Wellbeing

Disability and Inclusion at Wollert

Disability is often viewed as a negative 'label' that can cause discomfort and apprehension when discussed in social contexts or in schools.  When broken down, the word 'dis - ability' simply means that abilities we are all expected to have might need support.  At Wollert, as a Supported Inclusion School, we work to ensure any type of disability is supported, but importantly, just treated as any other learning need. Disability when used in this context may include physical, intellectual or behavioural needs.  

All Government Schools have the ability to apply for funding to enable additional support to be put in place for students who may require this. The Disability Inclusion approach replaces the Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) process which some families may be familiar with. Wollert Primary School is one of the first schools implementing this strengths-based model in the North Eastern Metropolitan Area. Its purpose is to focus on the strengths of all students and targeting support for students that may need extensive adjustments in the classroom to support physical, intellectual or behavioural challenges.

Working in partnership with families, the Disability Inclusion approach will help our school better understand what our students need to help them learn and participate at school. It involves:

• a new Disability Inclusion Profile and school funding model to strengthen support for students with disability 
• more resources, training and coaching for our teachers and school staff about the best ways to support students with disability.  

During our implementation, some families will be invited to assist in developing their child's 'Disability Inclusion Profile'. This will occur if a student is already receiving funding and support through the old PSD model, or if substantial additional supports are deemed to be required by classroom teachers and the Wellbeing Team. 

Any additional funding received is used to employ Education Support staff, who work in partnership with our teachers to help plan and deliver adjustments for students, as well as resources to support learning.  Additionaltraining and professional development for our teachers and school staff, by accessing expert advice about disability, is also a key part of our work in this space.

Wollert Primary School looks forward to embedding Disability Inclusion into how we work, with the intent of removing any negative thinking or concern when the word disability is heard. Disability, when associated with any of our students, simply means they require more specific assistance to allow their 'abilities' to access learning that everyone else does. We look forward to continuing to support our students to learn and thrive.

If you have further questions about Disability Inclusion, or need translation or interpreting assistance, please contact Stacey Crosthwaite, our Wellbeing Team Leader.  

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.dese.gov.au/about-us/resources/department-education-skills-and-employment-complete-privacy-policy-0).

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 Stacey Crosthwaite.