Students with disability
Every child or young person is welcome to learn at their local ACT public school. Our school is committed to removing barriers so all students can access learning. Quality teaching practice helps all students, and our teachers make adjustments for students who need them to ensure they successfully access and participate in learning and school activities.
Adjustments for students may include:
- providing extra visual cues and information
- breaking down tasks or presenting them in a different way
- providing more practice of learning tasks or repetition
- checking for understanding
- changes to the environment
- providing other ways for a student to communicate
- strategies to meet a student’s sensory needs
- access to quiet spaces to assist with regulation.
These adjustments might be made in a smaller group learning situation and at times the class teacher may be assisted by another educator.
Read more about how students with disability are supported in ACT public schools.
Inclusive Education
In line with the ACT Government’s Inclusive Education Strategy: A Disability Inclusion Strategy for ACT Public Schools 2024-2034, we aim to ensure every child feels welcome and valued, accessing quality educational experiences designed to meet individual learning styles and needs.
Our Inclusion Education Faculty addresses the academic, social, behavioural and emotional needs of students, supporting them to participate meaningfully in all aspects of school life with as much independence as possible.
Belconnen High School supports differentiated learning, facilitating small group lessons with a number of students accessing the Disability Education Program (DEP) or Inclusion Support Program (ISP).
Eligibility into these programs is determined by the school psychologist and allocation of placements is determined by a central Education Directorate panel.
The Inclusive Education faculty is staffed by a specialist trained Executive Teacher, Disability Education Coordinator (DECO), Case Managers, experienced classroom teachers and Learning Support Assistants (LSAs). Faculty staff offer strategies, resources and practices to enable all students to achieve their full potential. This is achieved by helping to remove barriers whether physical, social, emotional or intellectual, allowing all students to access school and the curriculum. Students access learning through a variety of classroom environments and methods, including Small Group Programs and Personalised Programs (P programs), planned and delivered by curriculum subject and Inclusion Education teachers. Academic content is delivered in line with year level curriculum, with differentiation occurring across the components of skills and assessment. Learning Support Assistants increase student learning engagement by supporting individualised learning strategies and offer co-regulation.
Case managers work with students and families to consider appropriate adjustments to learning (Student Adjustment Matrix) and develop individualised learning plans (ILPs), implementing reasonable adjustments across school environments, curriculum content and assessments. Continued communication between parents/carers, class and faculty staff is valued when developing a holistic student-centred approach to learning.
The received level of funded support is primarily based on the adjustments identified to enable access to participation in curriculum learning and school events. Adjustments and student needs are identified through Student Centred Appraisal of Needs (SCAN) Meetings and the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD), resulting in one of the following levels of adjustment being recognised:
* Quality Differentiated Teaching
* Supplementary
* Substantial
* Extensive
The adjustments being made must be based on a disability as defined under the ACT Student Disability Criteria.
Other relevant links for further information:
https://www.education.act.gov.au/support-for-our-students/students-with-disability
Inclusive Education: A Disability Inclusion Strategy for ACT Public Schools 2024-2034 - Education
