Held back
> The experiences of students with disabilities in
Victorian Schools
This workshop:
• Main findings from the research
• Latest on implementation
• Discussion on lessons across jurisdictions
Who participated?
• Over 1800 people
• Survey: 883 educators, 617 parents and carers and 60
students, plus phone in
• Have a say days: 169 participants in 15 locations
• 38 case studies from parents and educators
Structure of findings
• Compliance with five Disability Standards for Education
• Issues of concern
• Building capacity (includes funding, workforce,
accountability)
Main findings- discrimination
• 56% of parents said their child had been discriminated
against at school
• Half the students had experienced ‘unfair treatment’
• One in four teachers had witnessed discrimination
• In class, playgrounds, excursions and exams
Main findings- discrimination
• Six out of 10 SWD bullied because of disability
• Three times the rate of general student population
• Even higher for some disabilities ( ASD – 70%,
behavioural including ADHD- 80%)
• Includes taunting, shunning and assault
Main findings- participation
• Significant variation in teacher and parent perceptions of
participation
• “partial adjustments”
• 63% of educators said some disabilities harder to
accommodate than others
Main findings- adjustments
Most frequently requested adjustments were:
• integration aides
• specialist therapists
• teacher training and PD
• specialist equipment and materials
Main finding- inconsistency
• Experience depends on which school, which principal
and which teacher- attitudes and practices
• Mixed reviews on SSGs and ILPs from parents and
teachers – appear commitment and practices vary
• One in 4 students who should have an ILP do not
Other issues of concern
• Part time attendance (links to funding)
• Suspension and expulsion (no data collected)
• Use of restraint and seclusion (lack of independent
oversight)
Other issues of concern
• Transport (especially for special schools)
• Transitions (including step down in funding at Yr7)
• Complaints system
Barriers to inclusion
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Parents say- lack of teacher training, time and supports
Educators say lack of funding, support and time
Students say- understand by disability
Barriers amplified for RRR, CALD and ATSI
Leadership and critical mass are vital
Capacity issues- funding
• PSD- rigid eligibility, deficit focussed and complex
process
• Communication with parents about how PSD spent
• Concerns for students not eligible for PSD, especially
when schools already struggling with limited resources
Capacity issues- workforce
• Over half the educators surveyed said did not have the
support, training and resources needed
• 42 % did not know Disability Standards existed
Capacity issues- workforce
• Inadequacy of teacher training courses at universities
• Specific needs of integration aides
• Significant unmet need for speech therapists, OTs etc
Systems issues - accountability
• Leadership and critical mass are what makes the
difference at the school level
• Devolved system
• No existing performance indicators for PSD funding- no
links to educational outcomes
Systems issues - accountability
• Many good things might be happening – but no current
means to measure success (also see VAGO)
• Relies on individual parents and teachers to raise
problems – carry the load for compliance- yet DEECD is
legally liable
• We could use existing systems to improve accountability
without adding an administrative burden
What next?
• 50 recommendations to DEECD, Catholic Ed and
independent schools
• also to DHS, VRQA, VCAA and others
• working with them to implement recommendations
Implementation
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Doing the research built the relationship
High level cross DEECD implementation group
Roll out of training on standards across state
Review of major policies ( eg restraint)
Discussion points
• Are there similar problems in your jurisdiction?
• What activity is happening in each of our jurisdictions?
• How do we link dispute resolution and policy/research
functions to build the evidence base for systems
change?