Inclusive Education Policy

At Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School, we value inclusive education and aim to provide our students with an environment and education that respects their dignity and individuality, and that challenges them to achieve personal standards and reach their full potential.

Policy

As required by the Education and Training Act 2020, the school is inclusive of, and caters for, students with differing needs (section 127). In keeping with the national education and learning priorities (section 5), we aim to instil in our students an appreciation of:

• the importance of the inclusion of different groups and persons with different personal characteristics.
• diversity, cultural knowledge, identity, and the different official languages.
• Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Te Reo Māori.

Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School is committed to creating a school community where all members of our school community (staff and students) are welcomed, accepted and treated equitably and with respect regardless of their backgrounds or personal attributes such as race, language, religious beliefs, gender identity, disability or sexual orientation. This is so they can participate, achieve and thrive at school.

Actions

To do this, we model and promote inclusive behaviour, language, concepts, and values at school.

We do this by:

• Acknowledging and celebrating the diversity of our students and staff.
• Modelling and promoting inclusive behaviour and language at school.
• Providing programmes and services, where possible, to meet the diverse needs of our students.
• Engaging with our students and their families to ensure that our school environment and programmes are safe and accessible for them, including:

        - identifying any support required, and any practical concerns;
        - discussing any concerns about the student's wellbeing and safety;
        - discussing the student's privacy and preferred level of information sharing;
        - using the student’s preferred name and pronouns;
        - identifying any health and safety hazards for impaired students.

• Not tolerating any bullyingbehaviour.
• Analysing barriers to learning and achievement.
• Identifying students, and groups of students, who:

        - are not achieving, or are at risk of not achieving;
        - have learning support needs (including gifted students) and develop strategies to meet the needs of individuals and groups.

• Providing unisex toilets for both students and staff.
• Providing a uniform that meets the diverse needs of our students.

Related School Policies

• Bullying Prevention and Response Policy.
• Behaviour management Policy.
• Child Protection Policy.
• Drug Policy.
• Equal Employment Opportunities Policy.
• Health and Safety Policy.
• Personnel Policy.
• Sexual Harassment Policy.
• Vulnerable Children Act 2015 Implementation Policy.

Resources Used By The School To Implement This Policy

• TKI: Inclusive Education guidelines.
• Ministry of Education: Success for All – Every School, Every Childand Inclusive practice in secondary schools.
• Ministry of Education: Learning Support Action Plan.
• Office for Disability Issues: Disability Action Plan 2019–2023.
• Rainbow Youth.
• Human Rights Commission: Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Sex Characteristics.
• Ministry of Education: Effective governance Building inclusive schools.
• Ministry of Education: Relationships and Sexuality Education. A guide for Teachers, Leaders and Boards of Trustees.
• Inside Out: Making Schools Safer for Trans and Gender Diverse Youth.
• NZSTA: Inclusive schools and student wellbeing.