Kildare and Wicklow ETB lauds project which ‘makes the invisible visible’

Schools under the remit of Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) are participating in a 'groundbreaking project'.

The initial results of the project were presented at a national Leading Inclusive Education event in Portlaoise on Tuesday, April 16 last. 

'Provision Mapping', an evidence-based process to evaluate student supports, strategically cost and plan provision, allocate resources, and identify staff professional learning needs, is now underway in 140 ETBs schools across the country, including in counties Kildare and Wicklow. 

Commenting on the project, Dr Johanna Fitzgerald of the ETB Ireland (ETBI) explained: "Inclusive special education is all about making the invisible visible in our schools, and provision mapping supports all students, including those with special education needs (SEN), by working with all teachers in schools to examine teaching, learning and assessment approaches that make a difference to students’ outcomes.

"Our initial project findings indicate that provision mapping is having a positive impact on student learning and staff understanding, awareness in schools and ETBs."

Dr Fitzgerald added: "Other findings include: most important benefits include increased school wide awareness and understanding of inclusive and special education; 95 per cent of participants surveyed indicate they wish to continue implementing the process; and additional qualitative feedback indicated that the strategic leadership nature of Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) role needs to be formally recognised and resourced in schools to develop and embed a schoolwide approach to teaching, learning, assessment and reporting for students with additional needs in schools."

Paddy Lavelle, who is the ETBI's General Secretary, told over 150 ETB school representatives at the event on Tuesday: "We believe everyone deserves excellence in education."

"Supporting children and young people with special education needs and their families is a priority for our schools and requires wholesale investment and commitment across the education system... That is why we’re working hard with all our education partners to ensure that schools are resourced to provide the best possible opportunities for our students," Mr Lavelle added.

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BACKGROUND

Led by Dr Fitzgerald in partnership with Mary Immaculate College, the provision mapping project was initially piloted across six schools in Limerick and Clare ETBs back in 2016.

This was followed by a national pilot across 33 schools in 2020, and is now being implemented in 140 ETB Schools across sixteen ETBs. 

Research commissioned by ETBI in 2023 and conducted by Opinions has also shown that all parents consider providing for students with special education needs as highly important, ranking it third overall when asked to identify 'important aspects when choosing a school.'