NSW public schools are well prepared to support students with disability and additional learning and support needs and staff are ready to answer your questions.
Visit our Inclusive learning support hub for more information on:
- Children starting school with additional needs
- Support and adjustments available
- Personalised learning and development
Special education units at Dungog High
Dungog High School is very proud to have four Multi-Categorical Special Education Units.
Specialist support classes in regular schools have fewer students than regular classes.
Class size depends on the class type and, in some cases, the students' additional learning and support needs.
Every specialist class has a teacher and a school learning support officer. Classroom teachers, in consultation with parents, carers and allied health professionals (where appropriate), are responsible for planning personalised learning and support plans for each student.
Students in specialist support classes have the opportunity to participate in the school and community activities their school offers, on the same basis as students in regular classes.
For students enrolled in specialist classes in regular schools, there is the flexibility for them to undertake some of their learning in other regular classes in the same school. This is largely dependent upon the resources available and the personalised learning and support needs of the students.
Learning and support team
Learning and Support Teacher (LaST) assistance is available to help all staff with those children in mainstream classes experiencing obstacles in areas of learning. Staff provide support to students as advised by the Disability Standards for Education. Staff differentiate and adjust lessons, assessment tasks and exams to ensure all students with additional needs can access content on the same basis as every other student.
The LaST -
• assists in identification and assessment of students with difficulties.
• consults with staff and parents to plan appropriate programs and strategies
• works with classroom teachers in assisting and encouraging under achievers.
• implements programs, both inside and outside the school curriculum designed to assist all students to reach a functional level of numeracy and literacy.
School Learning Support Officers (SLSOs) are an integral part of the Learning and Support Team, providing in class support and assistance for students with learning difficulties. They may work with the whole class, small groups or with individual students based on specific needs.
Hearing and Vision Itinerant Support Teachers provide specialised support to students with hearing and vision needs, in and out of the classroom. Itinerant support teachers (hearing or vision) work in a multi-disciplinary team with students, parents and carers, school learning and support teams and other professionals. They may carry out student assessments, take part in review meetings, support school staff in making teaching and learning adjustments and provide professional learning for school staff.
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)
Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).
Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:
- year of schooling
- category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
- level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.
This information assists schools to:
- formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools
- consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
- develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.
The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.
The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-policy).
Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au).
If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact the school.