ISKK Inclusion Policy - International School Kreuzlingen

ISKK Inclusion Policy
‘Diversity is a positive resource with regard to what it
means to be internationally-minded and inter-culturally
aware, (the International Baccalaureate Organisation)’.
WHY AN ‘INCLUSION POLICY’ ?
IB programmes “encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and
lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.”’
(IB mission statement 2004).
Difference and diversity are central in IB World Schools where all students enrolled in IB
programmes should receive meaningful and equitable access to the curriculum. Enhancing the
motivation to learn from multiple perspectives, through collaborative teaching approaches,
can lead to positive outcomes for all students.
These outcomes include improved academic and social skills, increased self-esteem, and more
positive relationships with others in the community. Teachers are also rewarded
professionally and personally as they develop an enhanced sense of community within each
classroom.
Student diversity of all kinds can be included as a resource, seeing individual differences not
as problems to be fixed, but as opportunities for enriched learning. Diversity is a positive
resource with regard to what it means to be internationally minded and inter-culturally
aware.
Inclusion
Inclusion is an ongoing process that aims to increase access and engagement in learning for
all students by identifying and removing barriers. This can only be successfully achieved in a
culture of collaboration, mutual respect, support and problem solving. Inclusion is the learner
profile in action, an outcome of dynamic learning communities. Inclusion is more about
responding positively to each individual’s unique needs. Inclusion is less about
marginalizing students because of their differences.
ISKK supports the following principles and processes of an inclusive
education:
• At ISKK, all students, local and overseas, regardless of their language and academic abilities,
home languages and cultures, have access to an international education of high standard that
affords them the opportunity to achieve their personal potential.
• The ISKK ‘Lernfamilie’ is a caring, effective, friendly and welcoming environment. We
believe that the development of such student-friendly learning environments is an essential
part of the overall efforts to improve the quality of the learning at school.
• ISKK encourages / practises a culture of collaboration and collaborative reflection. Schoolwide policies such as the ‘Respectful Behaviour Policy’ have been created in collaboration
with the students of the school.
Affirming identity and building self-esteem
Affirming the identity of a learner encourages the qualities, attitudes and characteristics
identified in the IB learner profile. Social and emotional conditions for learning that value all
languages and cultures and affirm the identity of each learner promote self-esteem. Processes
in place at ISKK to allow students to develop their individual qualities, gain self-confidence
and to feel safe at all times:• ASSEMBLIES: classes / student groups / houses are free to choose their assembly themes,
ideally those which have some connection with the attributes of the IB Learner Profile or that
deal with an issue of local, national or global importance and to produce their assemblies for
the whole school
• COACHING: students who experience learning or social challenges are coached by their
teachers or by the coordinator(s) / head of school. These short coaching sessions involve the
analysis of and reflection on problems / issues and the setting of goals.
• SUPERVISION: At all times, including during break times and after-school, students are
under the supervision of their teachers who invite them to talk to them, if they experience
difficulties at school or if they need guidance on how to approach new / unfamiliar situations
or simply if they need assistance with class assignments.
• CAS / INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS: Students involve themselves in CAS and in IP’s. CAS is
officially time-tabled and at the end of the academic year, students exhibit their projects for
the whole school community.
• BUDDIES: New students are ‘tied’ to older, more experienced buddies who guide them in
the day-to-day routines of school. Buddies also serve as ‘peer-teachers’ whenever needed.
• INVOLVING PARENTS: the school meets very regularly with parents to inform them of their
children’s progress and challenges if any. Teachers and parents share strategies, reflect
together and set meaningful, achievable and realistic goals for the students.
• INDUCTION WEEK: The first week of every academic year consists of workshops that are
aimed at team-building, actively informing students of their rights and responsibilities,
actively listening to student wishes, issues and needs and working collaboratively with them
to ensure that they feel ‘safe’, ‘cared for’, ‘listened to’ and therefore, valued.
• SCAFFOLDING:
Teaching methodology has identified a variety of specific ways in which teachers can scaffold
new learning in the ZPD to help learners understand text and tasks. Scaffolding is a dynamic
practice in the learning process. Scaffolding strategies provide a more concrete, and less
abstract, context for understanding. Examples of scaffolding strategies that are promoted and
used at ISKK:
• audio-visual aids,
• demonstrations,
• dramatization.
• small, structured collaborative groups
• use of students’ mother tongue or best language to develop ideas and initial plans.
Reference: ‘Special Educational Needs within the International Baccalaureate Programmes’,
IBO.
Essential agreements on Special Educational Needs
SBW International Schools aim at giving all students an opportunity to have access to quality
education. It is important, in order to ensure the success of our students, that parents and
teachers work collaboratively and exchange information on children’s emotional, social and
intellectual development on a regular basis / as often as required throughout the time that
children spend at our schools.
Our teachers strive at all times to meet the needs of all children. Strategies that will be put in
place to ensure the sound academic and socio-emotional development of our students will
include:(i)
assessment (by teachers) of children’s reading / writing & mathematical skills during
the initial weeks spent at school and documented observation of children’s behaviour;
(ii)
information / feedback (by head of school, based on teachers’ recommendations /
observations) to parents on children’s development & progress;
(iii)
suggestion / request to parents (by head of school, based on teachers’
recommendations) to have children assessed by external agencies;
(iv)
sharing of strategies between teachers and parents in order to assist children in
specific areas of the curriculum and/or in their behavior (this may also involve
external agencies and specialists);
(v)
regular (formal and informal) documented meetings between teachers and parents, as
and when required, to reflect collaboratively on children’s development, progress and
challenges and to set meaningful goals and targets (SEN contract).
We take the education of our students very seriously and we invite parents to work
collaboratively with the school. All of the services listed above are part and parcel of the
educational plan for our students. However, SBW schools may charge additional fees for
services when these take place on school campus or outside the normal class hours e.g:
additional English or German language support; Special Needs support (for ADD, ADHS,
Asperger, for example) and any other services that may involve special, remedial therapies
which will be managed by outside specialists.
Note 1: Meeting the needs of the SEN child is the joint responsibility of both the child’s
parents and the school. School alone cannot fulfil all the needs of the SEN child.
Note 2: Parents who are not willing to co-operate with the school to find solutions for their
child’s special needs will be asked to seek alternative solutions to their child’s education.
I / we have read and understood the contents of SBW International Schools policy on Special
Needs.
Parents’ name(s): ……………………………..
……………………………………..
Signature(s): ……………………………….
Date: ……/……../…………….
Wesentliche Vereinbarungen in Bezug auf Kinder mit besonderem Förderbedarf
Ziel der SBW International Schools ist es, dass alle Schüler Zugang zu einer qualitativ
hochstehenden Ausbildung haben. Um den Erfolg unserer Schüler gewährleisten zu können,
ist es wichtig, dass Eltern und Lehrer gemeinschaftlich zusammenarbeiten und regelmäßig
bzw. so oft wie nötig während der Zeit, in der die Kinder unsere Schulen besuchen,
Informationen über ihre emotionale, soziale und intellektuelle Entwicklung austauschen.
Dauerhaftes Anliegen unserer Lehrer ist es, auf die Bedürfnisse der Kinder einzugehen. Zu
den Strategien, die wir anwenden, um eine fundierte schulische und sozioemotionale
Entwicklung unserer Schüler sicherzustellen, gehören folgende Aspekte:
(i)
Beurteilung (durch die Lehrer) der Fähigkeiten des Schülers im Schreiben, Lesen und
Rechnen in den ersten Wochen, in denen er unsere Schule besucht. Die
Beobachtungen zum Verhalten des Kindes werden dokumentiert;
(ii)
Information/Feedback (durch den Schulleiter auf Grundlage der Empfehlungen/
Beobachtungen der Lehrer) an die Eltern in Bezug auf die Entwicklung und
Fortschritte des Kindes;
(iii)
Vorschläge /Anfragen an Eltern (durch den Schulleiter auf Grundlage der
Empfehlungen der Lehrer) in Bezug auf eine Beurteilung des Kindes durch externe
Stellen;
Weitergabe der Strategien durch die Lehrer an die Eltern, damit das Kind in Bezug auf
bestimmte Bereiche des Lehrplans und/oder auf sein Verhalten Hilfe und
Unterstützung erhält (hierbei können auch externe Stellen und Experten hinzugezogen
werden);
(iv)
(v)
regelmäßige (offizielle und informelle) dokumentierte Treffen zwischen Lehrern und
Schülern je nach Erfordernis mit dem Ziel, die Entwicklung, Fortschritte und Probleme
des Schülers gemeinsam zu reflektieren und aussagekräftige Ziele und Vorgaben
festzulegen (Vertrag über besonderen Förderbedarf für Kinder).
Wir nehmen die Ausbildung und Erziehung unserer Schüler sehr ernst und laden die Eltern
zur Zusammenarbeit mit der Schule ein. Alle vorgenannten Leistungen sind wesentlicher
Bestandteil des Ausbildungsplans für unsere Schüler. Dennoch ist es möglich, dass die SBWSchulen zusätzliche Gebühren für Leistungen in Rechnung stellen, die auf dem Schulgelände
oder außerhalb der regulären Schulzeit stattfinden wie z. B. für zusätzlichen Förderunterricht
in Englisch oder Deutsch, für die Unterstützung von Kindern mit besonderem Förderbedarf (z.
B. bei ADS, ADHS oder Asperger) und für sonstige Leistungen, zu denen spezielle Therapien
gehören, die von externen Spezialisten übernommen werden.
Anmerkung 1: Das Eingehen auf die Bedürfnisse eines Kindes mit besonderem Förderbedarf
liegt in der gemeinsamen Verantwortung der Eltern des Kindes sowie der Schule. Die Schule
allein kann die Bedürfnisse eines Kindes mit besonderem Förderbedarf nicht erfüllen.
Anmerkung 2: Eltern, die nicht bereit sind, mit der Schule zusammenzuarbeiten, um
Lösungen hinsichtlich der besonderen Bedürfnisse ihres Kindes zu finden, werden gebeten,
sich nach alternativen Lösungen für die Ausbildung ihres Kindes umzusehen.
Ich/Wir habe/n die Richtlinien und Grundsätze der SBW International Schools für Kinder mit
besonderem Förderbedarf gelesen und zur Kenntnis genommen.
Name(n) der Eltern: ……………………………..
………………………………………….
Unterschrift(en): ………………………………….
Datum: …………………………………..