Disability Inclusion Funding and Support

Tier 2 funding use case studies

Case study 1 – Medium regional primary school

School profile

Medium-sized regional school located in the Loddon Campaspe Area in North Western Victoria.

The school has 225 enrolments with 36 students receiving adjustments due to disability and 15 students eligible for funding under the Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD).

Tier 2 funding overview

From 2022 onwards, the school will receive about $115,000 in each school year.

Examples of how this school can use Tier 2 funding include:

• engaging staff in relevant professional learning such as Inclusive Classrooms courses and modules, Disability Standards for Education training, workforce training on diversity, or autism-specific courses
• increasing a teacher’s time fraction to provide extra support with reading, writing and self-care skills
• engaging an external speech pathologist to develop a social communication program and training, so that teachers can deliver the program and monitor progress
• enabling more intensive transition programs (for example, up to 10 weeks) to ensure a successful start to secondary school, such as supported visits to the secondary school, reciprocal visits to the primary/secondary school by teaching and education support staff and input from any professionals involved.

Case study 2 – Large outer metropolitan secondary school

School profile

Large-sized outer metropolitan school in the Bayside Peninsula Area in South Eastern Victoria.

The school has 1,800 enrolments with 190 students receiving adjustments due to disability and 35 students eligible for PSD funding.

Tier 2 funding overview

From 2022 onwards, the school will receive about $450,000 in each school year.

Using funding to improve capacity and adjustments

Examples of how this school can use Tier 2 funding include:

• improving school-wide data literacy skills to support identification of students with disability needs
• funding casual relief teaching, to enable teachers to undertake professional learning to enhance their inclusive education knowledge
• appointing an inclusion learning specialist to build the capability of school staff to meet the educational needs of students with disability through coaching, observation and co-teaching
• engaging staff (teachers or allied health, as appropriate) to deliver interventions or programs for small groups, for example, a targeted literacy intervention program, or weekly social skills program
• engaging an occupational therapist to develop sensory profiles, provide advice and training on equipment and technology to support learning for students with autism spectrum disorder, and implement consistent visual supports throughout the school
• review policies, plans and processes for individualised support to ensure alignment with Education for All policy and processes for individualised student planning via student support groups and individual education plans (IEPs)
• support student voice activities.

Case study 3 – Large metropolitan primary school

School profile

Large-sized primary school located in the Barwon Area. The school has 650 enrolments with 110 students receiving adjustments due to disability and 20 students eligible for PSD funding.

Tier 2 funding overview

From 2022 onwards, the schools will receive about $235,000 in each school year.

Examples of how this school can use Tier 2 funding include:

• appointing an inclusion leader role to work with the school’s leadership team to:
  • embed evidence-based inclusive education and human rights obligations into school policies and plans
  • review school processes for student support groups, personalised goal setting and IEPs
  • review school processes for establishing teams to engage in rigorous problem-solving methods to use data to make informed decisions about student need
  • plan and implement a whole-school professional learning program on priority areas of inclusive practices
• prioritising time for teachers and education support staff to work together, and understand learning progress against IEP goals
• engaging a professional with specialist expertise to coach school-based staff on designing interventions and programs for students with disability.

Case study 4 – Small regional primary schools pooling resources

School profiles

Schools have enrolments of 35, 25 and 12 students respectively with 11, 2 and 0 enrolments receiving adjustments due to disability and 3 students across 2 schools eligible for PSD funding.

The schools have chosen to combine their resources to increase their available expenditure options through Tier 2 funding.

Tier 2 funding overview

From 2022 onwards, the schools will receive about $36,000, $22,000 and $13,000 in each school year.

Examples of how this school can use Tier 2 funding include:

• employing an inclusion leader to work across all 3 schools at a 0.4, 0.3 and 0.2 FTE respectively focussed on whole-school inclusive practices
• releasing teaching staff to participate in an inclusion professional learning community that conducts a deep inquiry into student data and planning outcomes for students identified as receiving adjustments through NCCD
• engaging a professional with specialist expertise to provide professional learning focussed on whole-of-classroom inclusive teaching practices and coaching staff on maximising teaching outcomes for students with disability.

Case study 5 – Small regional secondary school

School profile

Small-sized secondary school located in the Mallee Area in North Western Victoria. The school has 245 enrolments with 26 students receiving adjustments due to disability and 9 students eligible for PSD funding.

Tier 2 funding overview

From 2022 onwards, the schools will receive about $130,000 in each school year.

Examples of how this school can use Tier 2 funding include:

• combining Tier 2 funding with equity funding to appoint an inclusion learning specialist to build the capability of school staff through coaching, observation and co-teaching
• engaging staff in professional learning such as Inclusive Classrooms courses, disability standards for education (DSE) training, workforce training on diversity, or autism-specific courses
• engaging staff (teachers or allied health, as appropriate) to deliver interventions or programs for small groups, for example a targeted literacy intervention program, or weekly social skills program
• covering CRT for time release of school-based staff to attend school planning activities in relation to inclusive education and support for students with disability, including attending Disability Inclusion Profile meetings for students identified as requiring Tier 2 support.

Case study 6 – Medium metropolitan secondary school

School profile

Medium-sized secondary school located in outer Eastern Melbourne. The school has 523 enrolments with 118 students receiving adjustments due to disability and 20 students eligible for PSD funding.

Tier 2 funding overview

From 2022 onwards, the schools will receive about $227,000 in each school year.

Examples of how this school can use Tier 2 funding include:

• appointing an inclusion learning specialist to build the capability of school staff through coaching, observation and co-teaching
• engaging staff in professional learning such as Inclusive Classrooms courses, DSE training, workforce training on diversity, autism-specific courses, and/or purchase Graduate Certificate in Education (Learning Difficulties) placement(s) for teacher(s)
• covering CRT replacement to support the participant(s) in completing course and/or assessment requirements
• engaging an external consultant to provide professional learning on an identified student need, for example, curriculum day that focuses on Inclusive Teaching practices and then provides ongoing support/guidance to the school
• enable more intensive transition programs to ensure a successful start to secondary school, such as supported visits to the secondary school, reciprocal visits to the primary/secondary school by teaching and education support staff and input from any professionals involved.

Case study 7 – Specialist school

School profile

Specialist school located in the Barwon Area in South Western Victoria.

The school has 84 enrolments with all students receiving adjustments due to disability and all students eligible for the Program for Students with Disability.

Tier 2 funding overview

From 2022 onwards the school will receive about $27,000 in each school year.

Using funding to improve capacity and adjustments

• Increase a teacher’s time fraction to support the coordination of Disability Inclusion profiles.
• Engage staff (teachers or allied health, as appropriate) to deliver interventions or programs for small groups, for example a targeted literacy intervention program, or weekly social skills program.
• Enable more intensive transition programs to support students transitioning from pre-school to school and school to post-school options.
• Engage staff in relevant professional learning such as Inclusive Classrooms courses and modules, DSE training, workforce training on diversity, or autism-specific courses.