St John’s, as a Catholic Diocesan Systemic School, has a particular obligation to ensure that Catholic schooling is as inclusive as possible in accordance with the Gospel values of respect, equity and social justice teachings of the Church.
A particular focus is on:
- Ensuring a quality education which maximises the individual development and achievement of all students;
- Establishing a culture that is supportive and responsive to individual’s needs and whereby each student is recognised and valued;
- Promoting the access, participation, engagement and enhanced learning outcomes of Catholic students with a disability;
- Emphasising learning at the point of need;
- Developing a whole school approach, response and responsibility towards a student with a disability;
- Providing individualised plans for each student with unique learning needs;
- Encouraging and supporting increased involvement of parents in decision-making and planning.
The term “student with diverse learning needs” includes:
- Students with disability who have been assessed by an accredited professional as having an intellectual, sensory, physical, mental health, language disorder, autism or multiple impairments, to a degree that significantly affects learning and development. These students receive funding and additional support in accordance with the Commonwealth Targeted Programs (Special Education) in Catholic Schools and the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD).
- Students with learning difficulties/disabilities. These students do not have identified intellectual disability yet they exhibit significant and on-going difficulties in key aspects or particular areas of academic learning. They may be achieving significantly below general expectation for their age and general ability. They are not eligible for funding support through Commonwealth Targeted Programs (Special Education).
- Students with high potential or giftedness. These students may demonstrate a higher potential or aptitude for learning in a variety of domains from physical, to creative, to academic, to emotional intelligence. See more information in our ‘Gifted and Talented’ page.
