Enrolments
To enrol in an Education Support Facility your child must meet eligibility requirements.
GDD assessments must be done within 12 months of the child’s first day at Kindergarten, e.g. must be dated after February 1st of the previous year, if the school year begins February 1st.
Intellectual Disability (ID)
Intellectual Disability is a relatively permanent significant impairment in generalised intellectual functioning.
Eligibility
A diagnosis of Intellectual Disability will establish eligibility for Disability Resourcing funding if it includes:
Significant impairments in present adaptive functioning (i.e. the person’s effectiveness in meeting the standards expected for his or her age by his or her cultural group). Significant impairment is defined as 2 standard deviations below the mean on a standardised, culturally relevant assessment in at least two of the following areas:
- Communication, self-care, home living, social/interpersonal skills, use of community resources, self-direction, functional academic skills, work, leisure, health, safety; and Significantly sub-average intellectual functioning: an IQ of below 70 on an individually administered IQ test.
- Evidence that academic achievement and progress is limited in comparison to age expectations.
While an Intellectual Disability is considered a permanent condition, eligibility for Disability Resourcing is extended to the end of Year 12 only after two separate assessments, conducted more than two years but no greater than 3 years apart, meet criteria for diagnosis.
A diagnosis of Intellectual Disability is obtained by:
- IQ Test – The administration of an IQ test performed by a registered psychologist. To be eligible for Ed Support placement your child’s IQ needs to be less than 70 with no significant spikes in any of the subtests. If your child is from a non-English speaking background the IQ test needs to be non-verbal, and,
- Two Adaptive Behaviour Rating Scales need to be administered across two separate environments i.e. school and home. This is an instrument that gives a measure of personal and social skills needed for everyday living.
Our Vision
To provide purposeful and relevant learning programs for all students to thrive within a safe and caring learning environment.
Global Development Delay (GDD)
For those young children who enter Kindergarten already receiving comprehensive early intervention services from a Paediatrician, the Department of Education provides for temporary eligibility under the restricted diagnosis termed Global Developmental Delay (GDD). This indicated group is provided to allow for the smooth transition to school of those students with pre-diagnosed delays in multiple areas of development.
This category is designed to support those students who are at significantly elevated risk of being diagnosed with an intellectual disability. Eligibility is determined on the basis of documented information from the managing Paediatric Physician that addresses the criteria for the diagnosis of Global Developmental Delay. The restricted diagnosis is not applicable to students who have not been under the prior care of a Paediatrician. These students can be assessed at school for Intellectual Disability.
Eligibility
Global Developmental Delay is an appropriate restricted diagnosis status where a child shows significant delay in two or more of the following developmental domains:
- Gross/fine motor;
- speech/language;
- Cognition;
- Social/personal;
- Activities of daily living on the same assessment tool (e.g. Griffiths Mental Developmental Scales, Bayley Scales of Infant Development).
Significant delay is defined as performance two standard deviations or more below the mean on an individual, age-appropriate, standardised, culturally relevant test of functioning.
Eligibility under GDD will not be accepted when the diagnosis is based on significant delays in areas explained by pre-diagnosed conditions e.g. speech language delay for a student with a diagnosed language disorder or motor delay for a student with a diagnosed developmental condition.
PLEASE NOTE: The latest diagnosis from the Paediatrician must be within 12 months of the child starting Kindergarten and must have the expanded title of Global Developmental Delay (GDD is not accepted)
Our Purpose
We support our students to reach their full potential.
We foster an inclusive environment which caters for individual educational, social and emotional needs and abilities.
We provide opportunities to develop the relevant skills, attitudes, values and understandings which will allow students to thrive, develop independence for life and actively contribute positively in society.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
The Department of Education accepts the term Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) for those conditions that are referred to in the literature as either Pervasive Developmental Disorders or Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Pervasive Developmental Disorders are characterised by severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development: reciprocal social interaction skills, communication skills, or the presence of stereotyped behaviour, interests and activities.
Eligibility
Conditions included within the ASD category are:
- Autism Disorder; Rett’s Disorder; Childhood Disintegrative Disorder;
- Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS).
For eligibility under Schools Plus an ASD diagnosis must have been made by a multidisciplinary team assessment. For students under the age of 12 the team is comprised of three professionals experienced in the assessment and diagnosis of Autism. Each of the three (a paediatrician, clinical psychologist and a speech pathologist) must have completed an assessment and written a report addressing the criteria for Pervasive Developmental Disorders / Autism Spectrum Disorders as indicated by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the Mental Disorders – 5th Edition.
PLEASE NOTE: For placement in an Education Support Facility a student with a diagnosis of Autism must have an IQ of less than 70 or be in the severe range.
Our Commitment
We Believe EVERY Student Matters
Catchment
A wider Catchment area than Primary Schools
We have students coming from the areas surrounding the Centre i.e. Girrawheen, Koondoola, Balga, Mirrabooka, Marangaroo, as well as Darch, Landsdale and Alexander Heights.
If your child meets the criteria for eligibility, you can enrol at the Centre of your choice. If your child attends their nearest education support centre, they are eligible to go on the special school buses run by Department of Transport. These buses have a bus aide to ensure the safety of the students and the buses go from door to door. If outside the bus zone, they will not be eligible for bus services and will need to be driven to school by parents/carers. https://schoolbuses.wa.gov.au/Home.aspx
