COMMUNITY: Geographic Spread and Special Features of the Community served by the School: Of the 45 students currently enrolled, 36 live within the Ipswich Suburban area. Others travel from as far as Roadvale, Lowood, Barellan Point and Inala to attend our school. 35 students are eligible for School Transport Assistance, based upon ‘Nearest Coded Program’, 10 students attend this school as a ‘Preferred Placement’ and are driven to school by parents or carers. There is a general belief that for the past 20 years Ipswich has been in a phase of decline with high levels of unemployment and heavy reliance upon social welfare. 60% of the families of students at Ipswich West Special School are reliant upon social welfare. Approximately 30% of families own their own home. Less than 15% of families have a professional background. As one of the oldest cities in Queensland, relatively close to Brisbane, Ipswich is currently undergoing significant transformation and re-growth. The city has a proud cultural heritage, with long established Cultural groups and a highly regarded Regional Art Gallery. The city boasts attractive civic buildings as well as many heritage listed homes, churches and other buildings. With an upsurge in the real estate market over the past 2 years, cheap rental accommodation is much more difficult to find, and some families are looking to move further a-field to find suitable housing. Parent Aspirations: In 2002, a Parent Survey revealed that few parents had given any thought to specific employment opportunities for their child. Most specified that they want their child to “get a job” and to be able “to live independently within the community”. Some people had unrealistic expectations that their child could “go to university”, while many saw continued education through TAFE as a worthwhile progress from the Special School. All respondents suggested that Communication and Social Skills training, as well as Functional Literacy and Numeracy were the most essential aspects of the school program. Few specified Self Care and Community Access as essential. In 2004, a Parent Survey revealed that 85% of parents felt that the Curriculum Framework was ‘very meaningful to them as a parent’ and 80% believed that the school was ‘very effective in preparing their child for the future’. Alliances with Other Government Agencies: Currently, 8 students enrolled at Ipswich West Special School are clients of the Department of Communities and Child Safety. Over the past 3 years, there have been as many as 15 students within Care of the Department. While the school enjoys extremely good support from the Department, mobility amongst Family Service Officers and frequent changes to Case-loads makes consistent case management difficult. Ipswich West Special School also enjoys substantial support from Disability Services Queensland, with many of our students registered with this organization. Approximately 25% of students receive direct service from DSQ, either in the form of Respite or Family Support. Community Health and the Juvenile Aid Bureau have also been quite supportive, providing staff to assist with program implementation and discussion of significant issues. Partnerships with Local Government, Community and Other Educational Institutions: For many years, Ipswich West Special School has enjoyed the patronage and support of Ipswich City Council, and in particular our local Councillor. Students from Ipswich West Special School have for several years been involved in a joint project with members of the Ipswich City Council Parks and Recreation team in the redevelopment and maintenance of a section of the Demark Hill Environmental Reserve. This group also has the support of the local division of the Society for Growing Australian Native Plants, and in 2004 a Shade House was erected at Ipswich West with money donated by the Ipswich City Council. Through both formal and informal networking, Ipswich West Special School enjoys excellent relationships with a number of Primary and Secondary Schools within the local community, as well as the other Special Schools. These positive relationships have enabled the successful implementation of Integration Programs for approximately 8 students each year. In 2004, 1 student participated in the YAP programme at Bremer TAFE, while another 3 Senior Schooling students enrolled in Friday programmes at TAFE. Social, Cultural and Sporting Opportunities: Due to formal and informal contacts, students at Ipswich west Special School enjoy a range of Social and Cultural opportunities. Each year, student participate in the Ipswich Festival Street Parade and the Link-Up Multi-Cultural Festival. Due to the active Arts Program within the school, students also have the opportunity to participate in a range of Arts experiences at the Ipswich Art Gallery, the Ipswich Little Theatre and the Ipswich Civic Centre. The school has been recognized by the Queensland Arts Council with an Award for Excellence in Arts Education, and has been the recipient of a large number of Community Awards and Arts Grants. With a firm commitment to the social advantage of engagement with team and co-operative sport, the Physical Education Specialist Teacher based at Ipswich West Special School has, for a number of years, organized Indoor Soccer and Interschool Sporting Competitions. Students also participate in an annual Touch Football competition. Local Community Priorities and Expectations of the School: In 2001, only 51% of parents expressed satisfaction with the quality of educational program being offered at Ipswich West Special School. Several parents expressed concern about what was being taught and the limited educational progress being made by their children. Through the development of a Whole School Curriculum Framework, and the school’s Literacy Strategy, as well as a focus upon teaching focused upon Student Progress, this percentage has swelled to 80% at the end of 2003. In a local survey of parents, it was pleasing to read that the majority of parents saw the school as a place of learning, as well as a friendly and supportive place for their children. GOVERNANCE: School Based Management Option: As the School Council of Ipswich West Special School had not operated for some time, it was decided in 2002 that the school should revert to EO 1 (School Advisory Committee). Leadership and Management Processes and Structure: Currently, Ipswich West Special School has entitlement to a Principal (Band 8) and a full-time Registrar. Together, these officers supervise and manage all personnel and school operations. They are supported in the decision-making process by a School Management Committee, which includes representatives of the teaching staff, the specialist teaching staff, teacher aides and the ancillary staff. This group meets each Friday morning to discuss weekly issues and plan future activity. As it moves towards a period of strategic direction setting, it is envisaged that this School Management Committee will be expanded to include several representatives of the Parent community, as well as other key stakeholders to reconstitute the School Advisory Committee. Due to its relatively small size, Ipswich West Special School is not entitled to a Deputy Administrator, but has recently received notification that it will be eligible for a Head of Curriculum (Band 4) Position in 2005. It is seen that the 0.4 FTE non-contact time allocated to this position will be extremely beneficial to the further implementation of a consistent approach to Curriculum and the Literacy Strategy throughout the school. P&C: Ipswich West Special School has a relatively small but active P&C Association. With 5 to 6 parents as regular attendees at monthly meetings, the P&C raises approximately $ 3000 per year to support school operations, especially the maintenance and running costs of the school bus. SCHOOL WORKFORCE: Workforce Composition, Equity and Diversity, Mobility and Welfare During the period 2002 – 2004, the School Workforce of Ipswich West Special School has been marked by considerable inconsistency and many changes. While the staffing level has experienced some fluctuation (9.8 FTE in 2002, 9.0 FTE in 2003, 9.4 FTE in 2004), many positions are fractional and there are a number of Contract positions due to long term leave of several permanent members of staff. Currently, the staff consists of 9 female Teachers and 4 male Teachers. There are also 10 female Teacher Aides. Only 6 members of the teaching staff live within the Ipswich area, with others traveling from as far as Kenmore, Chapel Hill, Indooroopilly and Auchenflower. While most Teacher Aides live within the Ipswich area, some travel from Peak Crossing, Marburg and Belbowrie. Ipswich West Special School is the base for 2 part-time Physiotherapists and 1 part-time Occupational Therapist. The school is serviced by 1 Speech Language Pathologist approximately 1 day per week and a Guidance Officer 1 day per fortnight. The school has entitlement to a full-time Registrar and a full-time Janitor Groundsman. It has 2 female cleaners and employs an Administrative Assistant 3 days per week. Workforce Capability and Flexibility Of the teaching staff, approximately half have certification within the discipline of Special Education. Most teacher aides have achieved a Certificate III or IV in Education Support. All therapists are highly skilled within their discipline. Due to the desire of many members of staff to work in a part-time capacity, the school has significant flexibility in its staffing arrangement, and includes 1.4 FTE Specialist Teachers working with The Visual Arts (0.6), Physical Education (0.4), Music (0.2) and Early Intervention (0.2). A Staff Survey in 2002 revealed that staff had a strong commitment to “the child as the primary focus”. Amongst “the Best Things that happened at Ipswich West Special in 2001”, most people believed that the Introduction of the Arts Program and the development of a “more formalized approach to Behavior Management” were highlights. Most teachers specified that Curriculum should focus upon Life Skills with Functional training in Literacy and Numeracy. Teachers felt that there was a “Lack of Consistent Approach” through out the school, and that “a lot of time was taken up in dealing with behaviour”. No formal work had been undertaken in the development of a Curriculum Framework or a Whole School Literacy Strategy for the school. Similarly, there had been no appreciable start to an investigation of Productive Pedagogy. Learning and Development Approximately 7.5% of the School Grants is allocated to Professional Development and Training. Teachers, Teacher Aides and Therapists are encouraged to identify their own PD needs and are supported to access appropriate training programs. LEARNING STUDENTS AND ACHIEVEMENT: Enrolment, Mobility and Attendance Data: In February 2002, 48 students were enrolled at Ipswich West Special School. In October 2004, there are 45 students enrolled. While the Effective Enrolment has fluctuated, a total of 76 students have been accommodated at Ipswich West Special School during this period. Since February 2002, 16 students have been successfully transitioned to Special Education Units, 12 have moved to other Special Schools (4 have moved to Ipswich Special School to access their Senior Schooling program), and 3 have moved to other states or to Home Schooling. (Only 2 students have moved from Ipswich West Special to Claremont Special School). Demographic Mix and the Social, Economic and Cultural Impact upon the School: There are currently 29 boys and 16 girls enrolled at Ipswich West Special School. 36 of these student live within the Ipswich suburban area. Others travel from as far as Inala, Roadvale, Barellan Point,Harrisville and Lowood. 35 students are eligible for transport assistance. 23 students live with both biological parents. 13 students live with 1 biological parent. 8 students are clients of the Department of Communities and Child Safety. 5 students have an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage. Ascertainment Data: Of the 45 students currently enrolled at Ipswich West Special School, 35 are ascertained as having an Intellectual Impairment commensurate with Level 6. 2 students are ascertained as having an Intellectual Impairment (Level 5). 5 students are ascertained as having an Intellectual Impairment and associated Autistic Spectrum Disorder (level 6). 2 students are ascertained as having ASD (Level 6). 1 student is awaiting ascertainment under the category of Intellectual Impairment and ASD. Student Performance Trends: For students with significant learning difficulties, ‘Performance’ or ‘Achievement’ may not easily be recognized in strictly quantitative terms. While the keeping of Baseline Data and careful Monitoring of Progress is seen as the core business of teachers, it is often the ‘Story behind the Data’ which gives the true indication of Improvement in Student Learning. From quite poor Data captured on the 2001 Parent Satisfaction Survey, the school today enjoys significantly greater approval of its efforts not only to develop academic skills, but also to prepare students for their future within home and community life.