Special Education

At Trinity we aim to infuse the mainstream of daily school life with direct curriculum and personnel support. Working throughout the school across all curriculum areas and most grade levels, this support is not therefore a place but rather an approach to education.

The Mary Rice Special Education Support Centre now provides three education assistants and a full time coordinator to address these support needs as well as providing a flexible physical learning area. In 2003 we will increase the program to provide support for students in Post Compulsory years. In order to do this effectively, the College will employ a full-time secondary teacher to commence in Term 1 next year.

Part of our aim has always been to balance individual educational needs with social goals. This requires that all areas of school life are infused with opportunities for boys with disabilities so that all boys learn about teamwork, leadership and compassion in a variety of settings. Our school Mission statement for example includes the goal that boys become “agents for good in society.”

Developing active programs for boys to learn how to do this includes the Mary Rice Centre support program being both a recipient and provider of support. Agood example has been that of senior boys learning to help and receive help by becoming tutors and advocates within their own school community as part of the Trinity Christian Service program. Belonging, as a contributing member of the community, is an important goal for all boys’ individual programs.

New ventures this year include reaching out into the wider education community (specifically to schools such as Newman College, John XXIII, Corpus Christi and Mercedes) for sporting and social opportunities. So far, indoor soccer, bike riding on the foreshore, ten pin bowling and athletic events with other students have provided the opportunity for educational and social outcomes in a wider range of environments than the school setting. This has strengthened the learning of the boys as they develop their skills and their sense of self. This is very much “learning how to learn”.

All the teachers at Trinity – not just those working in the Mary Rice Centre - are included in the education of boys with disabilities and special education needs. This infusion of professional expertise ensures that individual programs delivered within a social context can achieve the best outcome for each student.