At St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School, we aim to cater for all students’ strengths and interests, and bring out the best in each individual. This is done in many areas and with a variety of learning experiences.

INDIVIDUAL PLANS FOR LEARNING

From time to time, students present with diverse needs and the teacher provides comprehensive support within the classroom, and where needed may seek further support from the school, Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong and outside agencies.

Adjustments may be made to learning and teaching experiences for students to better access the curriculum at their level. Recommendations may be made by the School Case Collaboration Team to seek professional assessment for a particular child.

Other suggestions may include the referral of a student to a paediatrician, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, audiologist, optometrist, psychologist or counsellor. As a result of this testing additional funding may be made available to support the needs of the child.

All funded students have an Individual Plan (IP) developed collaboratively with parents and regular meetings are held with parents to discuss progress and concerns. These plans aim to ensure that all students can engage in school life and learning on the same basis as their peers.
 

READING RECOVERY

Reading Recovery is an early intervention reading and writing program for Year 1 students which is designed to supplement quality classroom literacy instruction. It involves intensive individual teaching of targeted students by a trained Reading Recovery teacher.

Targeted students are withdrawn from class for a daily one-to-one lessons of thirty minutes. The length of time a child is on the program can vary. The lessons consist of a variety of reading and writing experiences designed to help children develop effective reading and writing strategies.
 

GIFTED EDUCATION

Year 2 students participate in the ACER General Ability Tests (AGAT) – a test of general intellectual ability designed to assist teachers in their assessment of students’ learning potential and aptitude. Teachers devise specific Individual Plans for students who have been formally identified as gifted.

Students identified as gifted in Stage 2 and Stage 3 have the opportunity to participate in SPLICED (Stretching Potential through Learning in Interactive Challenging Environments). This is a Catholic Education Diocese of Wollongong initiative.
 

For more information, view our CEDoW Diverse Learning Needs Policy