Students enrolled at Ashfield Public School come from diverse social, religious, cultural, geographic and family backgrounds. They are of many identities, have many particular circumstances, and many abilities. Represented in our school population, for example, are students who:
- learn English as their second or additional language
- are newly arrived in Australia
- are in out-of-home care
- are refugees
- benefit from targeted emotional and behavioural support
- have medical conditions
- have learning difficulties
- experience a cognitive or physical disability
- are First Nations
- are gifted and talented
- identify as gender diverse
Delivering an education that supports the complexity of our student population depends on well-trained and knowledgeable teachers, Student Learning Support Officers and school leaders who have the capacity to engage diversity. It is essential for school staff to be trained with a repertoire of skills and pedagogical approaches. They must have the mindsets and attitudes to understand how the identities, circumstances, needs, and abilities of each student impact on learning and engagement.
We set up our school with systems and practices to create a whole school culture of inclusion that enables all students to access and participate in learning alongside their similar-aged peers. We offer flexible learning options which involve modifying the curriculum with accommodations and adjustments to physical resources, teaching programs, teaching strategies and materials, staffing, and timetables. These options are responsive to student need with the accommodations and adjustments being made for student cohorts and individual students as necessary and appropriate.
Our school also has differentiated strategies to promote positive behaviour and engagement. For students who are challenged by the social aspect of school and don’t feel included with a sense of belonging, we offer targeted support. Our approach to wellbeing sets a whole school expectation of respect and support for the uniqueness of everyone. Our approach is based on the understanding that positive behaviour and engagement enables diversity to thrive through productive and respectful partnerships.
An inclusive education is about attaining school excellence through implementing research and evidence-based practices that are proven to work best to improve student educational outcomes. These are, high expectations, differentiation, explicit teaching, effective student feedback, use of data to inform practice, assessment, classroom management, student wellbeing and collaborative teaching practices.
The expected outcome of an inclusive education is that each student is motivated and capable to access their learning, and that each student feels valued, and confident, to actively participate. The success of an inclusive education can be measured by the positivity and progress of each individual and their feeling of sense worth and achievement.
Geoff Masters (2023) Building a world class learning system. Insights from some top-performing school systems
education.qld.gov.au/students/inclusive-education
european-agency.org/sites/default/files/inclusive-education-and-classroom-practices_iecp-en.pdf
education.qld.gov.au/student/inclusive-education/Documents/ signposts-for-school-improvement-inclusive-education.pdf