Address
Form of workBallarat Specialist School caters for students aged from 3 and 18 years who have a diagnosed intellectual disability ranging from mild to profound. Ballarat Specialist School is a dual-campus K-12 school organised around three stages of learning - Primary School (Ages 5-12), Middle School (Ages 13-15) and Senior School (Ages 16-18). Our Early Learning to Middle School students are accommodated on our main Gillies Street Campus. Our Senior School students are located at our 8.09 hectare FARM Campus in Norman Street. Our current enrolment is approximately 442 students.
Our school's mission is "Achieving Personal Success Together". We strive to enable our students and staff to reach their full potential in a safe, stimulating and flexible learning environment. Our educational programs provide a balanced and personalised curriculum where student achievement is acknowledged and celebrated.
Ballarat Specialist School provides an inclusive and rigorous learning program that challenges and engages students to grow as passionate learners. The school's teaching and learning programs are underpinned by the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, The Victorian Curriculum and the Victorian pathways Certificate. A comprehensive curriculum, with a strong focus on Literacy and Numeracy, is embedded into curriculum maps for each of the three mini-schools within the school. Each curriculum map is designed to meet the learning needs of students at their individual stages of learning. This is supported by Individual Education Plans for all students. Communication is a keystone of all learning and curriculums within the school. The school's pedagogy reflects current research, and best practice is enacted to maximise student learning outcomes. Our teaching and learning programs are anchored in a gradual release of responsibility model to enable our students to become independent and lifelong learners. Through Professional Learning Communities, Ballarat Specialist School teachers invest in the collective application of curriculum, assessment, shared learning, reflection and they engage in inquiry about student work.
Our specialist programs include: Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Physical Education (PE) and Hospitality. The school also operates two cafés open to the public. The Special Treats Café is located at our Gillies St. campus and the FARM Café is located at our Norman street FARM campus. We also have a school based Op shop (Vintage Soul) that operates from our FARM Campus. Through these enterprises, we can offer students pathways to future employment as these school-based work areas and programs are connected to the specific delivery of Certificate II Courses through local TAFE institutes. The courses conducted onsite are Kitchen Operations, Retail, Horticulture, Visual Arts, Sport & Recreation, Retail, and Life skills (Cert I).
Individual Educational Plans (IEP’s) are developed by the Student Support Group, which comprises parents and carers, outside agencies, and school staff. The IEPs are then implemented by school staff, including Classroom Teachers and Classroom Assistants and supported by the Integrated Service Team.
