At Rollins Primary School we celebrate diversity and are committed to supporting the achievement and participation of all students.
We support and implement DET inclusive practice initiatives to ensure educational opportunities are fair and equitable for all students by making reasonable adjustments where necessary.
Education for all acknowledges that some children and young people have additional needs that schools may need to take into consideration.
Below are some of the initiatives we implement to assist our students to achieve their full potential.
Student support services
Student support services assist children and young people faced with learning barriers to achieve their educational and developmental potential. They provide strategies and specialised support at individual, group, school and area levels.
Student support services comprise a broad range of professionals including psychologists, speech pathologists and social workers.
They work as part of an integrated health and wellbeing team within networks of schools, focusing on providing group-based and individual support, workforce capacity building and the provision of specialised services.
Learning Support Programs
ROLLINS PRIMARY SCHOOL OFFERS STUDENTS A RANGE OF LEARNING SUPPORT PROGRAMS. OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE:
- Differentiated curriculum
- Individual learning plans
- Learning support programs
Differentiated Classroom Programs
Within the classrooms teachers develop and implement programs that are tailored to individual needs. Teachers use problem-solving activities together with explicit teaching of thinking skills to engage and enrich students. Teachers use a range of assessment including standardised testing to identify strengths and where a student may require support.
Student Individual Learning Plans
Teachers together with parents, set goals for students to achieve and work through the strategies at home and at school that will be used to support the child achieve these individual goals.
Learning Support
The Learning Support teacher works closely with classroom teachers, providing extra assistance, providing support that enables students to meet their individual needs. Support takes a variety of forms:
- Teacher support. Identifying specific learning and support needs for individual students, assisting in implementing these strategies and programs.
- Small groups or individual students maybe withdrawn during the course of the week to participate in further learning activities. These groups are fluid and are identified through teacher assessment. They are ever changing as the learning needs of the students change.
- Working with the students support network, often consisting of educational experts, teachers, parents and the student, to ensure facilitation of processes and strategies to maximise learning opportunities far students.
The Learning Support program provides a purposeful learning environment that is able to cater for a variety of learning styles. Utilizing a learning team that is able to ensure that students reach their full potential.
Disability and Impairment
With the excellent skills and knowledge of our education support staff, students are given support which is appropriate for their every-changing needs. Physical resources are always maintained and a variety of support groups are accessed, such as: Royal Institute for the Blind, Speech Therapist and Psychologist. Children are always included in all aspects of school life, including incursions, excursions and camps.
Parent Support Group Meetings are held at least once a term to ensure both regular contact between families and teachers and to assess specific goals and strategies. Applications for funding, or to review funding, are applied for on an annual basis. Students also receive supplementary transition sessions to help with smooth transition from primary school to secondary school.
Speech Pathology
Services include assessment, consultation with teachers and parents, provision of helpful strategies and home therapy programs, individual and group therapy sessions.
Psychologist
The School Psychologist visits the school on a weekly basis and provides the following services to referred students, their families, teachers and the community. These services include: Counselling and support to address issues including school refusal, anxiety, depression, anger and frustration and peer difficulties. Assessment is also conducted to assess and provide reports and supportive recommendations. Areas often assessed by the School Psychologist include intellectual and academic functioning and evaluations of social, emotional and coping skills.
Psychologists also liaise with other professionals including GPs, Paediatricians, Speech pathologists, Audiologists and others to provide a collaborative understanding of an issue that a student is facing and often assists parents and schools to make decisions about the best course of action to take in light of the information.
The School Psychologist also is a key element in the management of emergencies where the school population is affected by a critical incident. Assistance is also provided by other Psychologists in the network and the emergency management team. Schools often seek advice about the management of a number of issues that occur in the life of a school and do this with the highest level of integrity and professionalism.
Psychologists in schools work in accordance with the Psychological Practices Act, the Health Records Act and other relevant legislation and guidelines. The service provided to schools is a limited resource and the school Psychologist and the Principal will determine when a student requires access to this support service.
School Well-Being Officer (Chaplaincy Program)
Rollins engage a chaplain (Well-being Officer) to support the educational, social and emotional well-being of our students. They work closely with well-being and allied health staff in schools to support students and their educational outcomes, staff, families and the wider school community.
Chaplains are guided by the Department’s Principles for Health and Well-being which underpin effective professional practice to promote and support optimal health, well-being and educational outcomes for students.
Access to support services such as Bethany, Glastonbury and McKillop Family Services help provide many varied programs to benefit both students and families in times of need.
EdConnect
In 2018, we first teamed up with Ed Connect to further enhance our efforts in student welfare and engagement. Ed Connect is a national charity that trains and places volunteers in to learning support and mentoring roles assist children at risk of not fulfilling their educational potential. Rollins PS are committed to utilising the experienced volunteers from EdConnect for many years to come. For more information visit: http://www.edconnectaustralia.org.au/
Inclusion and Diversity – Policy
Student Wellbeing and Engagement – Policy (includes Rollins PS Discipline Plan)