Inclusion HUB
Our commitment to Inclusive Education means that children from all social, cultural, community and family backgrounds, and of all identities and all abilities, are able to attend their local state school and be welcomed.
Our Special Education Program, or Inclusion Hub, provides support to students who have been identified as having a disability or require adjustments to be made to assist with accessing curriculum, achieving curriculum outcomes. social/emotional support and general learning environment access. Individual Support Plans or Personalised Learning plans may be established for these students.
We believe all students are capable of successful learning. Inclusive Education means that students can access and fully participate in learning alongside their same aged peers, supported by reasonable adjustments and teaching strategies tailored to meet their individual needs. Inclusive Education is not a one size fits all approach. All staff collaborate and plan for every student to participate and learn. This enables all students access to learning environment, differentiated curriculum and pedagogy which creates a culture of successful and diverse learners.
Our Hub staff consists of our Head of Inclusion, four Case Managers/Inclusion Teachers, and six Teacher Aides as well as a full time Educational Auslan Interpreter.
Students with Hearing Impairment (HI), Visual Impairment (VI) and Physical Impairment (PI) are additionally serviced by an Advisory Visiting Teacher (AVT). Our school also accesses Department of Education Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy Services. There are procedures to identify students with additional needs through the Student Support Services (SSS).
Inclusion is embedded in all aspects of school life and is supported by school culture, department policies and daily practices. Our students learn in a safe and supportive environment, free from bullying, discrimination or harassment
Classroom teachers are supported by our Inclusion staff, and operate within a model of shared responsibility. Together, adjustments are made to enable access to curriculum, assessment, behaviour expectations and the learning environment. All of our students access their classrooms with support where required. We have three satellite classes throughout the school where some students attend targeted lessons for curriculum or social skills lessons. Lunch time programs enable access for some students to an alternate environment during breaks. Relationships are valued and strengthened through our Reach to Teach Program.
Student Learning Support
Learning support is provided for students experiencing learning needs within the areas of Literacy and Numeracy. The school provides programs for students needing intervention and extension. Our school programs are differentiated to meet student needs and encourage engagement and success for individual.
We currently have a Learning Support teacher who works a 9 day fortnight and several Teacher Aides who provide additional support and who are responsible for the implementation of programs under the guidance of the Learning Support Teacher. Catering to individual need is a high priority at a Victoria Point State School.
Our Learning Support staff help facilitate aspects of the School Based Reading Program and Math Problem Solving Program. Details of this program can be located below.
Programs to support student’s individual learning needs
Reading program
At Victoria Point State School we have a school based reading program that is specifically designed to target reading comprehension. The program focuses on the following aspects of reading;
- Phonological awareness
- Decoding
- Comprehension
- Critical Literacy – analysis of texts
Using reading data all students are stream according to reading need and skills. This process enables more face to face teaching/ interactions rather than completion of tasks / worksheets. Students are able to build on their individual competencies as they endeavor to become a literate person rather than perform on assessment. Motivation is built on building a sense of personal growth.
Math’s Problem Solving
At Victoria Point State School we have a school wide Math Problem Solving program. The program is designed to explicitly teach problem solving skills and strategies from Prep to Year Seven. Students are streamed according to their abilities and lessons are designed to build upon and extend a student’s existing knowledge and understanding.
The following strategies are explicitly taught and students are given opportunity to apply these newly acquired skills within in various contexts;
• Plan (Understand, Plan, Try It and Check)
• Draw A Diagram
• Look for a Pattern
• Act It Out
• Trial and Error
• Estimate
• Make A List
• Work Backwards
• Open Ended
• Simplify
• Look for relevant and irrelevant info
STRIVE Program
“...Perhaps the greatest tools we can give students for succeeding, not only in their education but more generally in life, is a large, rich vocabulary and the skills for using those words.” Pikulski & Templeton (2004)
Some reading comprehension difficulties are related to poor word knowledge. Research shows that Vocabulary is the strongest predictor of reading success. We can prevent some reading comprehension difficulties by explicitly teaching vocabulary.
The School based STRIVE Program is designed to support and increase vocabulary knowledge and understanding. Students explicitly explore and develop understanding of specific vocabulary, which will support their understanding in reading and improve the ability to communicate more effectively in speaking and writing.