Ε.Ε.Ε.ΕΚ. Αχαΐας

School Unit: E.E.E.E.C. E.E.E.E.E.E.E.C.E. OF ACHAIA – 0641001

School Year: 2023 – 2024 Date of Export: 27/06/2024

Α. SCHOOL UNIT IDENTITY

The characteristics and peculiarities of the school unit, which are considered important for the school’s image, are briefly recorded.

The Laboratory of Special Vocational Education (S.V.E.E.E.E.E.) of AHAIAS is located at “Bozaitika” in the city of Patras, on Diodorou Street, where it bears the number 11. It was founded in 2002 and is housed on the ground floor of a building (former boarding school) granted by the National Foundation for the Deaf by virtue of a utility loan agreement, which has already been terminated by the user, with the result that the school is being asked to vacate the school premises. It has 19 classrooms. During the 2023-2024 school year, the student population was one hundred and five (106) students, who were divided into twenty-three (23) classes, depending on their educational needs and diagnosis. Students are transported to and from the school by hired taxis and buses, coming from various areas of Achaia. The teaching staff of the school, including the Principal, the two (2) Assistant Principals, the Teachers, the Special Education Staff, the Special Auxiliary Staff and the Cleaning Staff, amounts to sixty-six (66) persons. The number of students justifies the existence of two (2) Assistant Directors. The school has an Agriculture, Food and Environment laboratory, an Independent Living laboratory and a Computer laboratory. The school is facing an acute building problem as the space provided is insufficient for the school’s upper school capacity. In order to accommodate the students each year, it is necessary to separate certain classrooms in order to accommodate two (2) classes.

Furthermore, there is no suitable space within the building to house the school’s approved laboratories, resulting in restrictions on the education of students. It should be noted that the building in which we are housed is inadequately maintained, while it has, in addition to the ground floor and basement, which, despite the school’s request, have not been assigned to us, remaining essentially unused, a fact that, combined with various functional obstacles set by the grantor for the use of the school unit’s courtyard space, do not allow us to develop our school activities for the benefit of our students. The acute building problem has been pointed out for many years to the authorities and various solutions have been proposed, but no effort has been made to solve it. The school is attended by students from the wider area according to the definition of the school district of the Secondary Education Directorate of Achaia.

Β. OVERALL EVALUATION OF THE SCHOOL’S WORK

Positive points

The following could be considered as positive points:

1. the school’s family climate and lack of racist attitudes,

• the excellent relationship between teachers and students,

3) the excellent cooperation between the management, teachers and parents and guardians of the school; and

4) the school’s website and the presentation of all activities and remarkable works carried out in order to promote the school’s work in the local and educational community.

Points for improvement

1. Organising more meetings with parents. Planning and implementation of joint actions regarding environmental (cleaning the coast of Rio, etc.) and social issues (information on addictions, domestic violence, domestic violence, etc.).
2. The appointment of a permanent professional advisor.

• The improvement of the digital infrastructure through the multiplication and upgrading of electronic media and the supply of necessary software.
• The development of communication and collaboration skills in groups and the familiarisation of teachers and students with ICT, through training activities and experiential workshops.
• Working more closely with facilitators who should come to the school and, if requested, implement sample lessons and interact with students.
• The removal of the disproportion between the capacity of classrooms and the number of students in them, which of course requires the resolution of the school’s building problem.

Positive points

1. Direct and effective communication between teachers, guardians and students.
2. Cooperation with volunteer associations, recycling programmes and various bodies for information activities.
3. The democratic way of running the school that fosters pluralism, self-activity and school innovation.

Points for improvement

1. Finding incentives for communication and cooperation with parents/guardians and taking specific and targeted actions.
2. Increase the number of organisations with which the school cooperates.

• Systematic information of all members of the school community and the competent authorities regarding the acute building problem as the space provided is considered insufficient for the school’s upper school capacity.

Positive points

1. The universal participation of the members of the Teaching, Special Education and Special Support Staff of the school in all training activities and the strong interest shown by them in training.
2. The strengthening of in-school training on a variety of topics, which was the result of an exploration of teachers’ needs.
3. Implementation of national and European educational programmes and increasing the number of teachers and students participating in them
4. Participation in the European Erasmus Programme K21 “Training and Development”

• Participation in national and international competitions and conferences.

Points for improvement

Implementation of new trainings in psycho-pedagogy, educational technology and intercultural education.

Γ. EVALUATION OF THE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ACTIONS

Function

Pedagogical and learning function Number of actions implemented 1

Axes in which actions were implemented Actions ) Teaching, learning and assessment

Function

Administrative function

Number of Actions implemented

1

Axes in which actions were implemented ) School and community

Function

Professional development of teachers Number of actions implemented 2

Axes in which actions were implemented Actions ) Participation of teachers in training activities

Participation of teachers in national and European programmes

Comments / Comments

From the action plans implemented in our school unit, it is concluded that the teachers of the school are highly trained, cooperative and inspired by the spirit of volunteerism, treating the school as their second home and offering in any area required, so that the school can function properly.

Main results of the Actions

RESULTS OF THE ACTION “Development and exploitation of the school website for the promotion of school activities and actions in the framework of the European Erasmus Programme”: the initial objectives of the Action were achieved and the Action is considered successful. Specifically, we can talk about a renewed, modern, accessible to all (and worldwide) website, which is constantly updated with the actions, the programs implemented in our school unit and many software for special education.

RESULTS OF THE ACTION “Participate and Offer”: the results of the Action were very positive. After each individual activity we discussed with the children what they had learned, what they liked, what we could improve and the teacher in charge kept notes in her personal diary for reflection. Gradually, more and more classes participated in the activities as our students became more and more familiar with the process of moving and implementing activities outside the school. Our children showed gradually increasing communication skills, rule adoption and willingness to participate. In addition, in some cases they accompanied parents of students, as for example at the House of Letters and participated with us in the action, expressing their pleasure from its organization and implementation. Finally, our students realized the importance of participation and contribution to society and resolved their disagreements in a friendly atmosphere. All the above results of the Action will be presented and highlighted by the students and teachers who participated in the Action during the scheduled Intra-school Presentation on 14/6/24. At the same time, an evaluation questionnaire will be distributed.

RESULTS OF THE ACTION “Functional and aesthetic upgrading of the courtyard and its use for learning”: with the mentioned simple interventions that were made, the functional and aesthetic upgrading of the school’s courtyard was achieved to a certain extent and it was used as a learning space. Also, it was possible for parents and teachers to become aware of the pedagogical value of the activities that take place in the courtyard. The students were pleased with the upgrade, while the educational process was facilitated, as many lessons took place in the courtyard (literature, aesthetic education, physical education, lessons of the Technology, Agriculture and Environment Laboratory, etc.). The Teachers’ Association, as shown by the Memorandum of Understanding No. 80/29-5-2024 Act was informed by the Director and the Action Coordinator about the actions implemented or planned to be implemented in the framework of this Action and unanimously expressed its absolute satisfaction with the results of the Action and its wish that in the next school year the difficulties that were beyond the wishes of the participating teachers would be overcome and that all the objectives initially set would be achieved, if, as stated above, it is decided to continue the action in the next school year. In order to better assess the results of the action, an evaluation questionnaire was also distributed.

RESULTS OF THE ACTION “Organisation and implementation of the in-school training of the staff of the E.E.E.E.C. The initial objectives of the Action have been largely achieved and as a result the Action as a whole is considered successful. More specifically, all members of the educational community that participated in the above action plan adopted collaborative practices, with

resulting in better communication between them and the smooth operation of the school unit. Also, through the provision of information on the training topics, the scientific training of the staff was improved with the trainees feeling more informed and ready to perform their duties. Finally, it was decided that the training material produced by each training, which as a source of information and knowledge is available and can be used in the future as an auxiliary tool by the participating teachers during the next school years, will be distributed via e-mail to the participating members of the action.

Difficulties encountered

Difficulties of the action group “Development and use of the school website for the promotion of school activities and actions in the framework of the European Erasmus Programme”: 1,

2. install the software for language translator, 3. install software for visually impaired people.

Difficulties of the “Participate and Contribute” action group: the difficulty-challenge we had to face was constant during the school period and had to do with the proper management of our time and human resources. However, alongside the intensification and increase of bureaucracy at all levels within the school framework, the lack of logistical infrastructure, etc. we have managed to accomplish what makes us feel creative and fulfilled.

Difficulties of the action group “Functional and aesthetic upgrading of the courtyard and its use for learning”: the refusal of the landlord of the school premises to carry out extensive interventions related to planned constructions in the courtyard of the school. The delay of the Technical Department of the Municipality of Patreon, although it has been repeatedly reminded by the Director of the School to do the necessary studies and constructions, such as: a) the paving of the courtyard area, which, considering that it is paved with type 3a gravel, is dangerous for our students, b) the construction of a shelter, in order to ensure safe access for students, especially on days with strong sunshine or rainfall, c) the construction of ramps for wheelchairs at the main entrance of the school and in the courtyard, d) the construction of a basketball and tennis court, e) The placement of a playground in the courtyard, where our students could relax during their breaks, taking into account their special needs, and f) The enrichment of the courtyard area with interest corners, which would have the appropriate equipment as originally planned. Finally, the high cost of the supply of the equipment required for the organisation of the courtyard, which resulted in the cancellation of its purchase, taking into account the limited financial possibilities of the school committee and the parents’ and guardians’ association on the one hand, and the reluctance of institutions and private individuals to cover it on the other.

Difficulties of the action group “Organisation and implementation of the in-school training of the staff of the E.E.E.C.E. A large part of our school’s staff consists of substitutes so that training needs are detected at the beginning of the school year but are redefined during the year. Moreover, due to the necessity for the participating teachers to stay at school for extra hours outside their normal working hours, in order to organise and conduct the training sessions, there was a physical and psychological burden on them, while at the same time there were difficulties in determining the days on which the training sessions took place, as the other (non-service) needs of the teachers (family, personal, etc.) had to be taken into account.

Highlighting practices and suggestions for their use by other schools (optional).

Practice 1

Axis

School and community

Title of action

Participate and Offer

Objective Improvement

From the evaluation of the work of our School Unit for the school year 2022-23 and the discussion held with the Teachers’ Association, the need to create a culture of active participation of our school in participatory and voluntary actions that contribute to a. the development of competences as well as attitudes, values and behaviours that will enable students to manage issues concerning society; b. discovering incentives for responsible actions to improve the quality of life for themselves and their fellow human beings. At the same time, the cooperation with external bodies, the extroversion of our school in society and the promotion of this work in the wider community are sought.

Implementation actions

To achieve the objectives of the action plan, the following actions have been carried out so far:

Coordination of a five-month environmental project entitled “I volunteer for the environment and sustainability” (Act 32/13-11-2023). As part of this environmental programme, we held awareness walks in the school’s outdoor area and awareness raising activities on the environment and climate change, a theatre game and a dramatization of the play “The Call of Nature”. We also implemented actions in educational visits a. in the marsh of Agia https://cuts.top/GOGw and b. in Ano Kastritsi’s Water Marina https://cuts.top/EP6- where the students photographed the aquatic wealth and participated in a photography competition in which they won three prizes https://cuts.top/GOIT.

On 7 DECEMBER 2023 We repaired the 20th High School of Patras and made greeting cards in view of Christmas in order to jointly carry out a voluntary action at the pedagogical and therapeutic center “Merimna ” https://cuts.top/EP87

On 15 December we prepared Christmas sweets and compositions to offer them to the upcoming action at Merimna https://tinyurl.com/5x66h6c9. On 18 DECEMBER 2023 we implemented the Voluntary Action at the pedagogical and therapeutic center “Merimna” together with the 20th High School of Patras with gifts, sweets and an event with songs, Christmas carols

etc. https://cuts.top/EP5c

On 31 JANUARY 2024 We participated with poetry recitations at the “Kostis Palamas” House of Letters in order for students to form a culture of active participation in participatory actions,

cultural and behavioural offerings that contribute to the development of skills, attitudes, values and behaviours that will help them to cultivate aesthetic and emotional development and develop skills in presenting and reciting poems to an audience https://cuts.top/EP5p

On 1 MARCH 2024 we were visited by the 20th Gymnasium of Patras https://cuts.top/EP5A with whom we collaborated and with the fairy tale we talked about emotions and their expression.

On 7 MARCH 2024 we implemented in our school an awareness-raising action on Bullying https://cuts.top/GOHa

On 21 MARCH 2024 we implemented a joint teamwork experiential activity with the students of Arsakeios Primary School for the treatment of School Violence and Inclusion https://cuts.top/EP5K

On Wednesday 15 May 2024, we were visited by the primary school of Sagaiika and the vice-regional governor Georgia Datsika. With the primary school we carried out an awareness-raising activity on bullying with a theatrical game and storytelling. The activity aimed at the students of the two schools to interact, collaborate and carry out educational activities. More specifically, the students, through the dramatization of the fairy tale “Lisette, the polar bear” and their participation in group collaborative – experiential activities on the theme: dealing with school violence and inclusion, addressed issues related to solidarity and respect for diversity, which contribute to the development of self-esteem and the promotion of mental well-being of our students https://tinyurl.com/z7ka9xvk

Material (hyperlink quotation)

18 DECEMBER 2023 Voluntary Action at the pedagogical and therapeutic center “Merimna” together with the 20th High School of Patras. The aim was to develop skills, attitudes, values and behaviours that will help students to manage issues concerning society. https://cuts.top/EP5c 31 ΙΑΝΟΥΑΡΙΟΥ 2024 Συμμετοχή με απαγγελίες ποιημάτων στη Στέγη Γραμμάτων

“Kostis Palamas” The purpose of the visit was for the students, through the Action Plan “I Participate and Offer”, to broaden their personal experiences, to form a culture of active participation in participatory actions,

cultural and behavioural offerings that contribute to the development of skills, attitudes, values and behaviours that will help them to cultivate aesthetically and emotionally and to develop skills in presenting and reciting poems to an audience. https://cuts.top/EP5p 21 ΜΑΡΤΙΟΥ 2024: Κοινή ομαδοσυνεργατική βιωματική δράση με το Αρσάκειο Δημοτικό Σχολείο για την από κοινού υλοποίηση ομαδοσυνεργατικών-βιωματικών δραστηριοτήτων για τη Σχολική βία και τη Συμπερίληψη. https://cuts.top/EP5K

Practice 2 Axis

Teaching, learning and assessment

Title of action

Functional and aesthetic upgrading of the courtyard and its use for learning

Objective Improvement

The objectives of our Action Plan are: a) the landscaping of the school’s courtyard, b) its use as a place for recreation, creative play and socialization of students, c) the acquisition by the participating students and teachers of the skills that will enable them to methodically plan an action outside the classroom, (d) to improve pupils’ participation in the educational process, to increase their motivation and enthusiasm, to promote their curiosity, creativity and critical thinking, and to increase their self-confidence by means of outdoor learning in the learning corners that will be created; and (e) to improve pupils’ participation in the educational process, to increase their motivation and enthusiasm, to promote their curiosity, creativity and critical thinking, and to increase their self-confidence by means of outdoor learning in the learning corners that will be created.

Implementation actions

This action was implemented during the current school year 2023-2024 on the basis of the provisions set out in the Ministry of Education’s Decree 108906/GD4/2021 (Government Gazette B 4189/10-9-2021) “Collective planning, internal and external evaluation of school units in terms of their educational work” and in accordance with the Act of the teachers’ association of the school unit (No. 21/04-10-2023). In the month of November 2023, according to the planning, a training meeting was held on the subject of the aesthetic and functional upgrading of the schoolyard through the support of educational projects related to the schoolyard and their integration in the educational process. The role of the schoolyard as an educational and environmental space was highlighted. Subsequently, the participating teachers discussed with the students in order to ascertain their needs and desires in relation to the configuration of the schoolyard space. Subsequently, these were systematized and prioritized and a mapping of the courtyard was attempted in order to accurately plan and implement specific interventions. The Parents and Guardians Association of the school, the Municipality of Patra, the Region of Western Greece and other bodies were informed about the objectives of the plan and the ways of its implementation. An attempt was made to find private sponsors, without success. Despite the ambitious goals, which were set during the planning of the action, due to the refusal of the National Foundation

Deaf, which is the lessor of the school premises, to consent to extensive interventions in the courtyard, it was finally possible to implement simple interventions, which concern the functional and aesthetic upgrading of the courtyard and specifically: a) Cutting of grass whenever necessary, cleaning and milling of the greenhouse area (

https://eeek- new.ach.sch.%CF%

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%CE% and Outdoor Landscaping – E.E.E.E.C. Achaia (sch.gr) , b) Pruning of trees, especially the tall ones, due to the risk of falling branches due to the strong winds that blow in the area where our school is located, c) Painting of pots and flowerbeds in the courtyard and planting of flowers in them, d) Maintenance of the fence of the courtyard, e) Decorating the exterior walls with murals by teachers and students of the school as part of the Aesthetic Education course, f) Maintenance of the wooden shelter and large wooden tables located in the courtyard, g) Decorating the main entrance of the school, h) Maintenance of existing cistern and use of this for rainwater harvesting for irrigation of school crops, i) Landscaping of space within the courtyard for recycling-composting of organic waste, and j) creation of a recycling corner (https://cuts.top/H6vx). The above objectives were achieved through the voluntary work of the teachers involved in the action, who gave of their free time working even outside working hours, aiming at the aesthetic and functional upgrading of the courtyard area. Also, several educational activities were planned and implemented within the courtyard area. Indicatively: a) Harvesting of fruits from the school’s olive trees, preparation of edible olives and packaging them in jars. (Preparation of edible olives from the olive trees of our school – E.E.E.E .C. Achaia (sch.gr)), b) Sowing of summer vegetables(https://cuts.top/EZDe), c) Animal welfare day ( https://cuts.top/GZA0), d) Harvesting of winter vegetables(https://cuts.top/GZA9), e) Preparation of barley from the products of the school garden(https://cuts.top/EZD4), f) Exemplary teaching on “Axial Symmetry in Nature”(https://cuts.top/GZAy), g) Exemplary diffusion teaching on “Nature and Emotions”(https://cuts.top/H5f5), h) Sports and music and movement activities, i) Learning traditional way of making bread, j) Learning traditional dances, etc.(https://cuts.top/H6vx)

Material (hyperlink quotation)

20 MAY 2024: Exemplary teaching on “Axial symmetry in nature”. https://tinyurl.com/4w8uxex9 29 ΜΑΪΟΥ 2024: Erasmus : Υποδειγματική διδασκαλία διάχυσης με θέμα «Φύση και Συναισθήματα». The aim of the outdoor activities was for the students to strengthen their relationship with nature, to understand man’s status as part of nature and to find alternative ways of managing negative emotions through nature. https://tinyurl.com/yyyf796x

Proposals for necessary training

Theme 1

Axis

Participation of teachers in training activities

Special Subject

Regarding the training of teachers, we believe that it is appropriate to continue the model that was applied in the current school year, i.e. to investigate the needs of teachers and to decide on in-school trainings according to these needs.”