Rupani Academy is an International Baccalaureate candidate school, pursuing authorization as an IB World School for IB Primary Years programme. IB World Schools share a common philosophy- a commitment to high-quality, challenging, and international education- that we believe is important for our students.

The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

To this end, the organization works with schools, governments, and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These 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. (IBO)

To provide quality education focusing on life skills and personality development for the upbringing of a generation of productive and contributing global citizens.

A sustainable, educated, and pluralistic society for future generations.

The aim of all IB programs is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet help to create a better and more peaceful world. The IB learner profile can be understood within the context SEN (special education need) are as follow:

• Inquirers: SEN students who are inquirers may show a strong sense of interest and desire to learn. To engage in inquiry and discovery that is in line with their unique learning requirements, they might need support and instruction that is differentiated.
• Knowledgeable: Being knowledgeable involves acquiring and understanding information relevant to their abilities and learning goals. Teachers may focus on personalized learning approaches to ensure that students with SEN gain meaningful knowledge and skills within their capabilities.
• Thinkers: They show the capacity-appropriate critical thinking ability. This could entail cognitive abilities, decision making procedures, and problem solving techniques tailored to each student’s unique learning profile.
• Communicators: This involves accommodating student’s diverse communication needs. Some students might require alternative modes of communication such as argumentative and alternative communication system, sign language, or visual support. Teachers work to ensure that students can comprehend and convey ideas effectively using the communication methods that suit their abilities.
• Principled: Principled behavior among SEN students involves fostering a sense of integrity, honesty and responsibility within their capabilities. Teachers and support staff may work on social-emotional learning (SEL) goals to promote ethical decision-making and positive behavior.
• Open-minded: SEN students’ benefits from an inclusive and accepting environment that promotes openness to diverse perspective and experiences. Teachers may facilitate opportunities for exposure to different viewpoints, cultures, and abilities fostering empathy and understanding among all students.
• Caring: Caring behavior among SEN students involves empathy, compassion, and kindness towards peers and others in the school community. Educators can foster caring attitudes through activities that encourage collaboration, cooperation, and mutual support.
• Risk-takers: While promoting a safe and supportive learning environment students might involve trying new strategies, exploring unfamiliar topics, or participate in social interactions with appropriate support and guidance.
• Balanced: They understand the importance of intellectual, physical, and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
• Reflective: Reflection is essential for SEN students to monitor their progress, set goals, and make adjustments to their learning strategies. Teachers can facilitate reflective practice by providing feedback, encouraging self-assessment, and promoting cognitive skills to enhance individual abilities.

Rupani Academy believes that quality education is a basic right of every child so no child is left behind. The commitment to provide high-quality education of an international standard aims to develop a sustainable future for an upcoming generation. This can only be achieved by providing tailored academic opportunities by removing the diverse learning barriers. This is achievable only by undertaking the best possible practices, centered upon the skilled-based education that is an integral part of the curricula.

Rupani Academy has thus aligned its curriculum, language and admission policy to encompass those teaching approaches which we feel will provide the best and most rewarding learning experience for our students. Today, the world is very different, and it continues to be transformed by the digital revolution and advances in human knowledge. If our students are to gain the knowledge, skills, and attributes needed for life in the 21st Century we need a progressive and engaging curriculum that will inspire them to how to learn and succeed in all avenues of their lives.

To this end, Rupani Academy’s curricula foster a progressive teaching and learning approach. They identify what the teacher needs to focus on ensuring that students achieve it. Their frameworks lay out an array of skills and knowledge, what we refer to as learning objectives, agreed to be essential for all students to attain while still being adaptable to take into consideration each student’s unique educational requirements.

The purpose of the inclusion Policy is to increase the likelihood that children with Special Educational Needs in the school will make progress and grow in confidence in their abilities and to help the students become independent, motivated and life-long learners.

In this policy, the term “special educational needs” embraces multiple dimensions including academic learning, social, physical abilities, and management of emotions.

“The guiding principle is the schools should accommodate all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions.” (UNESCO 1994) Special Educational Needs (SEN)

It is further stated that Rupani Academy recognizes that children are coming from a diversified background and some would have an identified special need. Similarly, the school may come across cases with the unidentified special educational requirement. These could pertain to special admission and assessment requirements in the future learning processes.

• Behavioral, Social, Emotional
• Sensory
• Physical Disability
• Medical Conditions or Health Related Disability
• Speech and Language Disorders
• Communication and Interaction
• General Learning Difficulties
• Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty (PMLD)
• Assessed Syndrome
• Specific Learning Difficulties
• Dyslexia – Reading
• Dysgraphia: Writing/Spelling
• Dyscalculia: Using numbers

As per the Overarching Philosophy of Rupani Academy, ensures maximum support to the students with special education needs. Various strategies are in place to provide continuous learning opportunities for the student keeping in view limitations faced by the school in terms of human and material resources. Once the student is admitted to the school, after profound deliberations, the school will provide all possible support within the limits set by the resources at its disposal.

Admissions process and placement plays a key role in ensuring that all students at Rupani Academy can be successful with the available support and resources. Students with special needs may be admitted only if their needs can be met by the school’s Learning Support Programme, and that an appropriate programme can also be provided within the mainstream classroom environment.

• All students applying for admission to Rupani Academy are assessed to determine current levels of performance in literacy and numeracy for PYP and criterion based for MYP. If a child is unable to take the admission test then respective programme coordinator takes an oral exam of the student to check the level of support required for the student. In some cases, health care advisor can also provide support in determining the level of special needs requirement.
• Admission’s team analyses previous school records and information given by the parents to determine the potential need for Learning Support. The former school of every new student is asked to forward any details of Learning Support provided in addition to all appropriate testing results that are available.
• Rupani Academy may also request a statement of medical history, including any significant health, social and/or emotional needs, and information on additional services currently (or previously) provided. The final decision is taken when the above mentioned documents are discussed by a specialist team comprising the Counsellor, Principal and Head of Section and the coordinators. The authenticity of the documents is an important deciding factor in the final admission.
• Any student identified as potentially needing Learning Support with a diagnostic report, should be assessed by the School Counsellor or Learning Support Teacher and a report will be given to Admissions with details from findings and with recommendations.
• The learning needs of students and the diagnosis are discussed with the Learning Support team, school management, and other relevant staff. Parents are then informed if the school can meet the needs of the student in addition to what the school can provide.

An updated psychological/medical report is needed at the time of admission that must be written by medical, educational or psychological professionals with appropriate qualifications and/or professional licenses in their country of residence. The school reserves the right to query or reject a report if it considers that the signatory (or signatories) may not be suitably qualified to undertake the evaluation and identification. It is not permitted for a relative of the student to write or be involved in the writing of the report.

In case of admission acceptance, a resource teacher/ shadow teacher should be provided by parents. The diagnostic assessment and interviews at Rupani Academy, as stated in the admission policy are designed to identify the diverse needs of the individual child. Further, ascertain scaffolding approaches cater for the age and classes accordingly, keeping in mind the phases of PYP scope and sequence. However, it is requested that the parent should inform the school if the child requires any special education attention in terms of either mental or physical. The admissions committee will consult with the academic team before accepting students with known special educational needs into the academic programme offered by the school. The commitment is to place the student at the heart of the process and journey that will support and achieve the greatest possible outcomes for him/her. The PYP Coordinator will consult with the academic team and student wellbeing counsellor before accepting a student with special educational needs to accommodate the student.

With continuous observational records, the shadow teacher and homeroom teacher will inform the academic team regarding the progress of the child. In case of stagnation, a further study would be conducted. A suggested accurate and detailed assessment of the need would be identified with the help of external support and shared with the parent. Subsequently, it will be parents’ choice to continue their child in the mainstream or shift the child to a specialized institute. In the advent of continuation, an individually tailored plan, an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) that maps out the short, medium and long-term intentions will be shared with the parent and principal. If required a shadow/support teacher will be hired for the student to cater to the need. The parent will be required to finance the external support provided for the learning.

A variety of strategies are used for leaning support; these include:

• Differentiated practice
• Small group instructions
• One-to-one support: there are two type of support push in and pull out support

Push-in support:

• Specialists work closely with students in the general education classroom. Instructional support, differentiated instruction or related services are provided in the classroom.
• Push-in services happen in the general education classroom. The general education teacher and special education teacher work collaboratively. This is called inclusive education.
• The push-in provider brings the instruction and any necessary materials to the student. A counsellor or therapist, for example, may come into the class to work with a student during art class or science class etc.

Pull-out support:

• Counsellor work closely with students outside of the general education classroom. Instructional support or related services are provided in small groups or one-on-one in a separate setting.
• Pull-out services typically happen in a setting outside the general education classroom.
• While the general education teacher is an important resource, she’s rarely involved in pull-out services. Instead, the counsellor provides the instruction, and it doesn’t have to be integrated with the general education curriculum. It really depends on a student’s needs.
• The student goes to the pull-out provider’s classroom to work one-on-one or in a small group setting.

1. Student is identified (by any teacher at Rupani Academy)
2. Teacher who has identified the student talks to the coordinator and a referral form is completed
3. The programme coordinator observes the student
4. Programme Coordinator, Counsellor, homeroom and subject teachers decide upon relevant support
5. Communication with Primary Leadership Team and parents

On the basis of updated formal assessment provided by the parents school will assess the students to get admit the child in the school to ensure the requirements. The teachers will utilize a variety of formative assessments to determine the individual student needs and abilities and to tailor subsequent instruction. Whenever possible, teachers will develop summative assessments that are differentiated to provide necessary modification, challenges and student choice. Purposeful collaboration between the subject alone teacher/s and the class teacher and other experts would be conducted regularly on how best to guarantee specific and appropriate outcomes for students as he/she enters each learning opportunity.

Classroom support for all students with special education need and abilities may include curriculum modification, enrichment activities, classroom accommodations, small group instruction, or one-on-one support, depending on what all stakeholders agree upon. Regular and constructive assessment of progress will ensure that the student is at the heart of the journey in terms of involvement, participation and communication. The school's curriculum can be modified by discussions with the academic team to enable the child to proceed in a manner that embodies the principles of life-long learning.

All documentation pertaining to the special needs would be kept as a record in the student’s file. These can be used as a measure to report progress in learning during the years the student was supported at Rupani Academy. It is further stated that all data related to monitoring, assessment and achievements will be confidential to all other than the academic team at Rupani Academy.

All teachers would receive training to promote understanding of the IB-MYP inclusion philosophy, the school’s policies, and components of the Curriculum. The Rupani Academy ensures to design yearly plans for weekly staff development which should include in that planning time for horizontal and vertical collaboration on curriculum, assessment, student learning and plans for differentiation. This will also hold for the IB Primary Year Programme teachers. The IB-MYP staff will come together on agreed-upon meeting times to collaborate regarding individual student progress and strategies for differentiation.

Any student with a need for special arrangements must be identified before starting the program. Special arrangements may include modifications in physical arrangements as well in a soft area like extensions to deadlines, assistance to practical work, additional time, information and communication technology, scribe and transcription, or readers. Support mechanisms for students needing special arrangements are outlined in the IB publication Candidates with special assessment needs.

When granted, these arrangements may include:

• access to all the available resources in a school building by “creating affirmative, responsive learning environments".
• access to additional time
• access to reading and writing aids
• access to speech and communication aids
• extension of deadlines or exemptions from assessment

• All Rupani Academy IB policies will be shared with all stakeholders via school official webpage and in whatsapp groups
• All Rupani Academy IB policies will be reviewed annually during IB Pre-planning workshops

Developed and reviewed by: Rupani Academy team.

Last Reviewed: 28 February, 2024

References:

• https://www.pghschools.org/cms/lib/PA01000449/Centricity/Domain/809/learning%20diversity%20and%20inclusion.pdf
• https://www.ibo.org/globalassets/digital-tookit/flyers-and-artworks/inclusive-education-en.pdf
• http://blogs.ibo.org/blog/2016/08/26/what-is-inclusion/
• Programme standard and practices, IBO, 2014.