At Maryborough State High School, we recognize that all students are individuals with a diverse range of educational, social and emotional needs. We believe in the possibility of all students, and strive to make reasonable adjustments to allow access to a rigorous and relevant learning program. We actively take steps to ensure that all students are welcomed, valued, developed and empowered as part of the Maryborough State High School community.
Inclusive Education
Schools have responsibility for maximising the learning outcomes and wellbeing of all students and for providing access to a high-quality education that is free from discrimination. All children are entitled to quality education experiences. Students should feel that they are included in an environment of high expectation where they are both able and enabled to learn.
At the core of inclusive education is the human right to education for all, which is pronounced in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 (UNESCO). Maryborough State High School fully supports inclusive education.
Inclusive education means that all students are welcomed by their school in age-appropriate settings and are supported to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of school. Inclusive education is about how schools are developed and designed, including classrooms, programmes and activities so that all students learn and participate together. In order to create an inclusive environment, adjustments and modifications may need to be made to help a student or group of students participate on the same basis as other students. The adjustments made reflect the assessed individual needs of the student, and can be made in both the classroom and whole school setting.
Adjustments can be made to a range of areas to support an individual student, including but not limited to the way that teaching and learning is provided, changes to the classroom or school environment, the way that students' progress and achievements are assessed and reported to parents, the provision of personal care and planning to meet individual needs, and the provision of professional learning for teachers and support staff.
The legal responsibilities of educators who work with students with disability are outlined in the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (The Standards). The Standards seek to ensure that students with disability can access and participate in education on the same basis as other students. The Standards were formulated under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA). The Standards clarify and elaborate the legal obligations of all education providers to students with disability under the DDA. The Standards also set out how education is to be made accessible to students with disability to enable them to participate in education on the same basis as students without disability, including the provision of 'reasonable adjustments' where necessary to enable this.
Who are students with disability?
Disability is defined in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Commonwealth) and the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld). It includes a range of disabilities, including learning disabilities and health conditions. All disabilities, conditions or disorders can have an impact on the student's functioning at school in a variety of ways. The student's disability may be lifelong or temporary and strengths, interests and needs will be different for each student and may change for a student during the year and as they grow.
Schools collect information about students with disability in the annual Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) . This collection helps schools to identify, monitor and make reasonable adjustments for students with disability.
You can learn more about the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Commonwealth) and the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Commonwealth) on the NCCD website and more about the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld) on the Queensland Government website.
Maryborough State High School Student Support Centre (SSC)
Maryborough State High School's SSC is located in a purpose-built Educational Precinct on campus known as the “EP". The EP houses six specialty classrooms for intensive learning support, as well as a number of offices for support staff. Support staff in the SSC include:
- Heike Romba – Director of Inclusion
- Kate Chapman – Head of Department – Inclusion
- Kelli Denyer – Guidance Officer
- Tim Roan – Guidance Officer
- Rachael Lorenz – Psychologist
- Caroline Brunke – Youth Support Co-ordinator
- Amanda Waterson – School Chaplain
- Trudy Hawkins – School Based Youth Health Nurse
Student needs are discussed at weekly Student Welfare Meetings, and referred to the relevant support personnel to assess their individual circumstances and design a relevant support plan where required.
School staff also work collaboratively with external supports to investigate and address student needs. These include:
- Advisory Visiting Teachers (AVTs)
- Senior Guidance Officers (SGOs)
- Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs)
- Orientation and Mobility Specialists (O & Ms)
- Doctors
- Paediatricians
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
Parents are encouraged to contact the school to discuss any concerns they about their student's educational or social/ emotional needs.