Organisation: Bribie Island State School
Job Title: Head of Special Education Services
Word Limit: Maximum of one page per criterion
Location: Bribie Island
Demonstrated teaching competence and capacity to provide curriculum leadership in the area of special education leading to the achievement of quality learning outcomes for all students
With over 15 years of teaching experience, I have developed high-level skills providing curriculum leadership in the area of special education to ensure the achievement of quality learning outcomes for all students. Dedicated to supporting the educational needs of students with a diverse range of educational needs, I am adept at implementing and assisting students and teachers in the development of specialised educational programs. This has been demonstrated through:
Leading the introduction of Individual Curriculum Plans (ICPs) at Bundaberg North State High School. Subsequent to identifying that 100% of students in my classroom were receiving a D or an E in the core subjects of English and SOSE, I initiated the first trial of the ICP process. The ICPs allowed me to clearly identify the year level individuals were achieving, thus allowing me to modify the curriculum so they were taught at that level and challenged appropriately. As a result of having the plans in place, student engagement and confidence improved and they were more prepared to take risks as they felt supported. For example, I had numerous students who had never completed an oral presentation now demonstrating the courage and confidence to do so. Due to the evident success of the trial within my classroom, it was decided that the ICPs would be introduced school-wide and I was responsible for providing training and support to teachers and monitoring the implementation process. This included demonstrating and teaching them how to create an ICP in OneSchool in order to effectively implement the plans within each classroom.
Leveraging my role to educate and support Teachers to build their capacity to support students with special education needs. Within my role as Support Teacher: Learning Difficulties, I undertook classroom observations to identify the needs of Teachers and resources within their classroom. Through group and one-on-one training, I ensured that they were educated regarding the importance of catering to the highly individual needs of their students with disabilities and learning difficulties. This increased their levels of confidence and they were much better equipped to provide adequate support to the students. Moreover, I coordinated additional assistance for teachers through the use of teacher aides, assisted them with accessing physical resources such as desk modifications and amplification systems, as well as ensured they had access to external professionals if necessary, such as autism and speech therapy specialists. In doing so, teachers were able to successfully support both the emotional and educational needs of students, thus increasing overall student confidence and resulting in improved student learning outcomes.
Collaborating with classroom teachers to develop and integrate curriculum programs tailored to students with learning difficulties. As a Support Teacher: Learning Difficulties at West State School, Gin Gin State School and Wallaville State School, I utilised diagnostic tools and testing such as PM Benchmarks and the South Australian Spelling Test in order to clearly identify the needs of students with learning difficulties. The data that I gathered allowed me to effectively benchmark students and introduce suitable programs for implementation within their classroom. Working collaboratively with classroom teachers, I introduced phonics, reading and comprehension programs that utilised Reading Recovery techniques and that were explicitly targeted to each student’s learning level and ability. This personalised learning resulted in improved self esteem for the students, increased their spelling, reading and comprehension skills, and contributed to narrowing the achievement gap amongst their peers, thus fostering an environment focused on positive learning outcomes.
Targeting improved literacy and numeracy across all year levels. Throughout my career working at both primary and high school levels, I have sought to improve literacy and numeracy through the provision of early intervention. By introducing group and individual reading programs, including working with programs developed by speech language pathologists, I have contributed to the avoidance of disengagement as a result of low success rates, as well as overall improvement across all curriculums. My success was evidenced through working with a group of Year 6 boys demonstrating low skills and little interest in literacy. Through working with the boys and providing them with engaging and age-appropriate text targeted at boys their age, their interest increased, and subsequently their reading and comprehension skills improved, allowing them to experience success.
Training and supporting volunteers to deliver the ‘Support-A-Reader’ program. The aim of this program at the primary schools was to provide students who required additional assistance with their reading the opportunity to read regularly with a supportive adult on a one-to-one basis. After recruiting suitable volunteers, including parents, members of the school community and members of the Indigenous community, I provided them with training, and then timetabled them as tutors. This ensured that students were provided with the opportunity to practise and develop their reading skills in the vital early years of learning. By running the program three to four times per week, I recognised a significant improvement, particularly with the Year 2 students who had been falling behind in their reading levels.
As Head of Special Education Services at Bribie Island State School, I will leverage my high-level skills and extensive special education experience to lead the school special education unit, teachers, students and stakeholders to develop, articulate and commit to a shared educational vision focused on providing quality learning outcomes for all students.
Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills and the capacity to develop and sustain productive relationships within and beyond the school community
My experience within diverse school environments has taught me that strong relationships with stakeholders within and beyond the school community are effective in promoting awareness and fostering the tools necessary for the inclusion and support of academic success and wellbeing of all students. Possessing high-level interpersonal skills, I am able to develop these relationships easily and I have demonstrated this in all of my previous roles by displaying a friendly and positive attitude and considering the input of all parties involved. This has been verified by:
Maintaining open communication, support and guidance in my roles as Acting Head of Special Education Services (HOSES). At Bundaberg North State High School, I was afforded the opportunity on numerous occasions to undertake the duties of HOSES. During this time, I upheld an ‘open door’ policy where all staff and members of the school community could speak with me regarding myriad concerns. When undertaking these roles, I facilitated the upskilling of support staff regarding strategies to manage behaviour of students with disabilities, during which time I employed clear communication and guidelines. This involved training them in the use of OneSchool where they could access student information and various strategies to support the inclusion of students. The approach that I took whilst in the acting HOSES role led to a cohesive, supportive and collaborative environment where all staff worked together to support the needs of special education students, whilst ensuring that they were provided with a differentiated and inclusive education.
Facilitating weekly meetings with the Support Services Team to disseminate current Education Queensland and whole school priorities. Within my role as Acting HOSES, I made certain that all relevant staff were well informed of priorities discussed at senior leadership team meetings so that they were equipped with the knowledge and tools to support whole school implementation. This often led to informing staff of upcoming professional development opportunities to further support their skills and knowledge. For example, at Bundaberg North State High School, one of our initiatives was to implement a whole school Spot-Lit program to focus on improving the areas where students were demonstrating gaps in their literacy and numeracy skills. Through providing education and training to staff, we successfully embedded literacy and numeracy strategies throughout the whole school in each subject area, including a ten-minute focus each morning. The implementation of Spot-Lit contributed to strengthening students’ skills to ensure that they achieved the best outcomes across all of their subjects.
Acting as an advocate for all students with special education needs. To ensure that socially-just practices are embedded in daily school life, thus supporting students to achieve their full potential across all areas encompassing academic, social and emotional wellbeing, I act as a solid foundation of support for students. This extends to assisting students with their organisational skills, behaviour monitoring, and offering a safe haven for them if they are feeling anxious or stressed. Moreover, as a student advocate, I will negotiate on their behalf with other teachers, particularly if a detention or punishment is involved. Often these experiences amplify the negative feelings that students experience and if so, I will work with the associated teacher to negotiate alternative terms. As a result, students feel safe, welcomed and secure in their learning environment which leads to greater engagement and attendance, as well as an improvement in behaviour and social skills.
Regular collaboration with external support agencies and the HOSES network. Through seeking information and advice from agencies such as Montrose, Autism Queensland, Phoenix House, paediatricians, psychologists and the Child and Youth Mental Health Service, I was able to ensure that students and teachers were provided with the best support and resources to assist them to achieve positive outcomes. This included educational resources and physical adjustments to equipment, as well as mental and emotional support for students. Attending the HOSES networking meetings ensured that I remained up-to-date with the latest initiatives and gained support and advice as to how to implement them. For example, when introducing the ICPs, I engaged my peers in discussion regarding how they had implemented them at their schools.
Encouraging parents, families and carers to become active participants in their child’s education. By making myself open and available to parents, families and carers, I have been successful in maintaining effective home-school relationships that support the needs of students. This has been facilitated through providing information through emails, letters, phone calls and face-to-face meetings where I provide both positive feedback and discuss concerns. This constant communication is imperative to gain parental input and work collaboratively to support their child’s case management.
Remaining perceptive and intuitive to student needs. Conversant with numerous communication strategies, I ensure that I take the time to get to know students on a less formal level prior to broaching the issues that we are required to address. By taking this sensitive approach, students are made to feel at ease and therefore gain the confidence to open up and speak to me. This in turn has enabled me to collaboratively negotiate, develop and implement programs for students that have a focus on preventative and early intervention strategies.
As Head of Special Education Services at Bribie Island State School, I will continue to liaise and work collaboratively with parents, teachers and external providers such as government agencies and community groups to ensure that students are provided with the support and resources required for them to experience success.
Capacity to use analytical skills to contribute to educational outcomes at the school level
My strategic long-term planning capabilities are testament to my analytical skills and have contributed greatly to whole school educational outcomes throughout my career. Through careful gathering and analysis of student data, I am able to develop quality teaching and learning initiatives that foster the ability for all students to experience success. The success of these programs and services has been consistently achieved by adopting a detailed approach that involves considering overall school and Education Queensland objectives, and ensuring that they are delivered in accordance with best practice, whilst aligning with departmental policies and procedures. This has been demonstrated through:
Utilising data from student learning outcomes to determine the success of Individual Curriculum Plans. Upon leading the introduction of ICPs at Bundaberg North State High School, it was imperative to ascertain the current levels of student capabilities. In order to do this, I reviewed the Australian Curriculum Achievement Standards to determine the level each student was achieving. This information was then utilised to decide if a student would experience more success if placed on an ICP. Upon making a decision to place a student on an ICP, I was required to make decisions regarding the appropriate year level to teach the student in order for them to gain optimum results and progress. This data was then tracked to monitor ongoing success or to identify if modifications were required. For example, in the early implementation stages, we decided that if students were achieving at Year 3 level, then that would be the curriculum to be taught. Noticing a trend in disengagement with minimal improvement, I realised that even though the students were assessed at Year 3 level, it was important the overall context remain the same as their peers. By ensuring that students were provided with age-appropriate content, however modifying or changing the assessment aspects, student engagement increased and a visible improvement in overall achievement was recognised.
Collating and interrogating data to ascertain and monitor student achievement levels. In line with Education Queensland’s policy to cater to the individual needs of all students, whilst working at Bundaberg North State High School, I sourced relevant student learning data, including academic results, anecdotal notes, NAPLAN scores, diagnostic or standardised testing, medical records, specialist reports, cognitive assessments, and Guidance Officer reports. With the data, I worked collaboratively with teachers, heads of department and other stakeholders to plan ways in which to best cater to the student’s individual needs. For example, the data allowed me to identify students requiring exemption from LOTE, those who would benefit from placement in an intensive reading program, as well as those requiring the development of an ICP. Moreover, the data allowed me to pick up on trends such as students achieving at a level two to three years below their peers, which in turn allowed for the accurate determinations on the students’ ICPs. Utilising the students’ general capabilities, whilst referring to scope and sequence and standards assisted me to backward map students to determine where they could best be placed within the school. As a result, students with special educational needs were provided with explicitly individualised support and curriculum tailored to their needs so that they could realise their full potential.
Working with feeder schools to strategise support for future students. With Bundaberg North State High School receiving new enrolments of students transitioning from primary school each year, I took initiative by visiting the feeder primary schools in Term 4 to conference with Principals and classroom teachers about their needs. This involved collecting information regarding students’ academic results, including NAPLAN, as well as anecdotal information regarding students’ extracurricular accomplishments, leadership qualities, challenging behaviours, disabilities and medical conditions, and those with English as an additional language. The data that I collected and analysed allowed me to make key decisions as to the students’ appropriate class placement in high school, including making recommendations to the Principal to exempt some students from particular classes such as LOTE. Through accurately interpreting and analysing the data, I ensured that each student was able to enjoy success and maximise their educational outcomes.
Analysing data from primary schools to arrange appropriate early interventions. Bundaberg North State High School had a specialised reading program for students who had been identified as struggling with literacy, in particular, reading. In order to provide early support to students transitioning to high school from primary school, I contacted feeder schools in Term 4 each year to seek information regarding students who were reading below their chronological age, or who had fallen below the national benchmarks in NAPLAN testing. Having clearly identified students requiring assistance, I delegated a teacher and teacher aide to visit the schools prior to the end of term to administer the placement test for the reading program. This allowed me to gather further appropriate data to determine the number of students requiring placement in the program. As a result, I was able to effectively inform my decision making regarding the number of classes and resources required, thus enabling students to be placed upon the commencement of high school.
As Head of Special Education Services at Bribie Island State School, I am confident that my analytical skills will be of benefit for future planning of support and resources for students. The data that I gather from student assessment and learning will allow me to make effective decisions for improved student learning. Moreover, the analysis of this data will allow me to support teachers and the whole school community to provide individualised and differentiated support that will facilitate ongoing student achievement.
Capacity to manage effectively human, financial and physical resources to deliver high quality organisational outcomes
Within my roles as Special Education Teacher, Support Teacher and Acting HOSES, I have witnessed firsthand the importance of the effective management of human, financial and physical resources to deliver high quality organisational outcomes. The utilisation of such resources can transform teaching and learning, provide the necessary support to students with special educational needs, whilst assisting to improve their social and academic achievements. Throughout my career, I have gained experience in managing and have extensively utilised resources in order to ensure that support to students is effective and purposeful. This has been verified through:
Ensuring that all staff maintained continuing professional development. Whilst undertaking the role of Acting HOSES, and within my roles as Support Teacher at Bundaberg North State High School, I ensured that all staff were up-to-date with professional development initiatives in order to develop the school’s workforce capability. By supporting teachers to develop new skills, knowledge and approaches, they received the encouragement required to feel connected and contribute to the success of assisting special educational needs students. Working both independently and alongside the HOSES, I identified areas for improvement and sourced appropriate internal and external training for staff. This included providing access to literacy workshops, ASD awareness training, as well as Tony Atwood seminars. Moreover, utilising my strong network of stakeholder connections, I would arrange external providers to attend professional development sessions run at the school to further enhance teacher capability. For example, I organised a Speech Language Pathologist to run a training session aimed at up-skilling teacher aides regarding how to best support students with language impediments. My ability to identify the needs of both the whole school and the staff, ensured that students were supported by staff who were capable and competent to deliver programs that would result in positive student outcomes.
Effectively coordinating teacher aide and tailored support worker timetables. During my time working in the primary schools as Support Teacher: Learning Difficulties, I demonstrated my human resource management expertise, as well as my ability to effectively identify the needs of students. Utilising these skills, I coordinated teacher aide time and tailored support to ensure that students with specific needs were grouped together or provided with individual support to maximise their learning. For example, I identified that some teacher aides had strengths in numeracy and others in literacy, so I ensured that these strengths were best utilised by enlisting them to provide support in those areas. Additionally, in instances where I recognised that support staff had particular skills in dealing with students diagnosed with autism or a physical impairment, I matched them to those students in order to best deliver services to them. This ensured that human resources were utilised in the most effective and efficient manner, thus ensuring that students were provided with high quality support. Moreover, this extended to devising a weekly timetable to ensure that students were provided with the same support person in order to foster stability and allow for students to bond with them and build trust to achieve the best learning outcomes.
Contributing to the development of a Special Education Unit budget, and assisting with its effective management. Subsequent to determining whole school requirements, I worked collaboratively with the HOSES to ensure that the budget was best utilised. This included allocating funds for improving student social skills such as via excursions to shopping centres or restaurants, as well as ensuring that all teachers and teacher aides were provided with adequate physical resources such as textbooks, and year-level appropriate comprehension cards. This involved rigorous forward planning to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of funding and resources. For example, when considering the SRA Reading Program, it was necessary to determine the number of students to be enrolled, the number of textbooks required to be purchased, and then allocating them accordingly. This ensured that all students were provided with access to the resources required to experience success. Additionally, during my time at the school, I gained valuable exposure as to how the Principal managed the budget pertaining to the allocation of staffing.
Collaborating with Advisory Visiting Teachers (AVT) in order to secure specialised equipment for students. Through working closely with the AVTs at Bundaberg North State High School, I was able to ensure that school staff were supported in enabling students with disability to access and participate in the curriculum. This included ensuring wheelchair access, cushions, access to toileting, as well as electronic devices such as iPads. For example, one of our students had Down Syndrome and required a blow-up cushion on her chair, as well as a sloped desk, so I arranged to have one placed in each of her classes. I was responsible for the logistics of this, including organising the funding to purchase the items, liaising with the student’s parents about the use of the equipment, and speaking with each teacher regarding storage when the items were not in use.
As Head of Special Education Services at Bribie Island State School, I will utilise my extensive special education skills and experience to effectively manage human, financial and physical resources to deliver high quality organisational outcomes. As a result, I am confident to contribute to the ongoing success of the Special Education Program by ensuring that the whole school community is equipped for the delivery of appropriate and inclusive programs.
