Goondiwindi SHS is an inclusive school which values our diverse range of students. The Student Support Centre provides students with diverse learning needs, the required support to participate in the school curriculum and wider community. In addition to supporting students with verified disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disability, Physical Impairment, Speech-Language Impairment and Vision Impairment, we also support students with English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) and students who are identified as having a cognitive disability through the annual Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) process.
Our student support services team is led by a Head of Department and includes teachers and teacher aides. We offer mainstream support, intensive and targeted small group teaching and intervention and assessment and study support sessions. Each student's learning is addressed through collaborative approaches, Individual Support Plans and differentiation practices. Students who are accessing learning at a different level have an Individual Curriculum Plan tailored to their academic level. We offer a flexible certification process whereby all students can gain a QCE (Queensland Certificate of Education) or QCIA (Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement).
In addition, students with verified disabilities have access to occupational therapists, physiotherapists and advisory teachers. All students have access to a visiting speech pathologist.
Technology is used to break down the barriers and to allow students to demonstrate what they know through alternative modes of learning. We are a BYOD school which enables students to learn at home. This also benefits students who dislike writing or taking notes and enables them to review work at a later date. We embrace assistive technology practices and use devices and specific software including communication devices, iPads and speech to text software. Our Student Support Centre also has a bank of laptops with touchscreens and large BEN Q LED touchscreens for engaging all students in learning.
We have a well-established transition program to help support students who are transitioning from primary school to high school or into senior school. We also work with post-school services and disability agencies to help support students with their post-school transition.
Our effective transition planning practices ensure parent and student aspirations are central to prepare for successful pathways.