Learning Enrichment
Learning Enrichment at the College works with students who have additional needs for support and/or extension. The College emphasis on Building Capacity, essential to its BPL framework, underpins all activities of Learning Enrichment. Whether we are working with students in the Early years or supporting students to undertake their HSC, Learning Enrichment team members continually strive to plan for and implement the strategies that research suggests will enable students to learn at their best today and prepare them for the foreseeable challenges of future stages of their education.
Starting with the earliest possible identification of students who need additional support, Learning Enrichment works with students, families, teachers and external professionals to chart a path forward. Evidenced-based interventions and adjustments to teaching and learning are planned and implemented. In the Primary years, a variety of targeted literacy and numeracy intervention programs are used intensively with small groups to reduce any gaps in learning. The goal in these years is to build capacity for learning in secondary school, where the focus shifts towards the adjustments that students may require to access their learning. Adjustments to College activities, teaching and assessment are designed to reduce any barriers students experience due to the impact of their disability or difficulty, enabling them to demonstrate their learning and participate in the wider life of the College. Any skills individuals need to access learning and society beyond school are identified and steps taken to build students’ capacity to address future challenges.
At all stages, a collaborative individual planning process is undertaken that reflects the culture of partnership we so value between the College and our families, and the changing nature of students’ needs as they grow. A documented Individual Plan is crafted and regularly reviewed to support consistent application of intervention programs and adjustments over the years. Consistently positive feedback is regularly received from external organisations and families regarding the quality of our support programs and Individual Plans.
Similarly, we use a variety of data for early identification of students who require additional extension, beyond the rich curricular and co-curricular opportunities available in the College. While in education circles there is much discussion about identifying gifted and talented students, at the College we prefer to focus on meeting the practical needs of those who require additional extension. Students are challenged in targeted extension groups, coached to take part in external competitions and may undertake special projects. A targeted acceleration program in Secondary Mathematics commences in Year 7 and continues through the years to ultimately provide students with early access to the HSC Mathematics program. Individual Plans may be created for meeting extension needs and these plans again reflect our partnership between the College and families. The College’s partnership with MENSA Australia adds an exciting dimension to the activities we offer and identifies the College among a small group of schools nationally, who are acknowledged for the strength of their extension programming.