Transition to school for children with disabilities 20 th October 2011 Jo Goodridge, Business Development Manager Early Years, Scope Trudy Smith, Assistant Principal, Taylors Hill Primary School, Taylors Hill

Taylors Hill Primary School New school established January 2010 in WMR through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Current enrolment is 358 students (15 grades) and projected enrolment for 2012 is 550 Currently have 110 Prep students across 5 grades and projected to have 7 Prep grades in 2012 Our current Student Family Occupation (SFO) density is with approximately 18% ESL Students Majority of Prep students are the eldest in the family 6 Unfunded students with diagnosed Special Needs in Prep in 2011 New, inexperienced staff and a new school – creating a culture of continuous improvement at THPS

Why we did what we did Transition Demonstration Project ECIS reform funding Therapists’ concerns Families’ concerns Limited PSD funding in schools School support

Why Taylors Hill Primary School became involved Aware that some parents may not be comfortable with informing schools about their child’s needs Aware that some students with special needs fall outside PSD funding requirements, yet still require additional support A young and developing school with a young and developing staff

What we actually did 2010 Term 2 Literature review and promising practises identified Term 3 Employed research assistant/transition coordinator Designated individual to lead transition process Contacted 11 Current Scope ECIS clients who were transitioning to 10 schools in the North West metropolitan region in 2011 Developed training materials Term 4 Conducted Student Support Group meetings Building continuity and alignment between programs Provision of individual and group activities, including home visits by teaching staff, formal orientation events, use of calendars, daily schedules and transition packages Preliminary mentoring contact 2011 Term 1 Contact with prep teachers 1:1 mentoring 3 x half day training sessions Provision of training and technical assistance to staff supporting transition process Preparation of physical school environment as well as attitude of service providers at school Phone contact with families Providing support for families’ participation in the transition process Term Evaluation and report Need for evaluation of transition process

What Taylors Hill Primary School did Welcomed support from SCOPE – important to build partnerships Hosted training sessions Supported staff to attend training (released from class) Followed up with staff to ensure uptake of strategies Followed up with the family Responded to and maintained contact with SCOPE

Feedback Reduced parental anxiety reported by parents, therapists, teachers and school leaders. Reduced concerns of therapists that families were being left to their own devices. Schools that engaged with the service got more out of the service, based on parent evaluations. Teachers feeling supported, less anxious, better prepared for a wider range of students, through good resourcing and personalised contact. Teachers involved with the project became disseminators of inclusive practice. Children being happy, social and enthusiastic about school. Reported need for the process to be extended to schools earlier (to align with school process) and later (continued at least until the end of the first year of school).

Participant voices

Contact details Jo Goodridge Ph: E: Trudy Smith Ph: (03) E: