Support for Children with Special Needs

Support for Special Needs in Mainstream Schools

In 2004, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced the following initiatives to support children with mild special educational needs in mainstream schools:

• Deployment of Allied Educators (Learning and Behavioural Support) [AEDs(LBS)], previously known as Special Needs Officers, to support children with mild special educational needs in mainstream schools.
• Additional funding for mainstream schools resourced with AEDs (LBS).
• Training in special needs for selected teachers in mainstream schools. These teachers take on the role of Teachers Trained in Special Needs (TSNs) in schools.

The above efforts by MOE to provide additional resources to support students with mild special educational needs in mainstream schools started in 2005.

Allied Educators (Learning and Behavioural Support) [AEDs(LBS)]

AEDs(LBS) support students with mild special educational needs such as dyslexia, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the following ways:

• in-class support;
• individual / small group intervention support (e.g. in literacy skills);
• small group skills training (e.g. social skills, study and organisational skills);
• case management and other administrative duties; and
• resource management

AEDs(LBS) also work with teachers and other school personnel such as Allied Educators for Counselling, to support students with mild special educational needs (SEN). The seven new primary schools will be resourced with one AED (LBS) by mid-2013.

Primary Schools

Currently, all primary schools have been staffed with at least one AED(LBS) to support students with mild SEN.

Secondary Schools

Currently, 64 secondary schools are resourced to support students with mild SEN (Table 1).

MOE plans to recruit additional AEDs(LBS) to meet longer term needs in both primary and secondary schools.

Teachers Trained in Special Needs (TSNs)

In addition, all schools have a core group of Teachers trained in Special Needs (TSNs) to support students with mild SEN. As of end of 2010, 10% of teachers in each primary school have been trained in the area of special needs to enable them to better support students with mild SEN. 20% of teachers in each secondary school will also be trained by mid-2013. Since 2005, about 3,500 teachers have undergone and completed their training in special needs. The last phase of training will be completed by mid-2013.

TSNs would be able to:

• provide individual or small group support to students with mild SEN in their classes;
• share strategies and resources with other teachers and parents;
• assist with the transition of students with mild SEN from one grade level to the next; and
• assist with monitoring the progress of students with mild SEN.

Schools with Special Needs Facilities

The following schools are resourced with facilities and/or programmes to support their students with the respective special needs (Table 1):

• Integration programmes for Hearing Impaired (HI) students who use Total Communication (TC) or Natural Auditory Oral (NAO) Approach
• Integration programmes for Visually Handicapped (VH) students
• Full handicapped facilities for students with Physical Disabilities (PD)

Table 1: Secondary Schools Resourced to Support with Mild Special Educational Needs (SEN), Hearing Impairment (HI), Visually Handicapped (VH) & Physical Disabilities (PD)

You can sort the schools by zone by clicking on the “Zone” header cell.

School	Zone	HI	VH	PD	Mild SEN
Admiralty Secondary School	North	No	No	Yes	No
Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School	North	No	Yes	No	No
Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road)	South	No	No	No	Yes
Anglo-Chinese School (Independant)	South	No	No	Yes	No
Assumption English School	West	No	No	No	Yes
Balestier Hill Secondary School	South	Yes (TC)	No	No	Yes
Bartley Secondary School	South	No	No	No	Yes
Bedok North Secondary School	East	No	No	No	Yes
Bedok South Secondary School	East	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bendemeer Secondary School	South	No	No	Yes	No
Boon Lay Secondary School	West	Yes (TC)	No	No	No
Bukit Batok Secondary School	West	No	No	No	Yes
Bukit Merah Secondary School	South	No	No	No	Yes
Bukit View Secondary School	West	No	No	No	Yes
Canberra Secondary School	North	No	No	No	Yes
Catholic High School	South	No	No	No	Yes
Changkat Changi Secondary School	East	No	No	Yes	Yes
Chestnut Drive Secondary School	West	No	No	Yes	Yes
CHIJ Katong Convent	East	No	No	No	Yes
CHIJ St. Joseph’s Convent	North	No	No	No	Yes
CHIJ St. Theresa’s Convent	South	No	No	Yes	Yes
CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School	North	No	No	Yes	No
Chong Boon Secondary School	South	No	No	No	Yes
Chung Cheng High School (Yishun)	North	No	No	No	Yes
Clementi Town Secondary School	West	No	No	No	Yes
Clementi Woods Secondary School	South	No	Yes	No	No
Deyi Secondary School	North	No	No	No	Yes
Dunearn Secondary School	West	No	Yes	No	No
Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary)	South	No	No	No	Yes
Fuchun Secondary School	North	No	No	No	Yes
Geylang Methodist School (Secondary)	East	No	No	No	Yes
Greendale Secondary School	North	No	No	No	Yes
Hai Sing Catholic School	East	No	No	No	Yes
Hillgrove Secondary School	West	No	No	Yes	Yes
Hougang Secondary School	North	No	No	No	Yes
Jurongville Secondary School	West	No	No	Yes	Yes
Kent Ridge Secondary School	South	No	No	Yes	Yes
Kranji Secondary School	West	No	No	Yes	No
Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School	South	No	No	No	Yes
Loyang Secondary School	East	No	No	No	Yes
MacPherson Secondary School	East	No	No	Yes	Yes
Maris Stella High School	North	No	No	No	Yes
Marsiling Secondary School	North	No	No	No	Yes
Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary)	West	No	No	Yes	No
Montfort Secondary School	North	No	No	Yes	Yes
Ngee Ann Secondary School	East	No	No	No	Yes
North View Secondary School	North	No	No	No	Yes
Northbrooks Secondary School	North	No	No	No	Yes
Orchid Park Secondary School	North	No	No	No	Yes
Outram Secondary School	South	Yes (NAO)	No	Yes	No
Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School (Secondary)	East	No	No	No	Yes
Pei Hwa Secondary School	North	No	No	No	Yes
Pierce Secondary School	South	No	No	Yes	No
Ping Yi Secondary School	East	No	No	No	Yes
Pioneer Secondary School	West	No	No	No	Yes
Punggol Secondary School	North	No	No	Yes	Yes
Queenstown Secondary School	South	No	No	Yes	Yes
Queensway Secondary School	South	No	No	Yes	No
Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary)	South	No	No	Yes	No
Regent Secondary School	West	No	No	No	Yes
River Valley High School	West	No	No	Yes	No
Sembawang Secondary School	North	No	No	Yes	No
Seng Kang Secondary School	North	No	No	Yes	Yes
Shuqun Secondary School	West	No	No	No	Yes
Siglap Secondary School	East	No	No	Yes	Yes
St. Andrew’s Secondary School	South	No	No	No	Yes
St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School	East	Yes (NAO)	No	Yes	Yes
St. Gabriel’s Secondary School	South	No	No	No	Yes
St. Hilda’s Secondary School	East	No	No	Yes	Yes
St. Margeret’s Secondary School	South	No	No	No	Yes
St. Patrick’s School	East	No	No	No	Yes
Swiss Cottage Secondary School	West	No	No	No	Yes
Tampines Secondary School	East	No	No	No	Yes
Tanjong Katong Secondary School	East	No	No	Yes	No
Teck Whye Secondary School	West	No	No	No	Yes
Temasek Secondary School	East	No	No	No	Yes
Unity Secondary School	West	No	No	No	Yes
West Spring Secondary School	West	No	No	No	Yes
Westwood Secondary School	West	No	No	Yes	Yes
Woodgrove Secondary School	North	No	No	Yes	No
Woodlands Secondary School	North	No	No	No	Yes
Yio Chu Kang Secondary School	North	No	No	Yes	No
Yuan Ching Secondary School	West	No	No	No	Yes
Zhenghua Secondary School	West	No	No	Yes	No

This information is accurate as of January 2013.