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Student Services > Learning and Disability Support >

Programs and services for students with disability

Access to programs and services

Education Queensland provides equitable educational opportunities to ensure that all students have access to, participate in and gain positive outcomes from schooling through a range of curriculum options delivered across primary, secondary and special schools. To support this commitment, a flexible model of delivery of educational services is essential.

Eligible children and young people are entitled to enrol at their closest appropriate school. Some primary and secondary schools may have reached enrolment capacity and have an enrolment management planin place. This means students may not be entitled to enrol unless they live within the local catchment area, or, for students from outside the local catchment area, have met eligibility criteria contained in the plan.

The process for enrolment in primary, secondary and special schools is outlined in the following policy:

SMS-PR-027: Enrolment in State Primary, Secondary and Special Schools

Access to special education programs and services

Education Queensland provides an array of special programs and services to support students with disability with significant educational support needs within an inclusive education framework.

Principals manage the resourcing within their schools. Schools provide support in a variety of ways. Some programs might support a wide range of students with disability whilst others might support a smaller identified group.

Special education programs and services for students with disability are available across early childhood development programs (birth to prior-to-Prep), all primary and secondary schools (Prep to Year 12), and special schools. The programs and services can be provided on-site or as outreach support by staff from special education programs to another school site.

Information relating to the schools within each district is available through the Regional Maps. Further information designed to assist parents can be accessed through Education for children with a disability - a guide for parents.

Special Education Programs

Primary and secondary schools (Prep to Year 12)

Special education programs are provided for students with disability (Prep to Year 12) with significant educational support needs. Special education program refers to a clustering of students with disability and specialist teachers with experience and/or qualifications in dedicated area(s) of specialisation to support these students' educational program.

Selected schools offer this clustering of resources for students with disability with significant educational support needs who live in the local community in the areas of:

Principals are responsible for all the resources provided to support educational programs of all students in their school, including the provision of SEP support.

Early Childhood Development Programs and Services for Children with Disabilities - Prior to Prep

Education Queensland currently provides early childhood development programs and services for children prior-to-Prep age with a suspected or diagnosed disability with significant educational support needs in the areas of:

The purpose of early childhood development programs and services is to enable the:

Early childhood development programs and services for children prior to Prep age with a suspected or diagnosed disability may be provided on-site at an early childhood development program (ECDP) or via outreach support to the home or another site (e.g. kindergarten, child care centre) in order to support children with disabilities and their families. These programs and services are outlined in the following policy:

SMS-PR-015: Early Childhood Development Programs and Services for Children with Disabilities - Prior to Prep

Where are the Special Education Programs?

Not all state schools have a special education program, but all schools need to make reasonable adjustments so all students can access and participate in the curriculum. Schools that do not have a special education program are able to access special education services if required.

The schools that do have a special education program are listed in the following spreadsheet:

Directory of Special Education Programs in Queensland State Schools Microsoft® Excel® spreadsheet 661k

The following information will assist in interpreting this spreadsheet.

School type:

Campus

off site part of a school where students attend

COM S

community school

ECDP

early childhood development program

EU education unit

SDE

school of distance education

SHS

state high school

SPEC S

special school

SPS

specific purpose school (includes schools such as hospital schools)

SS

state school

School Age Range:

0P

refers to children from birth up to Prep age

PY

refers to students of Prep age

PS

refers to special schools supporting primary school aged students

SS

refers to special schools supporting secondary school aged students

07

Year 7

08

Year 8

10

Year 10

12

Year 12

Head of Special Education Services (HOSES):

A number in column O (e.g.5, 6 or 7) indicates that the program is of sufficient size to attract a leadership/administrative position to the school. This position is usually called the HOSES.

Areas of Specialisation:

A Y or C in any of the respective columns (S-Z) specifies the nominated disability categories that the school provides an education program for - through either the SEP (Y) or a cluster SEP (C).

If you are looking at a cluster SEP and wish to determine what the lead program is, look at the 2011 Cluster SEP code in column L. This code will be the SEP Centre code of the lead program.

The column descriptors are provided below:

ASD

specialisation in supporting students verified in the category of Autism Spectrum Disorder

II

specialisation in supporting students verified in the category of Intellectual Impairment

HI

specialisation in supporting students verified in the category of Hearing impairment

PI

specialisation in supporting students verified in the category of Physical Impairment

SLI

specialisation in supporting students verified in the category of Speech-Language Impairment

VI

specialisation in supporting students verified in the category of Vision impairment

Multiple Impairment

specialisation in supporting students verified in the category of Intellectual Impairment who also have one or more other verified disabilities

Bi-lingual/Bi-cultural

offering learning in two languages and cultures - English and Auslan

Early Childhood Development

early childhood development programs that provide services across all disability areas

Special Education Services

A range of special education services are available to support students and children with disabilities with significant educational support needs. These services are traditionally provided to support students with disabilities attending schools that do not have a special education program. The services may include the following:

Special schools

Special schools offer highly specialised program for students with severe disability which must include an intellectual impairment.

The process for enrolment in special schools is outlined in the following policy:

SMS-PR-027: Enrolment in State Primary, Secondary and Special Schools

Form B: Criteria for enrolment in a Special School Microsoft® Word document 82k can be used to assess a student's specific eligibility for enrolment noting that behavioural support needs alone are not sufficient criteria for enrolment in a special school.

School Transport Assistance Programs for Students with Disabilities

Education Queensland provides school transport assistance for students with disabilities where it has been identified that due to the nature of the student's disability and the family's circumstances support is required to travel between home and school. The focus of the School Transport Assistance Program is to assist parents rather than to remove their individual responsibility for school transport arrangements.

The eligibility criteria and process for applying for school transport assistance are outlined in the following policy:

SMS-PR-009: School Transport Assistance Programs for Students with Disabilities

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