Special Educational Needs

Enable & Empower

As a school community we aim to encourage self-confidence and self-esteem among all our pupils and we are committed to the creation of an inclusive, supportive learning environment for all pupils.

All pupils who are recognised as having Special Educational Needs are enabled and empowered to:

  • Participate fully in the school community

  • Acquire the basic personal, social and literacy and numeric skills needed for life

  • Experience success

  • Develop a positive self-image and build self esteem

Meeting the Needs and
Allocating Support

In 2017,the Department of Education by way of Circular 0014/2017 In 2017,the Department of Education by way of Circular 0014/2017 introduced a revised model for allocating Special Educational Needs (SEN) resources to schools. This document and the, “Guidelines for Post Primary Schools Supporting Students with SEN in Mainstream schools”, produced in May 2017, by the Department of Education and Skills (DES), will be the guiding principles that will form the basis for support for students with SEN within St. Joseph’s Secondary School.

We acknowledge that there is a spectrum of ability. In line with the New Model for Special Education Teaching Allocation – ‘the highest level of need should have access to the greatest level of support’.

The three levels of support:

Level 1: Support For All: Whole school and Classroom support – this will focus on preventative and proactive approaches through testing, providing information for students, staff and parents, alongside whole class support.

Level 2: Support For Some: This will focus on providing school support for small groups and some individuals. This may be on a weekly timetabled basis, or short-term intervention.

Level 3: Support For a Few: This will provide individualised and specialist support for a number of students with the greatest level of need, on a regular timetabled basis.

Please see our Special Educational Needs policy for further details:

Learning Support

Learning support in St Joseph’s is delivered in the three following ways:

In class support
Withdrawal - Groups of 2-4 students
Withdrawal - One to one support where support is tailored to your students specific learning needs.

​Learning support classes are adapted to each student’s individual needs. Everyone has different gaps in their learning and our SEN team find those gaps and work with each student to give them exactly the skills they need to progress and reach their full potential. St Joseph’s strives to teach strategies which make our students learning journey more inclusive, less stressful, and most importantly more enjoyable.

Links to websites