Guidance Plan Contents

Guidance Plan Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Appendix 1: In-school Presentations to Parents/Students

Appendix 2: Outside Events

Appendix 3: Administrative Arrangements

Appendix 4: Continuing Professional Development...... 38

Appendix 5: Review of the Guidance Plan 2007-2011

Appendix 6: First Year Students

Appendix 7: Second Year Students

Appendix 8: Third Year Students

Appendix 9 : Guidance Syllabus

Appendix 10: Second Tier (Fifth Years)

Appendix 11: Third Tier (Sixth Years)

Appendix 12: Range and Variety of Resources

Appendix 13: Assessment

Appendix 14.1: In-Career Development

Appendix 16: Policies (Draft)

Appendix 17: Counselling Model...... 52

Chapter One

MISSION STATEMENT AND LEGAL PROVISIONS

1.1 Mission Statement

The Mission Statement of Dominican College, inspired by our motto ‘Veritas’, states that “we strive to realise each individual’s potential in a Catholic environment. It fosters the growth of the whole person and builds the community of the school in a spirit of respect tolerance and truth.”

1.2 Legal Provisions governing Guidance and Counselling

The Education Act, 1998, section 9 (c) requires schools to “… ensure that students have access to appropriate guidance to assist them in their career choices….” Section 9 (d) also requires schools “to promote the moral, spiritual, social and personal development of students.” The Act refers to access(to school resources, physical and personnel…) and appropriate guidance(i.e. whole school response to meeting the guidance needs of all its students).

1.4 Implications

Guidance is a core requirement of the school’s overall programme and represents a vital and integral part of the School Plan. The mission statement and the school ethos are reflected in the Guidance Plan. The Guidance Programme of Dominican College complements the aspirations inherent in the school’s mission statement in that it aims to facilitate students becoming people who throughout their lives may manage their own educational, training, occupational, personal, social, and life choices so that they reach their full potential and contribute to the development of a better society. The school Guidance and Counselling service has a key role in schools’ efforts to implement these requirements of the Education Act.

Chapter Two

OVERVIEW OF GUIDANCE

2.1 Definitions

The Guidance Programmerefers to a range of learning experiences provided in a developmental sequence, designed to assist students to make choices about their lives and to make transitions to these choices.These choices may be categorised into three distinct but interlinked areas:

• Personal and social
• Educational
• Career

Guidance is a range of processes designed to enable individuals to make informed choices and transitions related to their personal, education and career development.

Counselling may be defined as the skilled and principled use of relationship to facilitate self-knowledge, emotional acceptance, growth and the optimal development of personal resources. The overall aim is to provide an opportunity to work towards living more satisfyingly and resourcefully.

Guidance provision in schools involves a range of guidance and counselling activities and services.

The terms guidance counselling and guidance and counselling are covered by this definition and are synonymous with the range of activities set out below. The term guidance is used for simplicity,encompasses that broad range of activities and describesany activity that is focused on student progress and development in three key areas: Personal and Social, Educational and Careers.

2.2 Guidance Activities that AssistStudents tomake Informed Choices:

• Counsellingincludes personal counselling, educational counselling, career counselling or combinations of these. Counselling is a key part of the school Guidance Programme, offered on an individual or group basis as:
• part of a developmental learning process
• an individual careercounselling/support
• support during periods of personal crisis
• Assessment using psychometric instruments and inventories such asCognitive Abilities Test (CATs), Differential Aptitude Tests (DATs), Interest Inventories.

• Career Information(classroom, personal vocational guidance interviews, attendance at career events, outside speakers, students …)
• Skills Based Learning in use of information technology e.g. Qualifax, Careers Portal etc.
• Personal and Social developmental programmes.
• Study Skills /Exam Techniques
• Motivation
• Subject Choice
• Stress Management
• Support /Procedures on subject change (See appendix 12.5a712.5b)
• Support/ Procedures on subject level change
• Future Options choice, building my career
• PresentationsWide range of topics
• Liaising(formal/informal)with students/parents/staff/management/outside agencies.
• Referral of an individual student to the Guidance Counsellor by Principal, Deputy Principal, Year Heads, Form Tutors, subject teachers, parents, Board of Management
• Referral by the Guidance Counsellor to other professionals outside of the school e.g. The National Psychological Service (NEPS), Health Board Professionals, Youth Reach or other appropriate agencies.

2.3 Aims of the Guidance Programme

• To provide a framework for the delivery of the school’s guidance programme
• To ensure a structured response to student’s personal, social, educational and career guidance needs
• To deliver an all-inclusive service for the junior, senior, minority, special education needs etc., of all students

• To provide a transparent, coherent sequential plan that is accessible to all stakeholders: parents, students, and school management, outside community and Department of Education and Skills (DES).

2.4 Objectives of the Guidance Programme

• To assist students develop awareness and acceptance of their talents and abilities
• To identify and explore opportunities
• To grow in independence and take responsibility for themselves
• To make informed choices about their lives and follow through on these choices

2.5 Guidance Context

As stated previously, the provision of guidance and counselling is a statutory requirement for schools. The Guidelines for Second Level Schools, on the implications of section 9 (c) of the Education Act, 1998 regard students’ access to appropriate guidance as being a whole school responsibility. Thus, it is imperative that there is differentiation between the Guidance Counsellor’s primary responsibility in the professional area of the guidance and counselling service, and her shared responsibility with other members of staff delivering the curricular elements of the guidance programme.

The key role of the Guidance Counsellor has two distinct but complementary elements:

• To meet students’ needs as they emerge throughout the students’ time in school
• To develop a curricular programme which is developmental, preventative, appropriate to the needs of the students and delivered in an integrated and proactive manner in a whole school context.

The Guidance Plan reflects this respect for the individual in its student-centred holistic approach which focuses on the enhancement of self-esteem and life skills and the development of potential - academic, personal, social and emotional - leading to greater personal autonomy for all students are its central goals.

The Guidance Plan is based on the premise that guidance is both a whole school concern and a specialist area within education. This Guidance Plan forms part of the Whole School Guidance Plan. (Appendix 1)

Re paragraph 2.5, see PlanningtheschoolGuidance Programme, NCGE, 2004).

Re paragraph 2.5, see ‘A whole school guidance and counselling service and curriculum: Roles and Relationships’ (Breeda Coyle and Arthur Dunne) 2008.

The Guidance and Counselling plan is a process, not a rigid document. It is open to review and change.

Chapter Three

WHOLE SCHOOL GUIDANCE COUNSELLING

3.1 Target Group

The school population of approximately 700 pupilscomprises a broad range of students from diverse social and academic backgrounds and from a variety of local and distant primary schools. All students complete the Established Leaving Certificate Programme. The School does not offer the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme or the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme.

The Guidance Plan, in all aspects of its delivery, endeavoursto address the holistic needs of this broad spectrum of students. Because of the broad social cohort there is not, and can never be a ‘one fit for all’ plan possible. The approach is as diverse as the cohort.

About 80%-85% (numbers vary depending on cohort)of students proceed directly to Third Level through the HETAC- CAO route.All students are encouraged and apply to all levels 6, 7 and 8 courses of the CAO. A small proportion of those apply through CAO-Disability Access Route (DARE) scheme, through the CAO Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) scheme,and sometimes both schemes together.

The majority of the remainder 15%-20%,proceed through the FETAC route e g. Post Leaving Certificate Colleges with the aspiration of further progression to Third Level. A small proportion (maybe up to ten students) apply to UKuniversities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). A smaller number apply to Oxford or Cambridge(approximately five) depending again on the cohort.

The student population is not an homogenous group and the Guidance Plan in theory and practicemustreflect this.Because of the broad spectrum of students, there are compelling reasons for inclusion in the Guidance Plan of a guidance service provision that addresses the particularsocial and personal development of some (at least) of the students in a coherent and meaningful way. This inclusion impliesa service that creates opportunities for individual student interviews, as a formative developmental process and not merely as a crisis intervention strategy, by trained guidance personnel. Based on the articles of the DES (previously mentioned) this service is one that should and must be accessible to all studentsthroughout the six years of the Post Primary Cycle (from years one to six).

3.2 In-School Student Support Services

Two Guidance Counsellors

Mrs Eva Hempenstall

Post Graduate Diploma In Clinical Supervision (Psychology) TCD 2007

MSc. In Educational Guidance and Counselling TCD 2003

Higher Diploma in Arts: School Guidance & Counselling NUI Maynooth1997

Ms Gemma Murphy

Diploma in Career Guidance UCD 1989

Whole School Guidance Planning (Module One:Certificate)

NationalCentreforGuidance in Education2009.

Organisation

• 22 hours Full-time(E.Hempenstall)
• 08 hours Part-time(G.Murphy)

Timetabling arrangements:

E. Hempenstall: Monday-Friday (inclusive)

G.Murphy: Monday-Thursday (mornings only)

3.3Whole School Support Service

A team approach in identifying student needs and developing agreed strategies to deal with students is considered to be essential good practice. This team comprises of the following elements:

1

• Guidance Counsellor
• Parents
• Students
• Principal
• Deputy Principal
• Care Team
• Chaplain
• Resource Personnel/Learning Support
• Year Heads
• Form Teachers
• Subject Teachers
• Prefects
• School Council
• Parents Association
• Librarian
• Administrative Staff
• Board of Management
• Ancillary staff

1

3.4 Whole School Context of Guidance Counselling Support Service

Guidance and Counselling are not discrete entities or functions. For example, lack of progress, poor concentration, challenging behaviour and/ or frequent absencesreported by staff/management often mask deeper and more profound underlying difficulties.It is crucial that as stated guidance cannot be separated into neat discrete little boxes. There cannot be a one dimensional approach to the students in our care. Difficulties experienced by students include a) home-related problems,b) school-based ones, c) learning difficulties e.g dyslexia, Asperger’sSyndrome, autism and d)complex psychological, mental health difficulties.Personal/ social challenges for students include parental separation, bereavement, loss, identity issues, school phobia, friendship-relationship problems, suicide, self-harm, eating disorders,anxiety, depression, stress. An essential and crucial feature of this support is availability, continuity and confidentiality.

Awareness of Child Safety Guidelines and their implications for the whole school population is of vital importance. If a student is at risk or poses a danger to himself or others, the matter must be reported to the designated Liaison person in accordance with the Code of Ethics (Institute of Guidance Counsellors)and Children First: NationalGuidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children. (Dept. of Children and Youth Affairs)

In addition to consultation with students, parents/guardians.,there ison-going liaison with all staff as stated above, but in particular with SPHE staff, Resource Personnel/Pastoral Care team, as appropriate.

Parents/guardians/students and other stakeholders meet the Guidance Counsellor by appointment or as an immediate response in times of crisis/urgency.

The voluntary participation in counselling of the student is respected by all concerned. It is an on-going process that starts on entry to First Year and continues throughout the students’ time in Dominican College.

Chapter Four

GUIDANCE CURRICULUM

4.1 Time Allocation, Option Structures and Timetabling

Currently, the DES has allocated a total of 30 hours Guidance and Counselling Provision.Apart from the core 22 hours provided to the school, an additional 6 hours provision was allocated in 2005 under the Guidance Enhancement Initiative (2004) (Circular letter No.PPT/12/05) for Guidance. A further 2 hours, making a total 8 hours provision was allocated under the same initiative in 2006.

4.2 Guidance Personnel

Details of the personnel and working hours are given in paragraph 3.2.

4.3 Formal Guidance

The Formal Guidance Curriculum is delivered by employing a number of methodologies, as follows:

Individual one to one basis

Dyads

Small groups

Class group basis

Formal Guidance is dealt with in greater detail in Section 5.

4.4Informal Guidance

The informal Guidance Programme consists of, inter alia, liaising with other teaching staff/management to promote cross curricular links:Chaplain, SPHE, Transition Year Co-ordinator, all teachersof subjects taught in the schools such asScience, Business, Home Economics with a view to enhancing the development of a whole school policy in relation to the delivery of the Guidance Plan.

As an example, links with staff facilitate subject choices such asScience. Women in Engineering in actively promoted byinviting speakers and appropriately qualified past pupils. Staff support the Guidance Counsellors in identifying students with special aptitudes and interests in specific areas of the curriculum. Links with subject teachers assist students in subject choice by the provision of first-hand advice and coherent information on subject areas. The collaborative links with SPHE assist in identifying developmental programmes to support the emerging needs of individual students and/or groups. As Herr and Cramer state: ‘The most critical aspects of the implementation of career education lies in efforts carriedout by classroom teachers.The most crucial aspects of career guidance lie in the efforts carried out by career guidance specialists’.

Informal links with parents, student support service personnel (both external e.g. NEPs, visiting teacher of the deaf and internal e.g. learning support. SPHE staff…RSE..) as outlined also assist in identifying guidance needs.

Walks around the school, attendance at school-based shows, attendance at fund-raising events e.g.,cake sales, promote the integral nature of the service offered by Guidance Counsellorsand create a visible presence.

Meetings and or phone/text/email/formal letter correspondence,contact with parents/guardians/outside agenciesare an essential element ofinformal guidance. Examples of outside agencies formerly and/or currently liaising with the Guidance Counsellorinclude Pieta House, Console, Mater CAMHS, Teen Counselling, St Joseph’s Adolescent Family Support Service, HSE, Social Services. External attendance at case conference meetings is also carried out by the Guidance Counsellor.

Attendance at Care Team meetings liaising in a whole school Pastoral support context: Chaplain, SPHE, Learning support, all subject teachers, form teachers, parents.

Informal guidance also includes observing and following Child Protection Guidelines and reporting concerns in relation to students to Designated Liaison Officer.

Other outside agencies with which the Guidance Counsellorliaises include colleges (local and distant), career fair organisers, parents at Parent Teacher meetings and feeder schools and parents prior to entry.

Chapter Five

FORMALGUIDANCE

5.1 Time Allocation

The time allocated to the formal guidance curriculum is set out as follows:

PERIOD / Mon / Tues / Wed / Thur / Fri
8.40am / 1st TM / TYTM / TY / TY
9.20am / CTM / TY / TY
10.00 / 6th Year / 6th TM
10.50 / 5th year / R 1:4 / RES 1.4
11.30
11.40 / GC / RES 2nd TM
12.20 / 5thTM
13.00
13.40
14.20
15.00
15.40 / 3rd TM

5.2 Fixed Class Periods and Meetings

Sixteen Class Periods approximatelyare accounted for as follows:

• One meeting with the Care Team (Principal, Deputy Principal, Chaplain, Guidance Counsellor)
• Onemeeting with the Guidance Counsellor
• Sixmeetings with Year Group Tutors/Resource.(Rotational)
• Four 5th & 6th Year guidance classes. (Rotational)
• FourTransition Year Groups (2 double periods)

Parental/ Outside Agency Contact and Record Keeping (Minimum time spent)

Two Periods ( equivalent) of core work of liaising with parents

• Responding to and liaising with parents/guardians, involving meetingsand telephone contacts, occasional home visits and meetings outside school and administration (files, notes, memos, records).

Two Periods

• Liaison with internal and external stakeholders, organising visiting speakers, presentations, referrals, presentations, related letters/correspondence to parents, outside agencies and related administration, such as files, notes, memos, records

5.3 Variable Class Periods (Outside Formal Timetable)

The core work of theGuidance Counsellor is liaison with students. There are 6 Year Groups, each group with approximately 120 students. This work is on-going throughout the academic year from August to June.

Approximately15 (variable) classperiods per week are allocated to all guidance* activities for all Years andcomprises a balance between guidance* delivered on a one-to- one basis, dyads, small group and class group basis.

3 class periodsLiaison with 1st, 2 and 3rd years

1 class periodLiaison with TY Group

5 class periodsLiaison with Fifth Years

6 class periodsLiaison with Sixth Years

5.4Grouping of Students

Students participate in the Guidance Programme in their Year Group or in their smaller class groups. Dominican students are non-streamed.

5.5Class Organisation

Year Group / Teaching Methodology
Y1 / Class Group/Year Group intervention 10 periods per year.
Y2 / Class Group/Year Group intervention 10 periods per year
Y3 / Class Group/Year Group intervention 10 periods per year
Y4 / Timetabled guidance classes 20 periods per year, represented by 10 weeks x 2 classes (rotational basis for each Year Group).
Y5 / Non-timetabled. Group Guidance. 3/4 in-school class presentations, 2 outside visits, 4 in-school speakers.
Y6 / Non-timetabled Group Guidance. 3/4 in-school class presentations, 2 outside visits, 4 in-school speakers

Study