Youth Transitions

Managed Individual Pathways - Case Studies

Marnebek School, Cranbourne

Marnebek is a special school that opened the doors to its first 35 students in 2002, growing to accommodate 160 students in 2006. Marnebek offers both a Special School program and a Special Development School (SDS) program The school is currently considering a combined program to cater for those students who do not fit neatly into one ‘side of the school’ or the other.

Most of Marnebek’s initial enrolments were at the Junior and Middle School levels and, as a result, the first groups of senior students to complete their school years did so in 2005. The school has been able to develop a highly individualised MIPs approach to suit the young people coming through to senior years, though MIPs Coordinator Rhonda Fletcher is conscious of the need to establish processes that will cope with larger numbers.

Rhonda teaches senior students, and includes the teachers of other senior classes in MIPs planning. In such a small school, the MIPs team is necessarily small and close-knit.

Though Marnebek is a special school, there are lessons here for mainstream secondary schools, as Rhonda explained: “Reflecting on my time in a large secondary school, I now realise that there were special needs students there who weren’t ready for work experience and the outside world. I just wish we could have had some of this additional support for those students and their parents.”

Good Practice Approach to MIPs

 

back to top

Process to establish the goals and aspirations of students

MIPs plans are developed through conversations between classroom teachers, the MIPs Coordinator, and Special Needs students and parents. On the SDS side of the school, the students are less involved due to their level of disability and the MIPs plan is developed in consultation with parents or carers. The first MIPs plan is developed ‘at the start of their second-last year at school’, which is determined by the student’s age.

It is important to begin these conversations early. “Some of our Senior School parents can still be in denial about their child’s abilities. It is such an anxious time for these parents, thinking about the future for their children after they leave school. It’s important to let them know there will be a plan, and that they will have support during the transition process.” Encouraging students to reflect on their future and their preferences is a very important part of the process, as reflective thinking does not come naturally or easily to many of the students.

For SDS students, many of whom have very high support needs such as assistance with toileting and feeding, the post-school destination is likely to be a day training centre or adult training services and support centre. Most of these students are part of the Department of Human Services’ Futures for Young Adults program, which is a transition program for young people leaving a special school environment. However, for Special School students, the post-school destination may be part or full-time work, or further training at the Certificate I or II level.

back to top

Process to regularly review pathways plans

Each student’s MIPs plan is reviewed twice each year, in late February and again in November. Progress against the goals in the plan is recorded, and travel and personal care skills are reviewed. Medical information is also updated. This is an important part of consulting with parents on issues of transition, but is also a reminder for students who may have forgotten what the plan contains. If students have had a work experience placement or a training experience that they liked, or struggled with, the school records that on the MIPs plan as some students may not remember details when it comes time to choose a post-school destination.

back to top

Pathways plans to inform curriculum needs

The MIPs plan (with different versions for SDS (Word - 122Kb) and Special School (Word - 110Kb) students) includes information about the student’s likes and dislikes and their abilities. Unlike a mainstream MIPs plan, it includes information about the student’s capacity to travel independently, to attend to their personal care, and so on. Some parents’ primary concern may be that the student is able to brush their own hair and teeth or make themselves a sandwich by the time they leave school, in which case the school will focus on developing those skills.

As part of the 16+ Program implemented on the SDS side of the school, the school has an agreement with a local packaging business under which materials are brought to the school and assembled by the students. ‘Workplace rules’ apply during these sessions, with breaks and lunch taken at scheduled times.

Many of the Special School students are capable of working full or part time after they leave school, and the curriculum is focused on preparing them for that eventual destination. The curriculum is built around the VCAL program and includes literacy and numeracy skills, daily living skills, appropriate social and workplace behaviours, travel, etc.

Individualised learning plans are an inherent part of special school delivery, and the MIPs program has been incorporated into the shaping of learning plans for senior students.

back to top

Pathways planning through VELS

Though VELS has not been fully implemented at Marnebek, Rhonda believes it simply formalises the approach that special schools have always taken – attend to the personal, physical and cognitive development of the whole child. However, reporting against VELS at a special school is difficult as most children do not meet ‘level 1’ standards, and their progress is much slower than mainstream students. Consistent with the VELS approach, progress is measured and reported against individual learning plans

back to top

Close collaboration between the VCE, VCAL and VET coordinators and the MIPs coordinator

As is the case in many schools, at Marnebek the VCAL Coordinator, the VET Coordinator and the MIPs coordinator are the same person – Rhonda Fletcher. Marnebek is conscious of the dangers of having all that specialist knowledge gathered in one place, and all leading teachers with positions of responsibility are expected to share their knowledge and to maintain records that enable other staff to access information at need. Leading teachers meet to update each other on developments in their specialist areas, and Rhonda maintains a MIPs folder with copies of all documents and an overview of the MIPs program (Word - 29Kb).

Another part-time staff member coordinates the work experience program, and works closely with Rhonda in the placement of students. Securing work experience placements is never easy, and it is more difficult when the students have additional support needs. Marnebek’s students are not asked to find their own placements. However, work experience is vital for Special School students as it provides a chance to gauge their suitability for work. In years 10 and 11, the work experience is more focused on work readiness and an introduction to workplace norms. In the final year of school, every effort is made to give students two work opportunities in areas they would like to pursue after school, and of course there is always the hope that a work experience placement may result in an offer of work.

VCAL has made an enormous difference to the Special School students at Marnebek. They can now develop work skills and have this formally recognised through integrated units such as the Certificate I in Transition Education. They can do ‘what Senior School students at mainstream schools are doing’. Units such as Using Public Transport, always offered by Marnebek, now have a place in a formal curriculum framework. The school also offers Certificate I and II in Hospitality and Horticulture.

At Marnebek there is no division between MIPs and the ‘education’ program. Preparing young people for the outside world is the main focus.

back to top

Close collaboration between student welfare staff, integration staff, careers coordinators and the MIPs coordinator

The senior school structure at Marnebek more closely resembles a primary school than a mainstream secondary school. Two to three teachers work with a class for most of each day. The likelihood that welfare issues or personal crises will ‘slide under the radar’ is much lower as a result. Rhonda’s time is divided between teaching one of the two senior classes (0.8) and coordinating the Senior School program, including MIPs (0.2). The classroom teacher is the natural point of contact for parents, and the other senior teachers work closely with Rhonda to accommodate all of the needs and capabilities of each student.

There is a formal senior school meeting once a week. Like any school, Rhonda says it would be nice to spend ‘less time on administration and more talking about the students’, but these meetings are needed to ensure that the SDS and Special School teachers communicate about issues arising in the senior school.

For SDS students, other specialist staff may also be involved in planning for transition. These include physio, occupational, music and speech therapists, and the Assistant Principals with responsibility for curriculum and student health and wellbeing. These people are less likely to be involved in the transition of Special School students unless the classroom teacher requests it.

The MIPs plan also includes information about other agencies or support services that are involved with the student or their family. This ensures that the school can work effectively with all relevant parties in planning for the student’s future.

back to top

Encourages parental involvement

The relationships between parents and staff at a special school are much closer than at mainstream schools. In their anxiety about the future of their children, parents find in the teachers someone who understands and who can assist them. There is frequent communication between parents and staff, and communication about plans and progress generally occurs in person rather than through newsletters and notices.

There is space on the MIPs plan for parents to add their comments and to describe the skills they would like their child to develop before leaving school. A copy of the MIPs plan also goes home to parents so that they can also give students practice at some of the life skills in the plan.

Some informal aspects of the MIPs program at Marnebek are more about supporting parents than students, though it is clear this will lead to a better outcome for the students. For the parents of SDS students, it may be the MIPs coordinator who makes the appointments for them to visit the adult day centres in the area, and who may accompany them on these visits.

back to top

Process for the identification, support and monitoring of students at risk of early school leaving

Marnebek is a young school, and is dealing with its first larger cohorts of senior students. Retention issues are somewhat different in this special school context. For SDS families, students stay at school for as long as they are permitted to do so, and transition is about encouraging parents to think about the day when their student must leave the familiar comfort zone that school represents.

For Special School students, the ones who offer a retention challenge are more likely to be the high achievers – those who effectively ‘grow out of’ the methodical and repetitive special school programs and are ready to move on. When this occurs before the end of their ‘final year’ of schooling, the MIPs coordinator simply brings forward the transition support that would normally be offered later, and works with the family to find a training or employment destination that suits the student’s needs.

back to top

Continues to support early school leavers for six months

Marnebek School tries to keep in contact with past students and many of these students visit the school to see their friends and school staff. The school is able to provide support for these students if they need it. Parents contact the school to find out information they need as they know that the school has contacts with agencies and community services.

back to top

Provides students with a copy of their MIPs plan when they leave school or change schools

‘Ownership’ of the MIPs plan is located with both students and parents at Marnebek. Sending a copy of the MIPs plan home provides reassurance that there is a planned transition process, and that parents will not have to navigate this alone.

back to top

Recognising that retention and engagement issues begin prior to Year 10

The senior school is working to develop a closer relationship with the middle school, and in recent years both have moved to more of a ‘secondary’ model of program delivery to help students cope with change. A choice of specialist classes is offered in the afternoons. Middle school classes are also now streamed into ability levels for literacy and numeracy.

A pre-senior program is being developed for those students moving into a senior class the following year to ensure a smoother transition and to begin developing skills and knowledge such as interview skills, work readiness, OH&S etc.

In a special school, terms like ‘Year 10’ have less meaning than age or support needs. When students leave school, their abilities and achievements will vary. As described above, ‘early school leavers’ at Marnebek are more likely to be high-achievers who master the program offered and are ready to move on to further training or employment.

back to top

How did you get here – tips for success?

  • “We got here through necessity. Parents are anxious about what will happen to their children as both parents and students grow older. Parents have to know their children are going to be settled and happy.”
  • Rhonda’s 0.2 time allocation as the Senior School coordinator has provided time to develop the MIPs program. As the Senior School grows, the MIPs coordinator is likely to need more time or more assistance.
  • Each leading teacher at the school has been allocated an area of program responsibility and expertise. Sharing this knowledge allows the school to make connections between the programs, and to build a greater understanding of their local community and service providers. This approach allows Rhonda to make connections between the MIPs program and other initiatives and procedures across the whole school.
  • The fact that Marnebek was a new, small school permitted the MIPs program to grow with the school.

back to top

What next – for your MIPs program over the next two years?

  • Now that senior students are completing their schooling, the next step is to build stronger relationships with the adult day centres, with employment agencies and with the Local Learning and Employment Network.
  • The focus to date has been on developing the Special School program, to ensure students were able to pursue a post-school future that matched their desires and abilities. It is now time to develop the SDS side, and to ensure that suitable processes are in place to support high-needs students to make a smooth transition to an appropriate and positive post-school setting.