Northside
Northside
The College has hired Learning Support Assistants (LSA) who works with students and staff across all year levels at Northside Christian College. The LSA works closely with key staff and with classroom teachers in implementing relevant individual education programs. The LSA will work with students individually, in the classrooms, or in small groups. Expected learning outcomes include an improvement in student academic performance and self-confidence in literacy and numeracy. Outcomes are monitored closely by the Directors of Learning.
Some students at the College have been provided with Individual Learning Plans (ILP) that have been developed in conjunction with parents. They are prepared for students with identified special learning needs, as well as those who are deemed at risk. These plans are reviewed each semester at a minimum. The College aims to develop a greater awareness of the individual learning needs of each student. Documentation of individual areas of strength and weakness in conjunction with evidence from standardised testing will assist teachers in the following years to best meet the needs of students identified with special learning needs. Appropriate successful strategies will also be documented in Individual Learning Plans.
Staff at Northside Christian College work with families to ensure that effective planning occurs for all students with additional needs, and particularly for students with disabilities. A Student Support Group (SSG) provides an opportunity to exchange information concerning the student and the learning process. A SSG is effective for planning and evaluating a student’s program, particularly for students who require ongoing monitoring and support, including a student with a disability. The SSG ensures that parents and teachers and members of the Learning Support Team work together to establish learning goals for the educational future of the student.
Students with identified literacy, numeracy, social, behavioural or confidence needs may receive additional in-class or small group support from the Learning Support Assistants. Some students receive this support due to developmental needs or as a recommendation from a person with relevant qualifications such as a psychologist.
The Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC) has determined that from 2015 all Australian schools will be required to collect and report new data on students with disability through the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability. To do this, teachers will need to make professional judgements regarding whether individual students are disabled, as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act, and to report the number and the extent of educational adjustments that need to be made.
The Victorian Government provides limited funds for the provision of specialised services to support students with demonstrated needs. Independent schools are able to apply for funding so that they can engage specialists to provide:
To be eligible under the Victorian State Support Services program, a student must be assessed by a person with relevant qualifications as requiring services to support learning and access to schooling, or to develop particular skills.
Northside Christian College
31 McLeans Rd, Bundoora VIC 3083, Australia
Phone: 03 9467 2499
ncc@ncc.vic.edu.au