Case Studies
Altona Green Primary School (PDF - 80Kb) - employed paid Parent Aides (PA) to do administrative tasks to support teaching teams. PAs also opened the library three days a week during break time for children to come and read or be read to, or do homework. PAs started a gardening group for students in Years 3-6 and a board games group for Prep-2 students. PAs and ES staff also trialed opening classrooms 10 minutes before school started to allow children to come in, socialise and get organised for the day, resulting in a drop in late arrivals.
Ascot Vale Primary School (PDF - 80Kb) - has allocated ES staff to management of regular tasks in support of or previously performed by teachers, including: photocopying for classroom teachers; support for the music teacher; managing and maintenance of first aid and kitchen supplies; and support of the Grade 6 graduation. The school has also created two new positions for ES staff. The Student Data Manager role involves a blend of pre-existing tasks (e.g. CASES enrolment data entry, First Aid for students) and relieving other front office staff from work associated with administering On Demand testing for Years 3- 6, PROBE tests and the Student Attitude to Schools survey. From 2011 the Learning Partnership Manager will be responsible for fostering partnerships between the school and external community and business organisations.
Ballarat Specialist School (PDF - 78Kb) - ensures that the first step with every student they are welcomed to the school is to identify their abilities and needs. Staff skills and talents are then matched with these needs. The school’s field trial upskilled all staff (including 90 ES staff who had previously not been involved in such upskilling). Every Monday afternoon for two terms up to seven workshops were run by the staff with expertise in each task area. Before the program each staff member rated themselves in 70 task areas and developed their own professional learning plan.
Barwon Valley School (PDF - 78Kb) - used ES volunteers to accompany later years students on walks to the local shopping centre (one on one without direct teacher supervision) to undertake tasks toward achieving their individual learning plans (e.g. safely crossing roads, selecting items to buy, waiting in line, handing over money, waiting for and checking correct change). The school also engaged a music specialist to deliver a program, both within and outside the school grounds. The musician conducted sessions within the existing rotations program. Students selected for this group were ones who present with challenging behaviours and have complex learning needs.
Bentleigh West Primary School (PDF - 78Kb) - changed staffing structures to ‘absorb’ two out of the four specialist subject teachers (PE, Art, Performing Arts and LOTE) into learning areas as extra teachers. This created greater flexibility within teams to develop their own program schedules incorporating the specialists’ skills and passions. For example, students could access Art instruction at more flexible times rather than waiting for a timetable rotation. In 2011 the school will trial use of ‘Educational Assistants’ to work alongside teachers in supporting the individual learning needs of all students, taking direct instruction from teachers and being used in small group work, team teaching, roll marking and lesson implementation.
Berwick Chase Primary School (PDF - 78Kb) - is changing workforce culture by promoting the idea that every staff member has a teaching role (encouraged through professional sharing, readings and dialogue). ES staff have begun to take on roles previously seen as the ‘teacher’s job’ (e.g. inputting student data, assessing students, running library classes). ES staff and teachers are working more closely, leveraging the skills and interests of ES staff and freeing up teachers to more effectively address areas of need and offer students a broader range of topics.
Carrum Downs Primary School (PDF - 78Kb) - has established its Building from Strength centre to enable students who are unable to attend the classroom fulltime due to emotional and behavioural issues to return to the classroom and be productive members who are able to take responsibility for their own learning. Staffing includes (as required) a number of ES staff, a kinesiologist, a consultant psychologist, occupational therapy students and a guidance officer.
Carrum Downs Secondary College (PDF - 82Kb) - developed four sub school teams comprising a leading teacher, pastoral/classroom teachers and an ES staff member. The team is responsible for all curriculum planning and student management in their sub school. The ES staff member was involved in all sub school planning. Volunteer community mentors also worked in each team. The school developed new positions for ES staff to include jobs previously undertaken by teaching staff, such as camp and excursion organisation, attendance, lateness, uniform breaches, detention classes, yard duty, student supervision and liaison with parents on all of these issues.
Charlton College (PDF - 78Kb) - used community members to provide certified training and mentoring to enhance students’ transition from school to work and develop their employability skills.
Cobden Technical College (PDF - 76Kb) - developed the role of teachers acting as mentors and coaches to paraprofessionals to assist them to make the transition to teaching.
Coburg West Primary School (PDF - 77Kb) - employed a speech pathologist to work with students and train ES staff to screen Prep to Year 2 students in keys aspects of oral language as part of a Language Support program.
Crusoe College (PDF - 79Kb) - created two ES Learning Community Assistant positions in the Year 9 and Year 10 Learning Communities to provide administrative support to teachers and students (e.g. data entry, student tracking, classroom support, community liaison).
Dandenong North Primary School (PDF - 78Kb) - employs ES staff to address emerging student learning needs by facilitating learning in small groups. The school also appointed a Leading Teacher as a teaching and learning coach with allocated responsibility for leading the ES team in capacity-building and professional development. Training modules and ES conferences were developed and delivered, specifically tailored to the needs of ES staff to enable them to work more directly in educational roles with students.
Footscray Primary School (PDF - 77Kb) - trialled formation of an ES team providing block support for teaching, student wellbeing and administrative tasks.
Hampton Park Primary School (PDF - 79Kb) - developed a comprehensive Framework for schools and their communities to use in Professionalising Education Support Staff to improve student outcomes. The Framework outlines four elements (Induction and Mentoring; Pedagogical Role Clarity; Performance Development; and Communication) at three separate levels of development. The Framework describes the school’s expectations of and commitments to development of ES staff.
Lynall Hall Community School (PDF - 78Kb) - has established a student assessment process that allows early identification of students requiring support and early intervention in cases where students show significant personal or learning distress. Youth workers, nurses, drug and alcohol counsellors and a psychologist are providing increased support to students’ social, emotional, medical and mental health needs.
Kew Cluster (PDF - 78Kb) - schools appointed a parent to conduct a survey of the school community. These skills were mapped to identified needs in each school with the aim of developing a program which links community people with school staff and integrates their skills into school programs. Parents have undertaken some work in relation to facilitating Prep induction, physical education programs, a music program, Junior School Council, the school Fair and country and culture events.
Princes Hill Primary School (PDF - 79Kb) - employed a Learning Partnerships Manager to develop stronger more sustainable links with the local community. The manager is reviewing current communication practices and developing new ideas and processes to get more effective involvement from parents and local organisations. A database of parent skills and interests is being developed. The school also engaged paraprofessionals (and parents) in a wide range of inquiry-based learning activities: Performing Arts workshops, maths units developed and delivered with input from a real estate agent, board games extending students’ critical thinking skills, literacy groups and reading circles, Writer's Festival, science units, film making in early years and circus workshops in the Out of Hours program.
Sebastopol College (PDF - 78Kb) - trialled an ‘Artist in Schools’ project (‘Hoodies’). An artist was employed to work with a group of VCAL students to design and manufacture a garment as an art work. On completion the students organised and coordinated a fashion parade for family and friends. This group of female students had up until Year 10 had high levels of absenteeism. They were unanimous in saying they would not be at school if it were not for projects such as this one and the relevant hands on education provided through the VCAL program.
Warracknabeal cluster (PDF - 77Kb) - schools assigned and trained ES staff to run the VASS system, manage student absences (including parent contacts), coordinate VCAL activities, manage the school library and provide program support to classroom teachers. This freed up teacher and co-ordinator time.
Yuille Park Community College (PDF - 79Kb) - engaged volunteer mentors from outside the school to assist students with a project called ‘Personal Best’. Teachers concentrated on the learning needs of students and delivery of lessons, projects and Individual Learning Plans. Mentors provided links between work, the community and school and were happy to donate their time to support the needs of the students under their guidance. This teacher-mentor combination had a profound effect on student wellbeing and engagement.