Page 666 - Week 02 - Thursday, 16 February 2017

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(1) What is the number of students who graduate from Black Mountain School and The Woden Valley School each year.

(2) How many graduates from Black Mountain and The Woden Valley Schools (a) take up places in tertiary education institutions, (b) find employment in the government sector and (c) find employment in the non-government sector.

(3) What programmes are in place to further enrich the lives of the students graduating from both Black Mountain and the Woden Valley Schools who do not find places in further education or employment.

Mr Berry: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:

(1) Black Mountain is a specialist secondary school (years 7-12) for students with an intellectual disability. The Woden School provides individual education programs for students in years 7 to 12 with an intellectual disability and/or autism. The school was expanded to include year 12 in 2012.

The table below provides data on the number of graduates in special schools over the past four years:

(2) The data to answer the Member’s question is not available.

(3) Students graduating from Black Mountain School and Woden School are eligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The NDIS supports the employment, recreational and social goals of young people with disability through individual funding packages, linkages and supports for community access.

In particular, the NDIS fund the School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES). In the ACT, year 12 school leavers with disability who require assistance to transition to open employment may be eligible to access SLES through the NDIS.

• SLES is a NDIS initiative being trialled in the ACT and Tasmania which can provide school leavers with up to two years of support to access further training and develop the skills necessary to participate in the workforce. These supports can include work experience (generally in open employment), job site training, travel training and activities that contribute to achieving an employment outcome and linkages to ongoing employment support.

• In 2015 and 2016 the Education Directorate has worked in partnership with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to support students with disability to make a smooth transition to SLES or other employment supports. School staff with the knowledge of individual students complete an online functional work assessment for potentially eligible students. The NDIS uses this assessment to determine eligibility for SLES - a highly individualised package of supports valued at a maximum of $21,000 per annum over two years.

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