Page 3368 - Week 09 - Thursday, 24 August 2017
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The achievements of the schools for all program outlined in the May progress report can be summarised under three key themes: building capability, collaborating with partners, and being informed. In 2017 we are building our capability by investing in our school leaders, teachers and education support staff through professional learning and ongoing coaching and mentoring support through the engagement teams.
Catholic education continues to financially support their classroom support assistants who undertake courses of study as part of completing a certificate IV in education support. Twenty-nine public schools are implementing the positive behaviour for learning framework. This is a whole-of-school approach to create a positive behavioural environment for learning and wellbeing and decrease the frequency and severity of problems in challenging behaviours.
We are building on our capability at a system level with our public schools supported by network school engagement teams as well as the Catholic schools wellbeing and diversity officers. These teams comprise educators in positive behaviour support, disability education, and allied health professionals including psychologists, occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists and physiotherapists. They coach and mentor teachers and build school capacity to support all students including providing targeted support for children and young people with complex needs and challenging behaviours.
As one parent said of the support that they have received:
I have really felt that everybody including the teachers and specialists are working with us, with the interests of my daughter at the centre. I think that this is because we all understand the part that we all play. My daughter says that she thinks everyone is listening to what is important for her.
We are making it easier to be informed, to challenge our culture, and change attitudes towards inclusive education. Across the education sector policies have been reviewed and updated in line with the expert panel recommendations. The new directorate policy webpage simplifies and improves access to policies, procedures, guidelines and other supporting implementation materials.
The directorate also developed a policy development guide to provide guidance to all staff on the development and/or review of policies and procedures. The guidance ensures new or reviewed policies and procedures consider the impact on, and the needs of, students with complex needs and challenging behaviour or disability.
In March 2017 the ACT education inclusion and wellbeing staff intranet site was launched. It provides schools with information and access to innovative, neuroscience-informed wellbeing for learning programs including positive behaviour for learning, neuroscience in education, and trauma responsive education. The site is easy to navigate with clear and easily accessible information on support and referral pathways, both within the education support office and for the wider education community for children and young people with complex needs and challenging behaviour. It also provides comprehensive access to resources and programs to support staff health and wellbeing. Based on the success of the intranet page, the
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