- Committed staff and school community
We are committed to developing programs and classes that supports individual students in achieving their goals and appropriately catering for students with moderate and mild intellectual disabilities
Fairfield High School supports the right of students with disabilities to access mainstream subject areas within the school. This is at the core of our integration policy. The school's philosophy is that, first and foremost, students are part of the FHS community, with all the rights and responsibilities that that entails. Thus, students with disabilities will have their educational needs met by a combination of integrated and specialist classes. Additional support is provided by itinerant support teachers, interpreters and teachers' aides.
Typically, Support Unit classes are smaller to allow for more individual instruction in the core learning areas.
- Opportunity and Transition Programs
Students with disabilities also have the opportunity to participate in Transition Education programs. These programs are designed to facilitate the transition of students with special needs from school to the workplace and/or community living. A major strength of Transition Education is the process of planning an individual program for each student with input from the student, parents/caregivers, school staff, and other personnel as appropriate.
An individual transition program may involve work experience (under the direction of a Job Coach), participation in a TAFE course, and involvement in a range of mainstream subjects.
Students attending the Support Unit come from a wide geographical area. Initially, students are referred by their local school counsellor who can assess their suitability and eligibility. Further enquiries can be directed to the Regional Office of the DET, or to the Special Education staff at Fairfield High School.
