At St Peter’s Woodlands, developing confident and resilient learners is central to our core values.
Inclusive Education at SPW is just that – an educational experience that is inclusive of the diverse learners who make up our student community. Our philosophy is that Inclusive Education is about welcoming and celebrating diversity and every child having equitable opportunities to participate, learn, grow, and thrive. Whether a child is requiring additional support or extension in their learning, we strive to ensure that every child is reaching their potential and feeling confident in their abilities to learn and grow throughout their schooling.
The Inclusive Education and Enrichment Team
Our Inclusive Education Team comprises of; Head of Inclusive Education, Tina Day, Instructional Coach, Jo Hirst, as well as Maria Beatty (Literacy Intervention), Nicki Pitt (Numeracy Intervention) and Sasha Hennig (Inclusion & Wellbeing Support). Our Enrichment Team is led by Lisa Harris, Head of Learning, Teaching and Innovation and Simon Theel, Enrichment Teacher.
Education Support Officer Model
One of St Peter’s Woodlands’ unique offerings is our Education Support Office (ESO) Model. Every classroom from Reception to Year 4 has a qualified teacher and an ESO. In the senior years students are encouraged to become more independent in preparation for senior school and are supported by their classroom teacher and two roaming ESOs per year level.
Our team of highly skilled and experienced ESOs provide day-to-day support in the classroom and strive to create an environment where every learner feels welcome, valued, and able to participate. The increased student-to-staff ratio, enhances the effectiveness of our Inclusive Education and Extension programs. It provides the opportunity for breakaway groups, enhancing student individualised support and learning for all students.
Continuous Student Assessment for Ongoing Support
Before students start schooling at SPW, the Inclusive Education Team seek to build a holistic picture of their skills, abilities and needs to develop individualised learning plans and provide the appropriate support and learning opportunities. “The transition to school is a significant milestone in any child’s life. So identifying how to best set each child up for success in their school career will hopefully make that transition as positive as possible”, says Tina Day.
Through a rigorous regime of monitoring student learning progress from Early Learning through to Year 6, we can identify potential difficulties or need for extension and provide appropriate intervention, through a Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS). Class teachers play a critical role in ensuring that teaching is delivered in a way that supports all students to engage with the learning.
Developing Intervention Learning Programs
Assessment happens regularly throughout the child’s schooling to ensure the individual learning plan is matched to the child’s current abilities. The Inclusive Education Team and classroom teachers work collaboratively in assessing each student’s progress in literacy and numeracy across the year. The gathering and monitoring of data is used to inform next steps in teaching, identifying students who may benefit from targeted support and whether further assessment may be helpful. Class teachers and the Inclusive Education team then work in consultation with families to plan how best to develop their skills. This support (intervention) may include programs delivered in-class by classroom teachers or ESOs, out of class programs delivered by our intervention specialists, or perhaps referral to one of the many Allied Health professionals who provide therapy support on-site at SPW.
While one of the goals of intervention support is to ‘close the gap’ for students who are struggling, we also have a large focus on teaching students the skills that will allow them to become independent, empowered lifelong learners. “We are not about trying to change who a child is – we aim to support them to the point where they understand themselves as learners, empowering them to become their own advocates for what works best for them,” Tina said. “Often, learning challenges can be with individuals for life, our job is to teach practical skills such as using technology and work arounds, in order for them to continue to be successful, independent learners when they move from SPW onto secondary school and then into the workplace.”
Facilitating Allied Health for Convenient and Accessible Support
The Inclusive Education team have developed positive working relationships with a number of allied health providers (e.g. Speech Pathologists, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Behavioural Therapists, and Social Workers). Tina Day oversees the co-ordination of these services being provided onsite at SPW.
Differentiation and Enrichment Learning Programs
The Inclusive Education team work collaboratively with the classroom teacher and Enrichment Team to identify students who may require extension. Our rigorous data assessment will recognise when a child’s ability in any given area requires additional enrichment and, much like the Intervention Program, a program will be developed for that child. This may take the form of classroom teacher led extension in and across a variety of curriculum areas, break out lessons with the ESO or lessons with Enrichment Teacher, Simon Theel. Those who have been identified as gifted through an Educational Psychologist assessment will be included as part of this program in recognition of the need for these students to be given the opportunity to work with like-minded peers at a pace and complexity designed specifically for them. It provides an opportunity for students to be extended in their thinking, abstractly and to critically apply their knowledge and skills.
Extra Curricular and Co Curricular
At SPW, we believe that personal confidence is key to fostering a love for learning. By exploring a variety of activities, in and out of the classroom, children can discover their passions, build self-esteem, and develop skills that positively impact other areas of learning.
“We want every child to have the opportunity to be successful and shine wherever their strengths and interests lie,” SPW Head of Inclusive Education, Tina Day said. “At SPW, diversity and inclusion is a vital part of our school culture and is to be celebrated.”
SPW offers a wide range of extra- and co-curricular opportunities to support this growth. Our program provides a diverse range of sports, arts, and academic activities, enabling children to explore and pursue their interests freely. “We believe that when a child has at least one area they can hang-their-hat on, their self esteem is exponentially impacted which positively influences how they approach other areas of learning.”
The Whole Child
We understand children need to feel a sense of belonging to flourish. A large component of this is building relationships with their peers. Inclusive Education at SPW has a very strong commitment to supporting the ‘whole’ student with a strong focus on student wellbeing. Tina, Jo and Sasha work in close collaboration to identify barriers to learning to ensure students receive appropriate and timely support around wellbeing, social and emotional development. This support will come in many forms dependent on what the child’s needs. This year we have introduced Sasha’s Inclusion & Wellbeing Support role to facilitate and support wellbeing in children who are experiencing challenges in the school environment. By providing hands on support in our sensory room with activities to help children re-regulate and re-enter the classroom environment, the child has a much greater opportunity to participate and engage in our learning.
“Being inclusive isn’t just one thing – it is so many things intertwined with what we all do on a daily basis. It is the culture and visible practice of letting every individual know that they are a valued member of our community.”