Initial results of a project underway in 140 schools nationwide, developed in partnership between Education & Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) and Mary Immaculate College (MIC), are making “the invisible visible” according to the Project Lead.
Provision Mapping is an evidence-based process to evaluate student supports, strategically cost and plan provision, allocate resources, and identify staff professional learning needs.
Speaking at the recent national Leading Inclusive Education showcase in Portlaoise, Limerick native and Project Lead, ETBI’s Dr Johanna Fitzgerald said: “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.”
Other findings include that the most important benefits include increased school-wide awareness and understanding of inclusive and special education and 95% of participants surveyed indicate they wish to continue implementing the process. 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.
Pictured: MIC academics Jean Reale, Dr Maria Dervan, Dr Margaret Egan, Dr Trevor O'Brien, Dr Johanna Fitzgerald, Dr Michelle Dunleavy
Led by Dr Fitzgerald in partnership with MIC’s Department of Educational Psychology, Inclusive and Special Education (EPISE), the provision mapping project was initially piloted across six schools in Limerick and Clare ETB in 2016, followed by a national pilot across 33 schools in 2020, and is now being implemented in 140 ETB Schools across 16 ETBs with plans for further expansion in 2024. Dr Fitzgerald is no stranger to MIC as she is on secondment currently from her post as Head of Department of EPISE.
Speaking at the event, Dr Fitzgerald emphasised the importance of academic outreach and the role of higher education institutions in bridging policy, research and practice gaps that can act as a barrier to implementation of evidence-informed practice in schools. She acknowledged the support from ETBI and MIC, key partners in the project, for their commitment to research and knowledge exchange and to enabling her to continue to expand the project.
Click here to see a video about the Leading Inclusive Education: Provision Mapping showcase.
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’.
ETBI General Secretary Paddy Lavelle told over 150 ETB school representatives and partners from across the education system at Leading Inclusive Education: “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’s 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,” he added.
