Each year, while other faculties get straight down to following their allocated timetable and working with their classes, we begin rather differently by mapping out what staff we will be entitled to, based on student needs measured across a range of criteria entitling students to support.
The teaching and learning staff includes:
- Support Teacher Learning Assistance (STLA)
- English as a Second Language (ESL)
- Integration teachers and Learning Support Officers (LSO's)
- as well as staff to support Aboriginal students
- students who need specialist support for hearing or vision.
The timetables of staff are drawn up based on data about students and to allow strategically targeted, focused interventions that are carefully allocated to avoid duplicating resources.
The timetables are flexible and change according to the needs of the students and the amount of staffing we have available.
Learning Support Teachers
The STLA allocation is based on NAPLAN results. This year Teaching and Learning have .8 or 4 days of STLA time to assist students who are behind with literacy and numeracy, these students may not have not developed strategies of organisation and behaviour that underpin successful learning.
ESL
The ESL allocation is based on numbers of students who are phase 1, 2 or 3, with weighting running in that priority order, in class support is allocated accordingly. They must be allocated in classes with the highest groupings of ESL students. ESL students are not entitled to special provisions.
Funded Students
The Integration Funding Support allocation is based on the number of students in the mainstream with diagnosed disabilities which impact on curriculum, social competence, mobility and safety. The funding is not a fixed amount. It comes and goes with the students.
Some students need to be withdrawn for individual attention. The issues they deal with include mental health issues like:
- mood disorders
- anxiety and depression
- obsessive compulsive disorder
- ADHD
- autism spectrum disorders from autism to Aspergers
- non-specified pervasive developmental disorders
- receptive and expressive language disorders
- specific learning difficulties
- eating disorders
- physical disorders like cerebral palsy.
To qualify for funding students must be identified at school level and diagnosed by external professionals including doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists.
Integration teachers also do individual or small group withdrawal to implement the Individual Education Plan (IEP) assisting with:
- organization and assessments
- confidence building
- social skills building
- mood monitoring etc.
They also liaise closely with class teachers, parents and carers and external resource providers on the child's progress at home and school.
Some students have a Home-base Card to enable them to withdraw to a quiet, safe space if they become overwhelmed and are not coping.
Funded students are usually entitled to special provisions like:
- additional time for assessment tasks
- modification of tasks
- readers or scribes
- separate quiet space to work in
- use of computers or special equipment in some cases.
Aboriginal Funding
Aboriginal funding comes from several sources. Norta Norta funding is based on NAPLAN results and must be targeted on students achieving below national minimum standards.
We also apply for Aboriginal scholarships to support senior students with specific tutoring. Graham Spetere co-ordinates Aboriginal programs at our school and Tabitha Horsley is working with several Aboriginal students at present.
We also tap into Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) mentoring support for Aboriginal students, going out to Sydney Uni for mentoring from uni students.
