Yumiko Nakamura
Head, Tokyo Metropolitan Nanao School
for Special Needs Education

Nanao School for Special Needs Education, located in the city of HINO, has elementary, lower and upper secondary departments for children with intellectual disabilities. With the school district encompassing the entire Hino city, our pupils and students commute from all over the City area or come from the residential care institution adjacent to the School. Taking advantage of the location that our school district, which encompasses only Hino city, the school functions as a support center in the following four points with special needs education (SNE).

Support for better class delivery in SNE

The SNE Coordinators (hereafter referred to as coordinator) who belong to Nanao School provide specific advice to teachers engaged in SNE at local public schools to help them improve their delivery of classes material. Namely, the coordinators have attended SNE teacher training and have given concrete advice by observing their process of instruction in SNE classes, resource rooms and SNE classrooms[1].

Besides, under the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education initiative, the “Support for SNE Classes’ expertise improvement,” since the 2017 school year, Nanao School has been working with one general education school in Hino City, focusing on younger SNE teachers’ capacity for development. It has also provided advice for improved class delivery and for preparing annual teaching plans and teaching materials.

In addition, when school was closed during the summer holidays, Nanao School co-hosts the "Summer Open Seminar" with the Municipal Board of Education at a university near our school as the venue. The target audience are teachers from elementary and lower secondary schools in Hino City and staff of relevant institutions. About 150 people participated in the 2019 school year, as the seminar was held when school was closed, making it easy for teachers to participate. In view of recent challenges faced by SNE and the needs of public schools in elementary and lower secondary levels, the theme for the seminar is set out.

Furthermore, upon request, Nanao School dispatches its coordinators to the teacher training. Also, it provides consultations in relation to SNE instruction and support for preschoolers and students enrolled in nurseries, kindergartens, and schools (from elementary to upper secondary) in the city. In particular, as for a consultation for nurseries and kindergartens, the coordinators not only visit and listen to those taking care of children but also observe children’s behavior. Based on such observations, the coordinator provides concrete advice on instructing the children and on Structured Teaching.

Support for local school SNE coordinators working with regular elementary and lower secondary schools

Acting as an advisor, Nanao School’s coordinator attends the liaison meetings of the school coordinators, who promote SNE in local elementary and lower secondary schools and works closely with them. For example, the coordinator has disseminated information about the secondary enrollment system[2] at the liaison meetings and has consulted with local schools on how to work with their school committees and parents.

The students of Nanao School participate in joint learning activities such as direct exchange at local regular schools. In such cases, the coordinator visits the local school to give lessons, if necessary, to ensure that the exchange activities run smoothly.

Support relating to enrollment

Nanao School coordinators attend briefing sessions on enrollment in and proceeding to a school for SNE organized by the Municipal Board of Education and explain the overview of the school. In addition, at the consultation session with parents and relevant people, the coordinators observe preschoolers' and children's behavior, provide essential information for their schooling, give necessary guidance and support, and advise on creating a good learning environment.

Photo: Summer Open Seminar

Providing Information

Nanao School has produced a guidebook providing information on the availability of welfare services in Hiro city and has distributed it to parents. In addition, the guidebooks were distributed to the SNE classes for children with intellectual disabilities at regular elementary and secondary schools in the city for their use.

About our support

Previously, only one full-time Coordinator of Nanao School has provided the various types of support described above. At present, the school has three concurrent coordinators in the elementary department and one each in the secondary and upper secondary departments. The coordinators in different departments mainly support local regular schools, grade levels equivalent to which they belong. By sharing the duties of coordinators among several teachers, Nanao School ensures the capacity development of coordinators. Furthermore, it enables the provision of a variety of supports according to the experiences and specialties of the coordinators and the provision of continuous support even when the coordinator changes.