Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs

1. Title of intervention:

Supporting children with Special Educational Needs

1. Purpose:

To create successful learning opportunities for children, in rural communities in the Ugu district, no matter what their disabilities, learning problems or circumstances may be, to reach their full potential and overcome any barriers preventing that success through partnerships with crèches, schools, parents and therapists.

Objectives

2.1Provide training for teachers and Teachers Assistant’s (TA’s) to support learners in crèches and schools and implement school readiness programmes and/or programmes for learners with learning difficulties or disabilities.

2.2 Support parents or carers in the development of their children to reach his or her potential and become more functional in their everyday lives and/or in their education.

2.3Supporting schools to prevent learning disabilities from manifesting due to large classes and poor school readiness.

2.4To focus our support and resources on children under 7years, taking advantage of a child’s core developmental time, between the ages of 0 to 7 years of age.

1. Descriptive Overview:

“The changes that take place during the early years are particularly important because they are the bedrock of what comes after. Higher level functions are dependent on lower level functions” (Nelson & Tierney, 2009).Siyakwazi has 3 strands of implementation namely Intervention, Prevention and Local community upliftment (IPL). Intervention includes groups, 1:1 Individual Support Plans, Home-visits and Therapy for children with learning difficulties and severe barriers to learning. Prevention includes Early Childhood development focus on under 7’s, looking at Literacy and Numeracy concepts as well as promoting physical development in both fine- and gross-motor. Local Community Upliftmentempowers adults to be trained with skills to improve the education for and of those children in their own communities.

1. Methodology applied:
2. Intervention Programme:
3. Referral of Special needs child, ranging from Severe and Profound and Multiple (PMLD) to mild learning difficulties within classrooms.
4. Assessment done in educational/home setting: home, crèche, school.
5. Referral to therapy, fortnightly at local clinic
6. Completion of therapy programme in conjunction with Speech and language Therapists (SALT), Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists (OT) and audiologists. Session supported by translator, photos taken and made into Home Programme.
7. Small Group intervention in schools: Learners who are referred by teachers are put into small groups and supported in the area they are struggling in, namely literacy and numeracy.
8. Individual Support Plans (ISP): Learners are given a target in a particular learning area to move them on developmentally in small achievable steps. An ISP could be for Communication, writing, reading, maths or physical skills.

4.2Prevention Programme:

4.2.1Teaching assistants in Grade R classes to provide differentiation and early intervention for supporting learners within large classes.

4.2.2Focus groups on pre-writing, pre-reading and mathematical concepts.

4.2.3Literacy Focus: Early reading and writing skills, including fine-motor co-ordination exercises.

4.2.4Movement skills: to build further fine-motor and gross-motor strength and encourage good neural pathways to develop.

4.3Local Community Upliftment

4.3.1Teaching assistants chosen from local community to support learners in their area in classes in their schools.

4.3.2TA Programme encourages further studying to enable community members with a matriculation certificate to become teachers.

4.3.3Mentorship programme to support community members in their studies to enable and facilitate good passes and finishing degrees with success.

4.4Training and Monitoring Programme:

4.4.1Training includes:

4.4.1.1Pre-reading and writing and mathematical concepts

4.4.1.2ISP formulation and implementation

4.4.1.3Small group intervention techniques

4.4.1.4Childhood development

4.4.1.5Parental Involvement

4.4.2Feedback and observation sessions

4.4.3Monthly monitoring

4.4.4Recording and evaluation of ISP’s termly

1. Potential Impact on Education
2. Provide support for SEN learners to improve steadily at their individual pace.

“Yet another thing that can be done to better educate students with learning problems involves the critical process of early identification and intervention.” (Will, 1986)

5.2Focus on under 7’s to take advantage ofthe “sensitive brain period” well-known in Early childhood development (ECD) and counter attack the “degree of loss of potential” a child growing up in a deprived area may have.

“If you do not ensure that children undergo certain experiences by the age of 7, they will have lost forever the chance of benefitting from them” (Barlow 1987).

5.3Advocate inclusion in mainstream schools, supporting DOE policy.

Inclusive education and training is defined as:

Enabling education structures, systems and learning methodologies to meet the needs of all learners.

Introduce strategies and interventions that will assist educators to cope with a diversity of learning and teaching needs to ensure that transitory learning difficulties are ameliorated. (White Paper 6:9,10,13)

5.4Making the most of an essential learning period in a child’s life, extending his or her chances of being educationally successful and having more chance of breaking the cycle of poverty.

“Development depends on experiences occurring during particular time periods—so-called sensitive periods. Should stimulation be absent during those periods, development can be compromised significantly and, in some cases, permanently” (Nelson, 2009).

5.5Support a weak, ineffective education system within large classes in rural schools, allowing for differentiation and support.

Learning is the process through which experience causes permanent change in knowledge or behaviour. (Woolfolk, 2010)

5.6Early intervention: Prevent Special Educational needs at an early stage, providing support for learners with developmental/educational gaps and enhancing learners’ readiness for school for grade 1 level.

“The positive effects that ECD programmes have can change the development trajectory of children by the time they enter school. A child who is ready for school has less chances of repeating a grade, being placed in special education or being a school drop-out” (The Unlimited Child s.a.,2013).

5.7Involve parents in their children’s education enhancing educational success in their children.

“The evidence is now beyond dispute. When schools work together with families to support learning, children tend to succeed not just in school, but throughout life.” (Henderson and Berla, 1994)

“In addition, research on parent involvement emphasises the increased confidence of parents, a better understanding of what is happening in school; and a feeling of empowerment, which is especially evident in disadvantaged communities” (Swap 1993,Bastiani & Wolfendale 1996; Allen & Martin 1992).

5.8Providing employment for matriculants and access to tertiary education to further their individual skills.

“Children who fail to benefit from schooling tend to come from families and communities characterised by poverty, high rates of unemployment, poor health, sub-standard housing and family breakdown” (Mittler, 1999).

5.9Providing resources, specifically in Literacy, numeracy and movement where possible to create a stimulating learning environment.

“Owing to parents’ different cultures of origin and/or socioeconomic backlogs they are often unable to provide the stimulating learning experiences that are essential to the preparation of children for school attendance - because of a lack of knowledge on the one hand and insufficient material means on the other” (Smidt, 2006).

5.10Programmes implemented provide access to educational concepts and fill gaps in learning.

“Programmes for disadvantaged children during early childhood have a better rate of return than programmes introduced later in life.” (Patrice L Engle*, Maureen M Black*, Jere R Behrman, Meena Cabral de Mello, Paul J Gertler, Lydia Kapiriri, Reynaldo Martorell, Mary EmingYoung,and the International Child Development Steering Group, 2007).

1. History and Evidence of success:
2. Before and after pictures where a child was in an intervention group at grade R level, once a week for a 6 month period.

6.2A child achieving success and accessing 1:1 assistance in her ISP, set and implemented with appropriate resources by the Teaching Assistant.

6.3Increase in parental involvement due to therapy input.

Buhle and her Mom playing a game of catch to support Buhle’s use of both sides of her body.

6.4Physically disabled children have shown good progress because of continued exercises at home due to therapy input and home display charts in their home language.

Simphiwe has an individual programme with photos at home to keep his muscles flexible and enable his gross-motor development.

6.5Teacher comments:

“I would like to thank Siyakwazi for providing us with Teacher assistants. They are of utmost importance to our school. They are able to indentify learners with learning problems e.g. hard of hearing, eyesight, mentally retarded learners etc. They even send learners to the nearest clinic and get assistance. Some of the learners with learning difficulties are now able to read, write and speak fluently.” Principal of Xhonywa Primary, Sept 2013.

6.6Teaching Assistant comments and feedback:

“Our work encourages us to be real teachers one day.”

“We work together with the teachers, helping those children that need help, to see some of them pass to the next grade.”

“They provide us with a certificate that makes us to be proud of what we are doing.”

6.7Research undertaken in 2012, showing the improvement of 4 learners who were struggling with Literacy skills and took part in a group intervention session once a week for 6 months.

Overall % showing improvement in achievement

Results shown below in table:

Learner / Average % improvement overall / successes / difficulties / Proposed target
L 1 / 13.9% / 1)Saying more of 1 whole word
2)Improved fine-motor / 1)Speech and Language
2)Gross-motor
3)Understanding concepts and instructions / 1)Continue therapy and home programme for speech difficulties
2)Continue in programme focussing on concepts and understanding.
L2 / 39.8% / 1)Active participation
2)Refined writing skills / 1)Take part in role play more independently
2)Confidence / 1)Home programme to support learning and confidence building.
2)Continue in programme.
L3 / 26.4% / 1)Improved writing control
2)Listening to stories for an extended period
3)Ability to respond to stories appropriately
4)Follow instructions in a game and wait his turn appropriately. / 1)continue writing development
2)strengthen gross-and fine-motor development / 1)continue Occupational therapy
2)Continue programme focussing on writing skills
L 4 / 30.1% / 1)Participation improved
2)Speech and language improved
3)Drawing and writing improved / 1)Speech and Language
2)Role play independently / 1)Hearing assessment
2)Home programme to assist in participation and confidence

1. Potential for Expansion and Going to Scale

Currently Siyakwazi is influencing and developing educational processes and systems in 2 primary schools in the surrounding area in Kwanzimakwe, Ugu District, Kwa-Zulu Natal. Potentially, Siyakwazi could implement 3 step plan, Intervention, Prevention and local-community upliftment programmes (IPL) in all Primary Schools and feeding crèche sites in Kwanzimakwe, Ugu District. There are 4 Primary schools in total. Our aim would be to successfully implement in all schools in 1 area first and then carry over programmes to the next primary school area. Once Kwanzimakwe has effective and successful programmes running with monitoring occurring regularly, the3 step plan (IPL) could begin in a new area, 1 school at a time. The inclusion model working in gradeR classes has the potential to be copied in other provinces according to Government policy: A successful model of how inclusion can work in rural large classes.

1. Budget and Resource requirements

EXPENSES
SALARIES
Director / 8 000.00 / 8 000.00 / 8 000.00 / 8 000.00 / 8 000.00 / 8 000.00 / 8 000.00 / 8 000.00 / 8 000.00 / 8 000.00 / 8 000.00 / 8 000.00 / 96 000.00
Community Educator / 5 000.00 / 5 000.00 / 5 000.00 / 5 000.00 / 5 000.00 / 5 000.00 / 5 000.00 / 5 000.00 / 5 000.00 / 5 000.00 / 5 000.00 / 5 000.00 / 60 000.00
Admin support / 6 000.00 / 6 000.00 / 6 000.00 / 6 000.00 / 6 000.00 / 6 000.00 / 6 000.00 / 6 000.00 / 6 000.00 / 6 000.00 / 6 000.00 / 6 000.00 / 72 000.00
Teaching Assistant / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 24 000.00
Teaching Assistant / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 24 000.00
Teaching Assistant / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 24 000.00
Teaching Assistant / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 24 000.00
Teaching Assistant / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00 / 24 000.00
SUBTOTAL SALARIES / 29 000.00 / 29 000.00 / 29 000.00 / 29 000.00 / 29 000.00 / 29 000.00 / 29 000.00 / 29 000.00 / 29 000.00 / 29 000.00 / 29 000.00 / 29 000.00 / 348 000.00
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TRANSPORT / 3 000.00 / 3 000.00 / 3 000.00 / 3 000.00 / 3 000.00 / 3 000.00 / 3 000.00 / 3 000.00 / 3 000.00 / 3 000.00 / 3 000.00 / 3 000.00 / 36 000.00
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EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES / -
Literacy development / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 7 200.00
Numeracy Development / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 3 600.00
Physical movement equipment / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 6 000.00
Storage / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 500.00 / 6 000.00
SUBTOTAL RESOURCES COSTS / 1 900.00 / 1 900.00 / 1 900.00 / 1 900.00 / 1 900.00 / 1 900.00 / 1 900.00 / 1 900.00 / 1 900.00 / 1 900.00 / 1 900.00 / 1 900.00 / 22 800.00
ADMIN COSTS
Communications / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 12 000.00
Stationary & Printing / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 600.00 / 7 200.00
Bank Charges / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 300.00 / 3 600.00
OVC Resources / 200.00 / 200.00 / 200.00 / 200.00 / 200.00 / 200.00 / 200.00 / 200.00 / 200.00 / 200.00 / 200.00 / 200.00 / 2 400.00
SUBTOTAL ADMIN COSTS / 2 100.00 / 2 100.00 / 2 100.00 / 2 100.00 / 2 100.00 / 2 100.00 / 2 100.00 / 2 100.00 / 2 100.00 / 2 100.00 / 2 100.00 / 2 100.00 / 25 200.00
CONTINGENCY / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 1 000.00 / 12 000.00
Grade R Orientation day (annually) / 2 000.00 / 2 000.00
TOTAL EXPENSES / 39 000.00 / 37 000.00 / 37 000.00 / 37 000.00 / 37 000.00 / 37 000.00 / 37 000.00 / 37 000.00 / 37 000.00 / 37 000.00 / 37 000.00 / 37 000.00 / 446 000.00

Resources Requirements elaborated in below table:

Resource / Reason for resources
Director / Implement training and monitoring
Community Educator / Implement groups, home-visits, therapy
Admin Support / Therapy programmes, fund raising proposals, finances, agenda and minutes, updating website and facebook page, newsletters
Teaching Assistants / Implement group intervention, ISP’s, allow for differentiation in large classes
Eductional Resources:

• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Physical Movement

/ Prevention Programme:

• Books, games, book corners, providing a rich-print environment
• Games, hands on materials, brain boosters catch up programme
• Outdoor equipment, bike tracks with scooter bikes, balls, bean bags, hoops, jungle gyms, trampolines, skipping ropes

1. Proposed Partnership Arrangements:

Siyakwazi is a young NPO with big aspirations in improving education for all. Very little funding is available at present and is limiting growth and effective functioning for those who are committed to the vision of unlocking potential in all learners and children in their community. We really believe Siyakwazi has a successful future in seeing provision for SEN learners be more effective through the inclusive model mentioned above. We are expectant to form a partnership with the NECT to support us in our growth, by connecting us with like-minded organisations and appropriate funding to see our vision and mission fulfilled.

1. Organisational Capacity

The Director, Cathy Mather-Pike, is a Special Needs teacher, who has taught in the UK for 6 years, seeing how the education system works successfully there using inclusion and partnerships with therapists in improving learning. She has also completed an Honours in ECD and is currently writing her Masters in Education and Development with a special focus on teaching pedagogy in rural schooling. This knowledge and experience has been greatly beneficial for the development of Siyakwazi in its educational role in rural areas. Therefore there is much room for growth and training within her leadership and passion to see rural education grow and develop.

We thank you in advance for your support in improving education in South Africa.