Special Education

Classes

Warners Bay High School has three specialist support classes:

• 2 Autism
• 1 Multi-categorical

Autism Support Class – for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The class has a maximum enrolment of 7 students per class.

Multi-categorical Support Class - for students who have similar moderate to high support needs. Students may have one or more disability type, including: autism, emotional disturbance, moderate to severe intellectual disability or physical disability. The class has a maximum of 10 students, however, students are rated on a ‘factor of need' and class sizes may be smaller.

Each support class is supported by one Special Education trained teacher and a School Learning Support Officer.

Each Support Class offers a number of subjects, with both regular and Life Skills outcomes, to cater for the wide range of skills and abilities of students in our classes.

Personalised Learning 

Each student has a Personalised Learning and Support Plan that is student-centred and focuses on goal setting across various domains. Personalised Learning and Support Plans are developed through collaborative curriculum planning meetings with students, parents/carers, school counsellors and other allied professionals. Student plans and goals are then embedded into our programs and teaching, both in and out of the classroom.

Enrichment Programs

• Community Access: Warners Bay High School Special Education Faculty uses the resources of the local and extended community for our Community Access Program to support the development of each student's social skills and functional behaviours in the community. Community Access Programs are important as they focus on the development of student competencies needed in adult life.

• Work Experience: Students spend time in an industry or job of their choice during work experience. Arrangements are made with school and parent approval. Work experience helps students:
  • link classroom learning to the workplace
  • put classroom learning into practice
  • decide if they like the job or industry
  • learn the realities of the workplace
  • understand study, training and work opportunities
  • choose elective subjects
  • prepare for life after school.

• Life Skills: The standard curriculum and Life Skills curriculum cover the key learning areas of English, Mathematics, Science, Creative Arts, Human Society and the Environment and Languages. Where regular curriculum outcomes with adjustments are not appropriate, students can choose a combination of regular and/or Life Skills outcomes and content. Warners Bay Special Education Faculty considers the strengths, goals, interests and support needs of individual students in collaboration with their parents or carers to meet a student's learning and support needs.
• Integration: Warners Bay Special Education Faculty provides students from within the 3 support classes an opportunity to attend mainstream classrooms and participate in learning opportunities that are relevant to their area of strength and capability.

Staff

• Nicole Young _{^{HEAD TEACHER}}
• Brody Rouhan
• Naomi Young
• Jennifer Lewis
• Nate Rutherford
• Sharni Harris
• Kristy Ball _^SLSO
• Robyn Colville _^SLSO
• Michelle Sweeting _^SLSO
• Jan Miller _^SLSO
• Emma Mercieca _^SLSO
  

   

Support Class Placements

Applications for placement are through the Access Request process. An Access Request is usually arranged by the school learning and support team at the local public school, but can also be organised through the local Educational Services team if a child is not yet enrolled. Teams can be contacted on 131 536 and calls can be made from anywhere in NSW.

A student is offered enrolment in a specialist support class in a regular school through a placement panel process. A student's eligibility is determined through the department's disability criteria as well as the availability of a place in an appropriate specialist support class.