A warm welcome to all the participants who began the first day of their studies in St. Angela’s on the Postgraduate Diploma in Special Educational Needs (PGSEN) 2013-2014. The group were welcomed to St. Angela’s College by Head of Education, Mr. Eugene Toolan, who wished the participants well over the coming academic year.
The programme provides teachers from primary, post-primary, special schools and other educational services with an opportunity to avail of continuing professional development (CPD), in order to respond to emerging trends and the needs of pupils/students experiencing special educational needs within the current and evolving legislative and policy context.
Dr. Pauline Kerins, Programme Coordinator and Lecturer in Special Educational Needs (SEN) at St. Angela’s Centre for SEN, Inclusion and Diversity (CSENID) also welcomed participants and described the programme as ‘a wonderful opportunity for teachers to engage in professional development in the area of SEN which will, in turn, benefit the students they are supporting in schools throughout the region.’
The programme is fully funded by the Teacher Education Section of the Department of Education and Skills and is available to all teachers working in the area of SEN. It is a recognised academic qualification for specialist support teachers and also provides a foundation to enable participants to progress to further academic study.
The CSENID team are looking forward to working with the group over the academic year, 2013-2014.