Social Individualised

Family Liaison Officer

The role of the Family Liaison Officer is to engage with those students and families most at risk of disengaging from education, training or employment; and support them to access and maintain a sustainable pathway and or re-engagement with education.
Key aspects of the work include:
• Work with Assistant Principals to identify students most at risk of disengaging from education
• Establish a positive relationship with each of the young people including maintaining links with home
• Work with the young people to develop and monitor a sustainable pathway or return to school plan
• Work with key staff at MEC to ensure support for young people who continue at school
• Develop an understanding of individual protective/risk factors -liaise with appropriate school staff
• Provide careers course and pathways information and support to students and their families
• Work with students to develop their Individual Education Plan
• Develop community links to assist students with pathway options
• Monitor student attendance data and work with the school leadership team to develop targeted strategies for individual families

Out of Home Care Coordinator and Mentors

Out of home care is a temporary, medium or long-term living arrangement for children and young people who cannot live in their family home. MEC provides an Out of Home Care Coordinator and student mentors to actively support the educational achievement of every child and young person in out-of-home care. Every student in statutory out-of-home care, and for the first year of a student entering permanent care will be provided with a learning mentor to support them at school. In addition to this, students will be assigned to a student support group, supported through an individual education plan, be provided with an educational needs analysis and nominated a designated teacher.

We work collaboratively to ensure

• a strongly coordinated approach exists to support the needs of children and young people in out-of-home care
• all parties understand each other’s roles and responsibilities and work cooperatively
• strategies are implemented to improve outcomes related to student enrolment, attendance, achievement, case planning, retention and school completion.

https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/supporting-students-out-home-care/policy?Redirect=1

Liaise with Students’ Previous Educators

Previous teachers, TAs, other educators and allied health professionals can provide a wealth of knowledge and can provide advice about how to adapt the environment, pedagogy and curriculum to suit students’ needs. Helpful information could include:
• Previous supports in place to facilitate and enable learning
• Specialist involvement
• Parent and carer contact and involvement
• Important peer and other relationships
• Visual or other supports were used to facilitate learning
• Student interaction with their peers, for example, close connections, working with a buddy, participating in groups, leadership roles
• Independent work capacity
• Systems breaks or help requests
• Technology preferences and capacity
• Communication with their teachers and peers
• Conflict is management
• Curriculum areas strengths or challenges
• Strategies worth carrying over
• Student playground interaction
• How they learn and interact
• Student interests
• How staff can engage them in a new learning environment?

LOOKOUT

LOOKOUT centres are designed to boost the capacity of schools, carers, child protection practitioners and out-of-home care services to improve educational outcomes for children and young people living in out-of-home care. Research indicates that children and young people living in out-of-home care are at greater risk of poorer educational outcomes than those in the broader community. Students in out-of-home care are at greater risk of:
• poor school attendance and engagement
• failing to develop foundational educational skills and reaching expected benchmarks
• disengaging from compulsory schooling
• not achieving any academic qualification.
LOOKOUT centres assist children and young people through:
• professional development with staff and carers
• advice to schools to support individual students
• challenging enrolment decisions that aren’t in a student’s best interests
• facilitating opportunities for students to participate fully in school life (including camps, excursions and extracurricular activities).

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/lookout.aspx

Reengagement Program

The goal of the Reengagement Program to assist in the reengagement of a student who has had difficulties. This plan should be developed with the student, so they have ownership over the plan, the parents/carers and any support workers such as a psychologist or youth worker. If the student is returning to school after hospitalisation or an episode of self-harm, ensure that an up to date risk assessment has been completed as this should guide the development of this plan. A safety/calm plan should also be in place.
When re-engaging students the school will consider:
· What can teachers do in the classroom to support the student (e.g. not call on them, allow them to go to for a drink, let them listen to music, allow the student to go to first aide for some quiet time).
· All teachers are made aware of these supports through the MEC Student Support Plan.
· Ensuring teachers are aware of and support of any changes to the student’s timetable & workload
· Discussing with the student what they will tell peers about their absence
· Identify supports amongst the student’s peers and offers support for these students if required
· Which staff need to be made aware of this plan & what details they need to know, being mindful of the student’s right
to privacy
· Being flexible around attendance and work requirements
· Providing a safe place and support person for the student
· Providing a withdrawal card to the student so they can leave class discreetly
Please see here for the MEC Reengagement Plan https://eduvic.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/sites/MECWholeSchool/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7BF41DFEDF-6D8D-4B2F-B07E-0CEC4521E9D4%7D&file=reengagement%20school%20plan.doc&action=default&mobileredirect=true

Remote Learning Program

The Remote Learning program is supported by the Remote Learning Coordinator who works in close collaboration with and under the direction of the Assistant Principal (Yrs. 7-12) in teaching, supporting and managing students who are unable to attend full-time mainstream schooling. The program aims to support and restore the young person’s ability to return to mainstream schooling as soon as possible or to assist their transition onto other education or employment.
In the event of the school returning to remote learning (due to Covid19 or other reasons), the Remote Learning Coordinator will be expected to take a leading role in the preparation and coordination of the process in conjunction with the Executive team.
Key aspects include:

Work with the Alternate Programs team and mainstream teaching staff to create personalized and engaging programs to ensure that each student has a literacy, numeracy and personal program that is suitable to their needs
Work with the Alternate Programs team and mainstream teaching staff in the creation of individual education plans for students undertaking remote learning
Utilise Teams and other online platforms to facilitate a remote learning program catering to individual student’s needs and timetable
Utilise online education resources to engage and extend student learning
Coordinate Teams meetings and online lessons with students learning remotely
Coordinate and send home any relevant hardcopy work required
Liaise with relevant Alternate Programs, mainstream teachers and Education Support Staff regarding work for assessment and feedback
Conduct appropriate research around student’s academic and well-being history
Liaise with the Assistant Principal and Sub School Leaders regarding the learning and social needs of students
Update the student management system (XUNO) regularly
Be a member of the MEC Later Years and Middle Years Leadership Team and attend all relevant meetings and events
Prepare weekly updates on students and families and report on these at MEC Later Years Leadership, Middle Years Leadership Team
Participate in Student Support Group meetings each term with stakeholders that include staff, student, parent/guardian and other stakeholders as required
Communicate regularly, either via telephone, SMS or face to face, with parent/caregiver to maintain relationships, and ensure ongoing commitment to and from the family
Be responsible for the coordination of reporting requirements for students undertaking Remote Learning
Link students to external agencies to further support students and families
Link students to key resources within the school, eg wellbeing, careers
Liaise with the Family Liaison Officer and staff to support school refusers
Be an active member of the Incident Control Group if necessary to plan for part or whole school remote leaning in the event of extended school closures for health or other emergencies eg pandemic, bushfire etc
Other duties as directed by the Principal.

Scholarships and Awards

Each year Maryborough Education and generous members of the school community present students with scholarships and awards in recognition of what they have been able to achieve. Many of these awards are proudly presented at the Maryborough Education Centre Annual Presentation Evening. Recognising Student Achievement also occurs throughout the year at Celebration Assemblies, weekly unit assemblies and recognition of student responsibility.

Students are also encouraged to apply for external scholarship opportunities when they are eligible, and these are promoted to relevant students during year level assemblies.

Social Stories

Social Stories are developed to give students accurate social information in an easily understood and reassuring format. The best Social Stories are written in conjunction with the student, use their pictures (photos or their own drawings) and endeavour to use their own words if possible.
Please see the following link for further information here.

Student Voice Conference

Students can provide us with beneficial information about how they learn and feel connected to school. Question started such as those below can reveal invaluable information.

What helps you feel welcomed?

How do you like to be greeted?

What strengths do you bring to classrooms? The school?

What do you like most about school so far? What would you like to see changed?

When do you feel you are being listened to?

When do you feel cared for and about?

When do you get a chance to be a leader?

When do you feel most safe/unsafe?

When do you laugh at school?

Who believes you can succeed?

What happens in school that makes you afraid? Frustrated? Defeated?

What inspires you in school?

Who helps you bounce back from setbacks?

Who is always happy to speak with you?

When do you feel it’s OK to make a mistake, or show that you don’t know something or how to do something?

Teacher Assistant Support

Effective teacher-teacher assistant teams are one of the greatest joys in education. The teams can increase learning and engagement exponentially. Teacher assistants have many roles and responsibilities which include:

• Assist teachers and therapists
• Collection information on student progress
• Implementing Student Support Plans as set out by the teacher
• Organise classroom materials and environment
• Providing basic physical and emotional care including medicating, feeding, toileting and lifting
• Providing duty of care for students.

Key aspects include:

1. Develop an understanding of the DET Vision for Learning and MEC Visions and Values
2. Develop an understanding of the DET Practice Principles
3. Develop an understanding of the DET E5 Pedagogical Model
4. Develop understanding High Impact Teaching Strategies
5. Empower students using Amplify strategies
6. Implement support plans using MEC Student Support Plans.
7. Assist with Therapy and Hydrotherapy Referrals
8. XUNO Entries, Postcards and Publications
9. Professional Reading & Surveys
10. Orderly Environment according to the Orderly Environment Schedule
11. Contribute to IEPS & and attend SSGs as required
12. Communication. Respond to parents, carers and colleagues in a timely manner.
13. Meetings. Contribute to meetings in a positive manner.
14. Therapeutic Support. Undertake therapeutic support in line with therapist and teacher guidance.
15. Assisting students with feeding in a hygienic and proficient manner
16. Transportation. Safely transport students via our buses using role description guidelines.
17. Yard Duty. Yard Duty Guidelines.

Timetable Adjustment

Sometimes a student may need the school to adjust timetables due to trauma, additional needs or personal reasons. These adjustments may include:

changing class schedules or locations
changing activities or work in line with student’s needs
providing different ways to access information –for example, adaptive or assistive technology, sign language, multimedia, braille or illustrated text
using assistive technology like voice recognition software, screen readers and adjustable desks
accessing school support services like psychologists, speech pathologists and visiting teachers
changing the premises, for example, installing ramps or a lift
offering different assessment options, for example, oral assessments instead of written, or multiple-choice questions
extra time to finish classwork or projects
modified activities and excursions, for example, if a student cannot take part in an activity, the school can offer an alternative
specialised professional development or training for the student’s teachers and other staff as needed.

Visual Timetables

Students with autism have strong visual skills but at the same time, struggle with auditory skills. Visual supports, such as visual timetable, can assist students with executive function impairments by providing structure, reducing stress, enhancing comprehension, working memory and communication skills.

Please see the following link for further information visualsupports-1