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Special Education Needs

We believe that one of the essential components of a successful school is an inclusive culture. An environment where all learners, educators and staff feel like they belong in their communities helps create better learning environments for everyone involved! That’s why we work so hard at cultivating diversity within our online classes by celebrating differences with love, through creative projects or activities designed just for your child’s strengths & talents – because only then will you see them thrive as never before.

Our Counselling Team has specially trained and qualified counsellors, remedial educators, and special educators who work in close coordination with the facilitators and parents to accommodate every child’s needs and create a comfortable learning space for all the learners.

What is inclusive education?

Inclusive education, in its essence, means a space for learning, where learners with and without comorbidities attend classes together. Inclusion refers to equality and equity, i.e. the provision of equal opportunities for all learners whilst being mindful of their concerns and challenges and creating mechanisms to help them through the same.

At 21K School, learners from diverse backgrounds and varying physical and cognitive concerns are part of the same classroom. The programme is structured so that all learners have an equal opportunity to learn, grow, and flourish. The learners are encouraged to participate and work together, leading to a two-fold effect where learners with special needs can interact with and learn from their peers and grow in an environment wherein learners learn to accept and celebrate our differences.

Is my child eligible for special needs education at 21K School?

As our school is inclusive, we can accommodate learners with varying special needs. However, being an online school, we also recognise our limitations, and thus there are certain areas wherein we cannot be the best fit for your child.

We will be able to help your child if they have the following physical or cognitive concerns:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (mild to moderate)
  • Asperger’s Syndrome
  • Specific Learning Disabilities (Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia)
  • Developmental Delays
  • Intellectual Disabilities (Moderate level)
  • Health concerns
  • Orthopaedic Concerns
  • Speech or Language Impairments
  • Emotional Concerns
  • Partial Concerns with Vision
  • Differentiated learners

Parents must submit relevant medical and psychological assessment reports during the admission process. This is not an exhaustive list as every child is unique and has strengths and areas for improvement. Thus, we follow an interview approach that helps us gauge if the school will be able to provide for your child’s specific needs before admission. All support our subject to local laws and child care norms as determined from time to time.

What are the services that my child is eligible to receive?

Our School’s Counselling Department are available to every learner. It is both preventive and responsive. The counsellors develop a specific action plan to address the varying behavioural, emotional, academic, and adjustment concerns that a learner may be going through. These plans are then implemented in a comfortable way for the learner.

The following are the services to learners with special needs based on their needs.

Special Education Needs

How will my child be assisted in the classroom?

First and most importantly, We sensitise all the facilitators and staff associated with your child’s individual needs. The sensitisation training includes making them aware of the child’s concerns, thus eliminating any biases, and focussing on strengths and improvement areas. We also create an individualised education plan for the learners. This plan includes

  • differentiated instruction
  • teaching methodology
  • remedial education
  • individualised assessments
  • concessions regarding leaves
  • assignments, assessments
  • extracurricular activities like art, dance and yoga based on the child’s needs.

While being aware of their concerns and making accommodations for their needs, we also strive to push and challenge them like their peers, which helps them grow in their way. Thus, all the learners have an equal opportunity to participate in all academic and extracurricular activities.

How will my child be assisted during assessments?

All the facilitators and parents/caretakers will be aware of the concessions and assistance for which the child is eligible during assessments. After discussion and review of the learner’s performance with all the stakeholders, School will provide the following concessions based on the needs of the learner:

  • Separate invigilation from facilitator/ counsellor during summative assessments
  • Reader/writer based on the need of the child
  • Differentiated questions suited to the child’s needs for specific or all subjects.
  • Extra time to write or utilise as breaks in between the assessments.

What is remedial education? How is it carried out in an online setup?

Remedial education is an approach to teaching that aims to bridge the gaps in learning by using modes/techniques that the learner is comfortable with. It also tends to focus more on building conceptual clarity in literacy and numeracy, which paves the way for future learning. A remedial educator goes down to the level of the learner and works with their strengths to cement the learning.

If a learner requires remedial support, an action plan will be created after reviewing and discussing it with all the stakeholders. The remedial classes will either be held on a separate link with the remedial educator at the time of the class or after school hours. This distinction is made keeping in mind the child’s needs and ability to cope in the classroom.

All remedial sessions will be one-to-one. The availability of the remedial educator and the learner will decide the timing.

How do all the stakeholders work together to ensure my child has a comfortable and happy year at school?

The counselling department constantly strives to enhance the mental well-being of all the students in the school. Still, they are not alone here since their efforts will only be realised when all the people in the child’s ecosystem, namely facilitators, parents, coordinators, classmates and the management, come together to help with the same. For this, we have regular check-ins with all the stakeholders and keep updating the action plan to best suit the learner’s needs. The staff, learners and the management is also constantly sensitised regarding the needs of the various learners. We also expect the parents to lend support since they play an integral role in their children’s lives.

Will my child be isolated or face discrimination?

Being an inclusive school, we also recognise the challenges that may crop up when learners with varying needs are placed in the same setup and have designed accommodations. We begin by educating the learners regularly, emphasising the need to accept all of their classmates. We constantly strive to foster a sense of community among the learners by encouraging them to participate in class group activities, cooperative learning, games, and classroom interactions. For example, there are no barriers to participation in any event. Learners can participate in all celebrations and festivals. Over the years, we have seen learners become more at ease, more tolerant of diversity, and form caring friendships, contributing to developing an empathy-driven society.

Furthermore, all the stakeholders support and maintain the learners’ right to privacy and protect confidential information from learners, their families, guardians, and staff members. This includes and is not limited to medical reports, educational reports, counselling notes, etc. The sensitive information related to the unique needs of the learners is only divulged on a need-to-know basis with their consent.

Lastly, the school management is committed to restructuring school culture, policy, and practices for learners with diverse needs in various academic and non-academic activities.

Message about the counselling team and its capabilities

Our counselling team comprises experienced and trained Counselling Psychologists and Remedial Educators who facilitate individual and group counselling sessions with learners using different strategies and therapeutic approaches. They create and implement individualised action plans for learners with special needs and sensitising and psychoeducation parents, families and facilitators. Lastly, the team conducts talk sessions, discussions with learner groups, and various activities throughout the year to enhance their mental well-being.

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