INCLUSION POLICY

Purpose of the Inclusion Policy

The purpose of this policy is outlined in the following points:

To focus on ensuring that faculty illustrate the successful execution of the clauses mentioned in this policy.
To ensure that all members of staff are informed of the processes and protocols that provide children with constructive and positive access to the education that is relevant for their personal needs.
To demonstrate that homerooms and systems have been modified to prevent prejudice or discrimination.
To customise the teaching methods in tandem with the student’s learning styles and challenges.
To guarantee the most efficient use of teaching and non-teaching time and resources for students with spectacular educational needs.
To encourage young learners to reach their full potential and be involved in enriching motivational activities that enhance their self-esteem.
To create consciousness of the child among students or peers.

HIS Inclusion Policy

At Harvest, we believe in treating every child equally regardless of their ethnicity, race, additional needs, etc. We are an inclusive school where every child is provided with an opportunity to make their own choices, receive the right instruction and support, to enable them to succeed in their experiences, learning, interests and abilities. We believe in inculcating a sense of belongingness, equality, non-judgemental behaviour towards all.

We believe in providing equal opportunities in teaching, learning, evaluation/ assessment or any other aspect of school life, to all learners by identifying and removing any barriers.

a. Barriers and Additional Needs

Harvest International School understands that there may be students who have special learning needs that may prevent a student from participating or effectively engaging in any aspect of school life/ holistic development.

These barriers/ additional needs of the students are categorised as below:

Serial Number	Additional Needs	How the school is supporting at present
1	Students with learning difficulties (Refer to Annexure A)	Recommendation of shadow teacher/ Collaborative meeting with teacher and outside special educator to be on the same page in terms of teaching method.
2	Students with ADHD/ADD	Resource room with an area for mindfulness is available in the building for one-one sessionsGrounding techniques are taught to the child, parents and teacher/s to utilise during class hours. For eg, 5-4-3-2-1 technique
3	Students with behavioural or emotional disturbances	Depending on the type of disturbances we use various tools to help the students. For example, talk therapy, emotion thinksheet, ask questions with Jenga, art/ music therapy and so on.
4	Students with Mental Health Concerns	Depending on the type of mental health concern like anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress/ OCD, eating disorder etc., one-on-one sessions are planned for students.

b. Role and responsibilities of Stakeholders

Role of School Counsellors

The school counsellors shall frequently interact with the classroom to increase awareness and sensitise students and teachers to the needs of children dealing with issues. Additionally, Harvest has collaborated with My Peegu, a team of counsellors who support the school with assessment resources. Social-emotional learning modules and counselling services.
They along with special educators will identify students who require any sort of support with mental health or additional needs and conduct individual counselling sessions with them and prepare IEP (Individualised Education Plan). This shall facilitate their decision making, academic enhancement and stress tolerance.
The homeroom teacher is in constant contact with the school counsellors to guarantee that the child is incorporated into the classroom easily but without segregation, and to work towards the resolution of problems that impede these efforts.
To collaborate and streamline the interventions with any external stakeholders like parents, special education teachers, psychiatric assessment forums and so on.
To collaborate with teachers and parents, to collect all supporting documents required for any access arrangements (psychological report, language test report (if applicable) and educational evidence)

Role of the teacher

At Harvest International School, the teachers take the responsibility to meet the students’ learning needs and acknowledge the diversity of the student community. The teachers are equipped to:

Conduct prior research regarding the various additional needs that we cater to at school. This will help the HRT/ specific subject teachers to be well equipped in the beginning of the academic year.
Prepare themselves to be first aid counsellors
Conduct regular observations before forming any assumptions and collect relevant evidence for any special needs.
Fill in the referral forms provided by the school counsellors
Collaborate with the school counsellors and other respective support teams to address concerns about the child- behavioural, academic, social, emotional, etc.
Participate in the workshop training conducted by the school counsellors.
Ensure that the teaching learning is individualised, evaluated and monitored to meet the needs of a student.
Individualised Learning Program (IEP) is applied throughout the course of study.
Provide optimal support required for the student’s learning. In case of any access arrangements required, educational evidence is collected by the teachers.

Role of Parents

Parents are important stakeholders in ensuring the child’s inclusion in the teaching learning process. At HIS parents are encouraged and involved to:

Be a part of school counselling sessions.
To have open conversations and engage in observation of the child at home.
In case of any special needs identified, the parents must connect with the class teacher/ school counsellor as per the protocols.
Parents must provide support in having medical/ psychological assessments, as recommended by the school.
Parents must provide relevant medical / psychological assessment reports (if applicable) at the time of admission and support the school with any subsequent assessment required.

Role of students

HIS ensures that the students imbibe school values and ensure a friendly environment for the peers. They are given an environment of learning to make them responsible individuals taking onus of their actions.

The students are encouraged to be responsible to:

Respect the individuality of each of their peers and empathise with them towards any special needs.
Attend / organise/ plan sessions for the student community to spread awareness about the challenges faced in student life.
Bring to attention of the class teacher/ counsellor any specific observations about a child.
Refrain from indulging into any actions that might hamper the mental/ physical health of peers or juniors.

Implementation of the Policy

Steps	Protocol	General Educator’s Role	Wellness Department’s Role
STEP 1	REFERRAL	The teachers can fill out the Referral Form for referring the child to the Wellness/ counselling Department	The Wellness Department connects with the educator who has referred the child within 48 working hours.
STEP 2	CLASS OBSERVATION	The educators maintain the norm of the regular classroom environment during observations so the facilitators may benefit from observing the typical behaviours portrayed by the child.	The Wellness Department team schedules observations for the child in varied environments and classes.
STEP 3	MEETING W/ HRT/CO-ORDINATORS	The teachers are requested to be available for the meeting with the Wellness Department	The first line of findings as per the observations and the next plan of action are discussed.
STEP 4	MEETING WITH THE PARENTS	The teacher can reach out to the counsellors and try to be there for the meeting with the parents.	Parental Consent is acquired. Student history is documented. Parental tips might be provided as per Parent’s level of acceptance
STEP 5	INFORMAL PRE-ASSESSMENT (4X)	Coordination and formal communication to the child’s parents for organisation of the Interaction Session with the child.	Informal Assessment is conducted by the counsellors to assess the challenges for the child.
STEP 6	RECOMMENDATION FOR FORMAL ASSESSMENT (IF REQUIRED)	Coordination and attending the Parent interaction for the purpose of referral; Maintaining Parent Communication during this period	The Wellness Department leads the meeting for the purpose for recommendation to be made to the parents for formal assessment along with guidelines for the recognised authorities for assessment
STEP 7	IEP (Individual Education Plan) / IIP (Individual Intervention Plan) Meeting	Aligning the child’s academic accommodations in the classroom as per IEP/IIP.	IEP/IIP is curated as per the findings, observations and assessments, consisting of short term and long term goals. Meetings will be organised by the Wellness Department.
STEP 8	POST-ASSESSMENT PARENTAL FEEDBACK*	Coordination and formal communication to the child’s parents for organisation of the Interaction Session with the child’s parents	The identified goals as well as the recommendations as per the Diagnostic Reports and the IEP are discussed with the parents. Scaffolding the parents as per need basis.
STEP 9	REMEDIAL & ACADEMIC SUPPORT	Accommodations, Focus classes or One on One Support as per the recommendations.	Lesson Plans and Special Education Classes in Individual or Group Settings as per the findings.
STEP 10	MONTHLY MEETINGS	The teachers are requested to schedule and be available for the meeting with the Wellness Department to discuss the child’s progress and ways to improve the child’s classroom experience and any other challenges	The monthly updates, tips for educators, ideation for accommodation and updates on the child’s performance are shared with the general educators.
STEP 11	IEP REVIEW (ONCE IN THREE MONTHS)	The teachers are requested to be available for the meeting with the Wellness Department to assess, review and update the identified goals	IEP Goals are reviewed as per the current level of performance of the child. Meetings will be organised by the Wellness Department.
Applicable for Students for whom the Formal Assessment Reports are available and indicate challenges Note: In serious or discrepancy cases where the counsellor is not authorised to perform a clinical diagnosis, the child is referred to external support services (Therapist-Speech, Organisational, Educational Psychologist, Special Educator, Developmental Paediatrician) for further consultation.

B. Resources for Implementation

School Counsellors and Special Educator

The school has employed counsellors and special educators to support students with differentiated needs. They support the identified students with guided structure for their psychological and academic needs.

Classroom assistance for all students with additional needs and skills may include enrichment activities, classroom accommodation, minor-group guidance, one-on-one support as and when deemed fit. When it is observed that a student would benefit from additional support in the classroom, it is advised to the parents to either appoint a shadow teacher in school or seek the support of a special educator, if needed outside school as well. Teaching method is modified for students with additional needs. Another method that is incorporated into the learning experience of the child with additional needs is the Buddy system.

Resource Room

The leadership has allocated a proportion of the school budget to the Psychological Needs in the form of a resource room. Funds are allocated annually for the acquisition and development of resources for special needs. The school counsellors and Special educator are responsible for its maintenance. They conduct the day-to-day execution of the counselling program and therapy sessions. They work in collaboration with Home Room Teachers and the IB coordinator to manage referrals. A referral form is in place that each teacher making a referral has to fill. The counsellors take action for the same within 48 working hours. This room is a safe space for faculty and students alike to express concerns about a student or their personal struggles. This sustains a culture of openness and inclusivity that, in turn, affects faculty attitudes and behaviour towards students as well.

Assessment Tools

Assessments are utilised to identify or confirm the need for a psychosocial intervention in students. Depending on the needs of the students, counsellors use a variety of baseline assessments to adjust what is best suited to them. These measure qualitative and quantitative milestones in students and give a preliminary insight into the student’s challenges. Strengths and positive character traits are equally assessed for and thereafter enhanced. These in-school appraisal processes are also very useful tools for measuring student development and achievement and provide important information for use in education and learning planning.

Documentation of information

Checklist for the various additional needs.
A referral form to understand the urgency of the situation.
An anecdotal register maintained by all class teachers for every student.
Parent communication and meetings, if applicable.
Student observation documented by the counsellors.
Inclusivity workshop in the beginning of the academic year for the teaching staff.
Need based, one -one sessions

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