School Self Evaluation Audit of Provision for Students with Learning Difficulties/Disabilities - By Karen Starkiss

It is recognised that the most effective schools are those that rigorously self-review and self-evaluate. The aim of this Self-evaluation Audit is to promote excellent practice in schools seeking to improve accessibility to learning for all students. It will help schools identify areas of strength and areas that require development. The audit will clearly highlight areas that need to be addressed and the results can form the basis for targeted action planning and future school development and improvement. It can also inform planning for whole school professional development. The audit is divided into 5 broad areas: 1. The Effectiveness of the School Managers 2. The Effectiveness of the Learning Difficulties Coordinator (Wellbeing/SENCO) 3. Access and Equity: the effectiveness of the school in providing for students at Tier or Wave 1, 2 and 3 4. Measuring Impact and Student progress 5. Working in partnership with the school community including parents, education and health professionals   The audit is sent as a pdf file $25-00

Templates for an Action Plan and Accessibility Plan are also provided

The audit is intended for all schools and it is acknowledged that different schools and countries have different terms for students with additional needs. The terms used in this document have therefore been defined.

The document refers to students with learning difficulties/disabilities however it would cover provision for all children with additional needs. Schools might have to further audit physical and sensory needs and an appendix has been added to provide support.

Additional Information
Karen has extensive experience of working with students with a range of additional/special needs. In Uk, she was invited by education authorities to advise and train schools to enable students with additional needs to reach their potential and to develop resources to help schools to become inclusive working environments
A starting point for schools should always be to carry out an audit to ascertain areas of strength and weakness to inform their school improvement plan. Last year, Karen ran workshops for school principals, senior managers and SSSOs on behalf of Speld and Department of Education and Training Victoria about Response to Intervention and presented a small part of an Inclusive school audit, which was well received. she has now developed a full audit covering a range of areas including the effectiveness of the school in providing for students at Tier/Wave 1, 2 and 3 and measuring student progress.