Students at Ripley Valley State School can access and fully participate in learning, alongside their similar-aged peers, supported by reasonable adjustments and teaching strategies tailored to meet their individual needs.
At Ripley Valley State School inclusion is embedded in all aspects of school life, and is supported by culture, policies and every day practices.
Our Student Empowerment and Enhancement team (SEE) consists of:
• Head of Student Support Services
• SEE Teachers and Paraprofessionals
• Guidance Officer (GO)
• Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)
• School Chaplain
• Defence School Mentor
Ripley Valley State School acknowledges that every student has the ability to learn and should be able to demonstrate progress in their learning.
The SEE team has the responsibility of coordinating the specialist intervention and services within the school in order to maximise the effectiveness of the school’s response in meeting the individual needs of students, including students who are identified as:
• having a disability
• having a specific learning disability or disorder
• having complex medical needs
• requiring mental health, social, emotional, behavioural and/or learning interventions
• gifted and talented or requiring extension
• being in out of home care
• a refugee or from a culturally and linguistic diverse background
• part of the LGBTQI+ community
• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and/or
• all other students who require support to access, engage and succeed
It is our determined belief that students enrolled at Ripley Valley State School will:
• attend their local state school or education centre and be welcomed
• access and participate in a high-quality education and fully engage in the curriculum along-side their similar-aged peers
• learn in a safe and supportive environment, free from bullying, discrimination or harassment
• achieve academically and socially with reasonable adjustments and supports tailored to meet their learning needs.
At Ripley Valley State School we utilize a ‘whole school approach’ to supporting all student learning. The allocation of support from both SEE Teachers and Paraprofessionals is based on the learning needs of
students. SEE Teachers and Paraprofessionals assist classroom teachers in the development and delivery of educational programs which comply with legislation, curriculum provisions and required adjustments. Ongoing case management and data monitoring/tracking for all students occurs to ensure equitable access to all facets of the educational experience are maintained.
In order to equitably cater for the varying needs of students, three layers of curriculum support are provided. The appropriate layer of support is identified by school staff through analysis of student data and ongoing monitoring of
student progress. These include:
• Differentiated teaching
• Focused teaching
• Intensive teaching
Ripley Valley provides differentiated teaching to respond to the particular learning needs of all students as a regular part of curriculum provision. Teachers differentiate instruction in response to data and day-to-day monitoring that indicates the particular learning needs of students. This involves teachers varying what students are taught, how they
are taught and how students demonstrate what they know.
Ripley Valley provides focused teaching for students who demonstrate that they are not meeting year-level achievement standards or behaviour expectations. Focused teaching addresses more significant support needs and can include the provision of curriculum at a lower or higher year level.
Intensive teaching may be provided for a small number of students who require intensive teaching, following focused teaching, as they continue to perform substantially below, or above, year-level expectations in a learning area or subject or across the whole curriculum. This involves frequent and explicit instruction, with individuals or in small
groups, to develop sequential mastery of concepts, skills and knowledge.
Student planning and documented support provisions are developed in consultation with school staff and parents/caregivers, where students:
• are provided a lower or higher year-level curriculum than their age cohort
• require personalised social and emotional and/or learning interventions
• require consistent and ongoing adjustments to content, process, product and environment
• display complex and challenging behaviours or social and emotional needs
• are in out-of-home care
• have identified health requirements including those requiring specialised health procedures