DISABILITY EDUCATION REFERENCE GROUP
RECORD OF MEETING HELD
7 June 2011
In / Dr Mark Collis / Chair, Department of Education & TrainingAttendance / Marli Ayrton / Manager Disability Education
Andrea Johnston / Therapy ACT
Ms Diana Nasr / ACT Council of P & C Associations Inc
Ms Cathy Smith / Australian Education Union
Ms Gay von Ess / Autism Asperger ACT Inc
Dr Chris Kilham / Australian Association Of Special Education
Ms Rosemaree Wills / Parent Group – Children with vision impairment
Ms Miriana Hart / Student Support (secretariat)
Apologies
Ms Ros Hayes / Therapy ACT
Ms Carey Sebbens / ACT Council of P & C Associations Inc
Judith Hamilton / Principals’ Association
Mr Ian Garrity / ACT Down Syndrome Association
1. / Welcome & Acknowledgement to Country (Mark Collis)
Dr Collis welcomed members and noted the apologies.
Dr Collis also apologised for deferring the meeting from May, noting that significant work involving the Treasury, and the national trial identifying students with disabilities had occurred since the last meeting.
2. / Manager’s Report
Manager’s report attached (attachment 1).
Actions:
· Ms Ayrton to invite a member of Early Childhood to be involved in developing the Parent Guide for Students with a Disability.
· A formal report against Excellence in Disability Education 2010-13 will be prepared for the Director General and published on the Directorate’s website.
3. / Therapy Assistant Pilot Project (Andrea Johnston)
A handout (attachment 2) was distributed to members on the Therapy Assistant Pilot Project in schools, and discussed in further detail by Ms Johnston and the group.
Ms Smith advised that consultation with unions regarding working conditions and cover arrangements would need to be considered.
Actions:
· Therapy Assistant Pilot Project to become a standing agenda item.
· Expressions of interest for steering group to be invited.
4. / National Model for Identifying Students with Disability Project (Mark Collis)
An information sheet, Trial of the National Model for identifying Students with Disability (attachment 3) was provided to the group.
Dr Collis answered questions on the model, and advised that the trial proper would commence the following week and conclude in July.
5. / ACT Budget and its funding implications on Disability Education (Mark Collis)
$5 million per year in additional funding is being provided over the next four years. This funding will meet the ever-growing demand for ongoing provision of services and programs for students with a disability in ACT public schools.
6. / Federal Announcement for Disability Education Funding (Mark Collis)
Dr Collis outlined new budget funding announced by the Federal Government providing $200 million in extra support for students with disability in Australian Schools (attachment 4).
Consultation with DERG members is invited to identify options and recommendations for new services. Ideas should be forwarded to Dr Collis.
7. / Special Needs Transport Tender update (Mark Collis)
Dr Collis advised that the tender is still under negotiation.
Two training sessions for Keirs and SNT bus drivers and carers will be organised by Ms Nancye Burkevics. Parent support will also be sought.
8. / Next Meeting
· Tuesday 2 August, MR 10 HBC
ATTACHMENT 1
Manager’s Report (Marli Ayrton)
Disability Education
The Excellence in Disability Education Strategic Plan 2010-2013 was launched in September 2010. The Plan includes five priorities and corresponding actions to address the findings of the Review of Special Education in ACT Schools in 2009.
In building staff capacity in disability education the following actions have been achieved:
· Training in Positive Partnerships: Supporting school aged students on the autism spectrum (approx 100 teachers participated in 5 two day training sessions and parent/carer workshops will take place in July 2011)
· Essential Skills in Disability Education (47 teachers from a range of special education settings)
· Positive Practices in Behaviour Support (60 teachers for a 4 day workshop)
· Training for 20 Learning Support Assistants through the CIT in 2011
· Therapy ACT courses and workshops through the year in partnership with ETD, the CEO and the AIS
· A Language Conference held at the HBCTL in June 2011 was attended by 95 participants from across the ACT and sectors
· Innovative Practices Grants of up to $20,000 to specialist, mainstream primary and high schools to explore the adoption of new practices to support the learning of students with a disability. Total of $100,000 has been distributed to schools this year. Expressions of Interest were called for, and applications were assessed by a panel comprising of external agencies, teachers and Disability Education staff.
· Successful recipients:
Cranleigh School – Consultants to work with staff on Conductive Education and Autism
Malkara School – Therapy Assistant (TACT) mentoring Learning Support Assistant to increase student achievement of therapy goals
Florey Primary– Catering for the needs of all students with a Language Disorder
Turner School – 1. Developing Home-School Partnerships – sensory support and Assistive Technology. 2. Use of Digital Portfolios to record and report on learning outcomes of students with a disability
Kaleen UC High – Differentiation of Assessment of students with a disability with involvement of an academic partner.
Macgregor Primary - Enabling all students to have higher engagement and access to curriculum. Engagement of an academic partner to work with school
Gowrie Primary – Promoting positive play for students with Autism
In building stakeholder partnerships, the following actions have been achieved:
· The establishment of a Service Agreement between ACT ETD and Therapy ACT to provide therapy services in schools.
· A Cross Sectoral Disability Education Steering Group comprising representatives of the Catholic Education Office, Association of Independent Schools and Public Schools has been established. This group will progress the findings of the Review of Special Education in relation to closer collaboration between the school sectors.
· A Disability Education Reference Group (DERG) was established in 2010 as an official advisory group to the Director General of the Education and Training Directorate. The terms of reference and membership of this group have been reconstituted. The DERG is a community consultative forum that will monitor the work of the strategic plan. The role of the group is to provide feedback on disability education issues. Minutes of meetings are posted on the ACT ETD website.
· A parent/carer working group of the DERG has been formed to work with DE to develop a parent guide to disability education that describes services, processes and policies.
· Work has commenced on the Parent Guide for Students with a Disability
a. Sub-committee has looked at the Queensland Guide for Parents
b. List of topic/headings is being collated
· Two Primary School Options parent information sessions have been held
· Positive Partnerships Parent Carer Workshop is on 28 July at HBCTL – information has been distributed to parent groups and schools. Significant interest has already been shown by parents.
In building processes, the following has been achieved:
· The engagement of a consultant to evaluate and report on the Student Centred Appraisal of Need and Individual Learning Plan processes to integrate resource allocation with educational adjustments.
· A project plan has been prepared to engage a project officer to develop an evidence based professional learning strategy for all teaching and support staff. The strategy will include both face to face and online professional packages. The ILP Guidelines will also be reviewed and appropriate inclusive technologies, curriculum adaptations, teaching adjustments and resources are to be identified. The panel will meet this week to consider the applications for this project role
ATTACHMENT 2
THERAPY AC T
NEWS AND INFORMATION
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THERAPY ASSISTANT PILOT PROJECT
The ACT Government Budget for 2011-12 includes funding for Therapy ACT to conduct a twelve month pilot project examining the effectiveness of a Therapy Assistant model in ACT schools. Funding is available for 4 full time Therapy Assistants and two Health Professional positions. This pilot follows the trial of a therapy assistant position at Malkara School in 2010.
Therapy Assistants will work in schools implementing therapy programs developed by physiotherapists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists in consultation with teachers. Depending on the needs of the individual children and the classroom they may work in the classroom or with individual or small groups of children out of the classroom. Therapy assistants will be able to support the practice of new skills for individual children so that these skills can be generalised to the school setting and maintained.
The pilot project aims to trial therapy assistants in a range of settings including mainstream classes, Learning Support Units, Learning Support Units (Autism specific), and specialist schools. One school nominated by Catholic Education will also be included in the pilot. A maximum of 8 pilot sites will be selected by Therapy ACT in consultation with the Education Directorate (Disability Education and School Principals) and the Catholic Education Office.
A project steering group including representatives from the selected schools, Disability Education, Parent representatives and Senior Professionals from Therapy ACT will be established to oversight the project. The project will include an on-going evaluation component with reporting in December 2011 and July 2012.
Information on the project will be provided to the Disability Education Reference Group who will be asked to provide their input into the project.
Recruitment action to select a Team Leader and the Therapy Assistants has commenced. It is expected that the Team Leader will commence in June and the Therapy Assistants in July. Therapy Assistants will be trained during July and commence work in schools in the second week of Term 3.
Updated Information will be available on the Therapy ACT website as the project develops http://www.dhcs.act.gov.au/therapyact. For further information please contact: Roslyn Hayes, Senior Manager Therapy ACT on 6205 1277 or .
ATTACHMENT 3
Please note: Unable to include this attachment. Anyone wishing a copy, please email
ATTACHMENT 4
PRIME MINISTEr
ministeR for school education
BUDGET TO PROVIDE MORE SUPPORT TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Prime Minister Julia Gillard today announced new budget funding of $200 million to provide extra support for students with disability in Australian schools.
The Prime Minister said that every student in every school deserves a great education and this extra funding will help ensure that students with disability get that same opportunity.
The Prime Minister made the announcement today with the Minister for School Education Peter Garrett at Harrison School in Canberra.
There are more than 164,000 students with disabilities currently attending Australian schools.
The More Support for Students with Disabilities initiative will deliver new services, equipment and support. This will make a significant difference for thousands of children with disabilities at school and their families.
The Prime Minister said this budget will be tough but the Government is determined to ensure that funding is available where it can make the most difference in vital areas like health and education.
This initiative will build on the existing record investments in schools delivered by the Government, which is already supporting children with special needs in schools across the country.
The Gillard Government initiative will provide many benefits for students with disability and their families including:
· new services such as speech and occupational therapy delivered at school by health and student welfare professionals
· access to special equipment in classrooms such as audio and visual technology so that students can more easily learn and engage with their classmates and teachers
· additional hours of in-class support from staff including teachers aides, health and allied health professionals as well as enhanced support through team teaching
· adapted curriculum tailored to their needs based on the latest research and expert advice.
It will also improve support for teachers so they can:
· improve the planning and delivery of programs, lessons and activities that enhance the way students with disabilities learn and are included in the classroom
· better engage support staff, health and allied health professionals and curriculum experts to assist them in providing appropriate support for students
· access expert advice to learn the latest skills and strategies to improve the education of students with disabilities.
Government, Catholic and Independent schools that teach students with a disability are eligible so that students can benefit no matter what their background or circumstances.
The Prime Minister said every parent has an expectation that their children will realise their potential at school and achieve the results of which they are capable.
This latest initiative builds upon the Government’s record of delivering:
· more support for families with children with disability
· historic pension increases for parents caring for children with disabilities
· double the amount of funding for more specialist disability services under the National Disability Agreement
Mr Garrett said that under this new initiative, schools will work with families, support agencies and health and student welfare professionals to focus on students’ needs.
He said that the package has been developed after extensive consultations with school principals, disability organisations, unions, communities and other educational professionals.
The Gillard Government will immediately work with the States, Territories and education authorities on how the new funding can be delivered to achieve maximum benefit for students with disability.
Students will receive the benefits of the initiative by the time school starts next year.
Funding arrangements to support students with disability are also being considered by the independent Review of School Funding, which will report later this year.
More Support for Students with Disabilities supports the Government’s other commitments to supporting families and children with disabilities including the new $146 million program, Better Start for Children with Disabilities.
From 1 July this year, this program will provide eligible children under six years old diagnosed with sight or hearing impairment, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy or Fragile X syndrome access to up to $12,000 for intensive early intervention therapies and treatments from allied health professionals.
The Better Start program builds on the Gillard Government’s $190 million Helping Children with Autism package which has helped more than 12,000 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder access early intervention services.