Service Type: Special Education and Resource/Learning Support Centres / Edukazzjoni Speċjali u Ċentri ta’ Riżorsa/Learning Support Centres2

Over the years, LSCs have been offering temporary programmes for learners with severe social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. After the schools and colleges have exhausted their support services, referred the learners to either the nurture class (primary) or learning support zone (secondary) for a structured programme and the learners followed all the strategies being implemented by all professionals, the school administration is to send a referral to the SEBD specialist. Once the SEBD specialist worked with the learner and the school a case conference with all professionals will be held so that the learner will follow a programme at the LSC. The Service Manager (Special Education) /College Principal should be invited or informed with regards to the date of the case conference.

The service is offered to primary school and secondary school learners. The centres aim to provide students with alternative educational provision and to offer mentoring during the reintegration process. Learners receive a balanced curriculum alongside intensive programme on emotional literacy, self-esteem, anger management and social skills training. The learners receive support to work on their challenging behaviour through an individualised “Behaviour Modification Programme” which is levelled and recorded according to their good effort and progress. The programme at LSC also aims to reintegrate learners back into their mainstream school. To ensure a smooth and successful reintegration, assessments of learners’ readiness will be carried out.   A meeting between LSC and the learners’ respective college/school will be held to discuss the reintegration plan. During the programme planned, the learner is accompanied by a teaching staff of the LSC. Following a good performance, the number of days at the mainstream school is increased gradually. The main aim of LSC is to help the learner gain skills to cope in a school environment and better his/her future prospects. At present there are five Learning Support Centre: St. Thomas More College Learning Support Centre (Ħamrun), St. Nicholas College Learning Support Centre (Naxxar), St. Margaret College Learning Support Centre (Fortini), St. Margaret College Learning Support Centre (Cospicua), and St. Ignatius College Learning support Centre (Marsa). The latter centre is intended for Primary school learners, while the other four are intended to support secondary school learners.

There are four Resource Centres in Malta. These are:

• San Miguel Education Resource Centre caters for Primary School learners with Individual Educational Needs (IEN).  The school aims to provide an education designed to meet the needs of individual pupils. Facilities in the school range from specially designed classrooms and other therapeutic areas, to a hydrotherapy pool and a visual room equipped with multi-sensory equipment to create a stimulating environment. For learners using wheelchairs or buggies, specialized transport is provided. Importance is given to parental participation and parents are encouraged to be directly involved in the Educational Programme of their children. The Centre also offers its services and specialized programmes to babies, kinder and primary school aged learners with IEN from mainstream schools. This Resource Centre forms part of St. Clare College. Tel. 21374224
• Guardian Angel Resource Centre offers a secondary level of education to learners who are 11-16 years old. All academic subjects are adapted to cater for our learners’ needs. We give a lot of importance to independent living skills and community based activities. Our learners can benefit from the use of highly equipped Home Economics, Science, Design and Technology, Opti-music and Multisensory rooms. At our centre we also offer classes for part time learners who can attend twice or trice weekly. All our learners have an individual educational programme that lists a set of targets and goals which we try to reach by the end of the scholastic year. This Resource Centre forms part of St. George Preca College. Tel. 21251190.
• Helen Keller Resource Centre caters for PMLD students of secondary school age, between the ages of 12 and 16 and young adults between 16 and 22 years. Our students have profound and multiple learning disabilities and follow a curriculum that is based on the national curriculum adapted to their needs. The Centre is furnished with facilities which cater for our students’ needs and include a Multisensory Room, a Sensory Motor Studio, a Gym, a Jacuzzi and an ICT Lab. The Centre is visited by a Speech Therapist and a team of Physiotherapists every week, who monitor the students’ needs in these areas. The Centre also has regular visits by a Consultant Pediatrician, with a special interest in Disabilities, and members from the Access and Communication Technology Unit (ACTU), who work closely with the ICT teacher at the Centre. This Resource Centre forms part of St. Benedict College. Tel. 21642398
• The Dun Manwel Attard YAERC is a post-16 Resource Centre that aims to provide best quality opportunities to special needs students.  Such opportunities vary from academic, vocational and extra-curricular experiences.  The Resource Centre administration and staff do manage to create the best educational experiences in order that independent and employability skills are mastered as much as possible. Where possible therapeutic services are also offered. This Resource Centre forms part of Maria Regina College. Tel. 21573989.

This service is intended to provide learners with a continuing education to minimise, as much as possible, the effects of long absence from school while they are recovering at hospital. 

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