our School refers to valuing and developing the full potential of each individual, hence our commitment to giving all of our children every opportunity to achieve the highest of standards. This policy seeks to ensure that this happens for every child in the School – regardless of age, gender (including those pupils who are gender questioning or going through transition) or sexual orientation, ethnicity, attainment or background.
Moreover, we feel that all children should be equally valued in School; so as to achieve this, we will strive to eliminate prejudice and discrimination, and to develop an environment within which all children can flourish and feel safe.
Rydal Penrhos School is committed to inclusion, and part of the School’s strategic planning for improvement consists of a continued commitment to develop cultures, policies and practices that include learners; we aim to engender a sense of community and belonging, and to offer new opportunities to learners who may have experienced previous difficulties.
We believe that educational inclusion revolves around equal opportunities for all learners, whatever their age, gender* or sexual orientation, ethnicity, impairment, attainment or background. We pay particular attention to the provision we make for different groups of learners, as well as the achievement of each of these constituencies.
At Rydal Penrhos School we aim to identify these needs as they arise, and to provide teaching and learning contexts which enable every child to achieve to his or her full potential.
The curriculum is our starting point in planning an education that meets the specific needs of individuals and groups of children. We do this through the following processes:
• setting suitable learning challenges for each individual; • responding to the children’s diverse needs; • overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and for groups of pupils.
Both within and beyond the curriculum, we achieve educational inclusion by continual self-evaluation on the basis of these key questions:
• do our children achieve as much as they can? • are there differences in the achievement of different groups of children? • what are we doing for those children who we know are not achieving their best? • are our actions effective?
TEACHING STRATEGY
We aim to give all our children the opportunity to succeed and to reach the highest level of personal achievement that is within their grasp, both within and beyond the classroom. When planning their work or activities, teachers take into account the abilities of all the children with whom they have contact.
When the attainment of any child falls significantly below the level anticipated, teachers enable the child to succeed by planning work or activities that are in line with his or her individual needs. Where the attainment of a child significantly exceeds the level expected, teachers use materials to extend the breadth and depth of work or activity within the area or areas for which the child shows a particular aptitude.
Teachers ensure that children:
• feel secure and know that their contributions are valued; • appreciate the values and differences in others; • take responsibility for their own actions; • are taught in groupings that allow them all to experience success; • use materials that reflect a range of social and cultural backgrounds, whilst avoiding stereotyping; • have a common curriculum experience that allows for a range of different learning styles; • have challenging targets that give them every opportunity to succeed; • are encouraged to participate fully, regardless of disability or medical condition.
CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
Some children in our School have disabilities and consequently need additional resources; Rydal Penrhos is committed to providing, insofar as this is possible, an environment that will allow full access to all areas of learning.
Teachers modify teaching and learning as appropriate for these children; for example, they may give additional time to children with disabilities to enable them to complete certain activities. In their planning, teachers ensure that they give children with disabilities the opportunity to develop skills in the practical aspects of the curriculum.
Teachers ensure that the work or activity for these children:
• takes account of the pace at which they learn, as well as the equipment that they use; • takes account of the effort and concentration they need to apply to oral work, or when, for example, using aids to vision; • is adapted or offers alternative activities in those areas in which children are unable to manipulate tools or equipment, or to use certain types of materials; • affords opportunities for them to take part in educational visits and other activities linked to their studies; • uses assessment techniques that reflect their individual needs and abilities.
DISAPPLICATION & MODIFICATION
The School would not normally advise disapplication at any stage prior to Year 10, so as to afford the pupil contact with the full range of subjects in which he or she might find strengths; indeed, we make every effort to meet the learning needs of all of our children without recourse to disapplication.
The latter only occurs after detailed consultation with parents, school and outside agencies, as appropriate; we would ensure that every effort had been made to provide the necessary support from the school’s range of resources before considering such action.
SUMMARY
At Rydal Penrhos School, the teaching and learning, achievements, attitudes and well-being of every child are important. We follow the necessary regulations so as to ensure that we take the experiences and needs of all our children into account when planning for learning.
Our Methodist School is a community where the Christian vision of the uniqueness of each human person is celebrated.