Support Education
Albion Park High School is home to one of the most comprehensive and dynamic Special Education Units across the region. The Support Unit is designed to meet the needs of up to 80 students who require additional educational support. We have currently have seven Support classes and welcome our eighth class in 2022. Our Support Unit proudly consists of five autism classes, one IO and two IM classes.
Students who are part of our Support Unit will experience reduced class sizes, a Student Learning Support Officer (SLSO) placed in every class, a specialised teacher with knowledge and experience of working alongside students with additional needs. Every student has an Individual Education Plan (IEP) that focuses on the educational goals and social goals of each individual student. The IEP process is completed in a team approach with input from parents, carers, outside agencies and students, which is reviewed each year.
Within our Support Unit, we focus on equipping our students with meaningful and practical life skills that will assist them to move from school-based learning out into a vocational environment within a quickly evolving and often complex world.
At Albion Park High School, we offer and support our students through promoting a selection of programs and learning opportunities such as quality work experience opportunities, involvement in TVET courses, completing the Flagstaff Program, Transition to Work Taster Programs, social skills, travel training, and community access.
We are incredibly fortunate at Albion Park High School to have an amazing group of young men and women who embrace all the opportunities.
Sensory Garden
Students within the Support unit have full access to the mainstream playground and facilities. However, if students wish to sit in a quieter environment and socialise with their peers during lunchtimes, or require a break throughout the day they are provided with the opportunity to attend our school ‘Sensory Garden’. This is a smaller playground area exclusively for students within our Support Unit, which is located near support staff rooms and classrooms. Our sensory garden helps, provide a safe and calming environment to aid in student self-regulation. The use of our sensory garden can help enhance a student’s sense of wellbeing, it incorporates the idea of mindfulness and encourages students to become more aware of their surroundings by exploring their senses.
Sensory Room
To promote sensory stimulation, increase calmness, and ensure students within the Support unit are settled for learning, a wide range of sensory equipment is available for students to borrow during school hours. The use of such equipment allows students to increase their focus on learning and has a profound positive impact on students' well-being.
Community Access
Albion Park High School strives to provide opportunities for students of all ages to develop and strengthen key skills required for success beyond school. In the Support Unit, students are encouraged to undertake real-world experiences known as ‘Community Access’, whereby students are guided and supervised by staff as they undertake everyday life tasks, such as grocery shopping, ordering an item from a local café, or navigating a busy street. Activities such as these allow students to strengthen crucial skills such as confidence within the community, which are essential for adulthood, which is a core goal within the Support Unit.
