Objective

Assess the impact of using the life skills curriculum Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network’s (ASDAN’s) Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) program for students with moderate and severe disability.

Measure of success

Improved student engagement and wellbeing.

All measures

• Wellbeing

• Attendance

• Engagement, achievement and communication

• Sense of fulfilment

• Social skills

• Life skills

• Teacher and parent interviews

Partner schools

• William Rose School
  

External partners

• Dennis Alonzo, UNSW

Overview

Students with intellectual disability at William Rose School have been testing a new approach to completing high school, trialling a UK program designed to improve engagement with school, social and life skills ahead of graduation.

Highly committed staff are working with students and their parents to test the efficacy of the program, from British education charity ASDAN, in the NSW- education context.

28 students are currently participating in the program’s 10 modules, which use a person-centred approach to support students to access the full curriculum in a way that is relevant to them.

Staff hope that if the program is successful, the department can work with NESA to expand it and make it available to students in both mainstream and specialist settings.

Alongside the Disability Strategy team, staff will assess the program’s efficacy as well as its ability to work alongsidein conjunction programs already in place for mainstream students during the latter years of high school.

The project connects with the NSW Government response to the curriculum review, which recommended the department “ensure every student leaves school well-prepared for a lifetime of on-going learning and informed and active citizenship and with knowledge, skills, and attributes that will help equip them for meaningful work and satisfying careers.”