St. Anthony's Successfully Pilot ASDAN Award Certification Programme

St. Anthony's Special School in Castlebar are continually striving to improve the options available for learners with special needs. In the last year of 2011 all teachers received training in the implementation of the ASDAN Awards Programmes in the school.

St. Anthony’s School Leavers Graduation 2012. Congratulations are wished to the school leavers from St. Anthony’s Special School, Castlebar as they graduate and leave school. There was a lovely graduation ceremony held in the school to mark the event. The school leavers will be moving on to the National Learning Network for further training opportunities in the Autumn. Pictured with the School leavers Co-ordinator Ross Higgins, School Principal Fiona Byrnes and SNA Anna McGough are the school leavers Tha Dah Say, Patrick Bree, Paddy McDonagh and Aisling McGing. Photo © Ken Wright Photography 2012.

ASDAN is based in the UK but is recognised as a worldwide organisation providing accredited certification programmes to thousands of learners. The Special Needs Programmes are specifically designed to accredit learners skills acquired through education and relevant experience and practice.

Seventeen students in St. Anthony's piloted the New Horizons Programme in 2011 and 2012. This programme challenged them to acquire and develop skills in modules comprising personal, social, health, citizenship and relationships skills as well as developing their literacy and numeracy skills.

Congratulations are wished to the school leavers from St. Anthony’s Special School, Castlebar as they graduate and leave school L- R Patrick Bree Aisling McGing, Tha Dah Say and Paddy McDonagh. Photo © Ken Wright Photography 2012.

The programme was externally moderated at a regional meeting in Galway in May 2012 and individual student's work was assessed by independent assessors. All were assessed as having met the requirements for certification and were awarded their certificates at a ceremony in the school in June 2012. St. Anthony's School will be further developing on the ASDAN programmes and will be starting the 'Towards Independence' programmes in September 2012.

Pictured with their ASDAN New Horizons certificates are (l-r) Front: Gerard Hamill, Patrick Bree, Chloe Drewe, Eimear Rushe, Grace Pidgeon, Tha Dah Say, Aisling McGing, Sean Murphy. Back: Fiona Byrnes, Principal, Ross Higgins, Teacher, Emma Hagan, Sarah Kelly, Dermot King, Nicola Ludden, Anna Niland, Paddy McDonagh, Francis Staunton, John McEllin, John Joyce and Anna Sweeney, Deputy Principal/Teacher. Photo © Ken Wright Photography 2012.