At St Anthony’s, we believe that every learner is unique, that everyone learns and grows throughout their lives, and that diversity is the norm.
We Respond to Diverse Learning Needs Every Day
Our teachers use data on a daily basis to plan learning and teaching programs that are responsive to the needs of the unique individuals in our learning spaces. Teachers make specific adjustments to support and challenge students. These adjustments can be made to:
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The content - breaking learning down into more achievable steps or setting further challenges
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The process - putting structures and scaffolds in place that set students up for success
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The product - enabling students to demonstrate their understanding in ways that best suit their needs.
When teachers find students having difficulty with an area of learning, they will engage with parents and have access to a process of case management with our Diversity Team and instructional leaders to identify and develop successful, tailored practices for that student. Professional learning is led by our leadership team, instructional coaches and teacher educators from Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese throughout the year to continually develop teachers’ abilities and resources to ensure that every learner experiences quality teaching.
We Put Specific Literacy and Numeracy Interventions in Place When Needed
Our Diversity Team includes specially trained teachers that deliver intervention programs and provide tailored instruction to students who need additional support to develop specific literacy and numeracy concepts. Our intervention programs include:
- Reading Recovery for identified students in Year 1
- Extending Mathematical Understanding
- R3 - Reframing Readers Resourcefully - for identified students in Years 5 and 6.
We Develop Personalised Plans for Students with Additional Learning Needs
Some students will need additional support to maximise their learning success. The class teacher and Diversity Team will collaborate with the parents and student to identify and respond to additional learning needs. This may also involve engagement with other professionals such as pediatricians, educational psychologists, and therapists.
If required, we will develop a personalised plan for a student’s learning. Personalised planning enables us to put specific goals and adjustments in place for students with additional needs and ensure they receive the support they need.