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Special schools to shine under P&D accreditation

OF THE 82 special schools in Victoria, 53 will be participating in the Performance and Development (P&D) Culture accreditation process this year, and 29 are already accredited. Two of these schools stand out as shining examples of best practice, and as such have been identified as P&D Culture Reference Schools.

Ballarat Specialist School and Bulleen Heights School have met some of the unique challenges faced by special schools in developing a P&D Culture, and luckily for others, both have valuable tips for other special schools. One key priority at both schools was to include school services officers (SSOs) in the process of establishing a P&D Culture.

It’s common knowledge that SSOs play an integral part in the education of students and sometimes outnumber teaching staff in special schools. Although only teachers are required to complete the P&D Culture Questionnaire, both schools decided to include SSOs in all other processes leading to accreditation.

It’s also widely acknowledged that special schools are in a unique position in relation to staff receiving feedback from a variety of sources on their classroom practice. While conducting student surveys is oftennot feasible in special schools, both schools have put in place classroom observation programs and are exploring ways in which students’ responses to their teachers and environment can be interpreted. Staff are also in close contact with parents and health professionals and in both schools each student has an individual learning plan and students are assessed on the achievement of their learning goals.

Another major challenge facing Ballarat Specialist School is staff retention, and to address this important issue, principal John Burt has made systematic induction a high priority in school workforce planning. Each new teacher is now timetabled with their mentor for an hour and a half each week, with time being made available by the principal and assistant principal arranging coverage of their classes.

Providing quality professional learning is another way to support staff and engage them in improving their classroom practice. Principal of Bulleen Heights School, Rose Walthers, believes the school’s Collaborative Teaching Learning Project has helped to embed the Principles of Learning and Teaching in classroom practice in the school, and staff at the school are provided with time to develop curriculum materials and focus closely on classroom practice.

For more information about Ballarat Specialist School and Bulleen Heights School, including samples of documentation, is available at Performance and Development Culture - Reference Schools.

For more information about P&D Culture and the accreditation process are available at Performance and Development Culture.