AddressHampden Specialist School provides Special Education for Primary and Secondary school age students with mild to severe intellectual and other disabilities. It is a two campus school featuring our new P - 4 campus in Terang and year our year 5 - 12 students at our Cobden campus. The School Administration is located at its Cobden campus.
The catchment area encompasses Derrinallum and Mortlake in the north, Garvoc and Nullawarre to the west, Timboon and Port Campbell to the south and Stoneyford to the east and all areas in between. Neighbouring Specialist Schools are located at Warrnambool, Colac and Hamilton.
The schools most distinguishing feature is its Baseroom style of education delivery. In keeping with this style of operation, each campus is located alongside same age regular schools. The P - 5 campus with 19 students, is located next to Terang College P-5. Our Middle Years, 5 - 9 and Later Years 10 - 12 campus with a total of 46 students, is located on the grounds of Cobden Technical School. The towns of Cobden and Terang, in which these campuses are situated, are 24 kilometres apart. The combined enrolment in 2024 is 64.
The Baseroom operation, combined with staff dedication to achieving optimum student outcomes, continues to be the driving force of the school. The school motto the best of Both Worlds in Special education derived from this practice that underpins all aspects of the school. Through the Baseroom style of Curriculum delivery, the objective is to extend the range of educational and social options available to the students who attend Hampden Specialist School. It is also to enable Hampden Specialist School students and those with disabilities enrolled in host schools, to experience success within regular school environments which otherwise would not have been attainable.
These objectives are pursued within a context of respecting and valuing the aims of neighbouring and host schools, and maintaining optimum levels of dignity for students with disabilities in those schools. Hampden Specialist School students have access to teaching staff with Special Education qualifications, teacher assistants and paramedical aides. Physiotherapists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists are employed on a contract needs basis. At Hampden Specialist School each student is offered an individually planned education program (I.L.P.) that is based on the student¿s ability, strengths and interests and the Victorian Curriculum. These I.L.P.s are devised and implemented in consultation with specialists and parents. Parents and guardians are encouraged to work in partnership with teachers in developing positive educational outcomes for their children.
Curriculum is offered in all Victorian Curriculum Strands. Developmental Curriculum and Inquiry Learning is in operation through all levels in the school, as is Hands on Learning. The increased educational and social benefits are already well established at this school.
Specialised programs include Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech Pathology, Swimming, Camps and Rideability. A particular feature of the school is access to a wide range of programs and curriculum areas offered by the host primary and secondary school.
A continuing objective of all Hampden Specialist School operations is to further the aims of education, and in particular, special education across all schools. This is put into practice through sharing of expertise and resources that are unique to our school. It also includes the provision of support to host school students with special needs as part of the regular program at Hampden Specialist School.
The school takes pride in the success of its Literacy and Numeracy programs offered across all levels of the school. These programs are enhanced by the use of increasingly sophisticated Information Technology.
SC1 - Demonstrated highly developed interpersonal skills and communication skills.
SC2 - Demonstrated capability to establish and maintain collaborative relationships between people with disability and their parents and carers, other organisations or agencies and the wider community.
SC3 - Demonstrated understanding of issues facing students with disability and their parents/carers.
SC4 - Experience in building the capacity of others to navigate complex systems.
SC5 - Demonstrated knowledge of the operations of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and/or operations of specialist schools.
Children and young people with disability can require a greater degree of parental or family involvement in their education and care than their peers without disability. Parents and carers of children with disability play several supporting roles, including as advocates and as people who can provide valuable insight into their child¿s specific needs for services such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the broader health and community services system.
The Victorian Government is introducing new NDIS Navigators from 2023 in government specialist schools to provide support to parents and carers to help them navigate and understand the NDIS, enabling them to get the most out of the supports available. They will also provide support to schools, parents and carers to better understand the interface between the education system and the NDIS.
The NDIS Navigator will carry out the following with a high level of autonomy (within broad guidelines), professional leadership and minimal day-to-day direction:
· provide support and advice for parents and carers to build their capacity to understand, advocate for and access appropriate NDIS funded support services available to their children
· develop and maintain relationships with parents, carers, school staff and local services to enable productive working relationships between schools, parents, carers and the NDIS
· support collaborative practices between NDIS funded services and the school including by providing appropriate information, documentation and/or logistical support for approved NDIS-funded therapist on-site visits. (School to edit/amend if they do not allow NDIS therapists to delivery therapy on school site)
· working collaboratively across their school, the NDIS Navigator will support families and carers to resolve issues experienced with the NDIS through appropriate channels.
The NDIS Navigator will not:
· contact the National Disability Insurance Agency or NDIS funded agencies on behalf of families or carers except in limited circumstances, following consultation with the principal
· act as an advocate for families, carers and students in matters that are the responsibility of the school.
The NDIS Navigator role is not a teaching role or a clinical role and is not designed for direct intervention, individual student case management or crisis management. The role will not implement or perform supports and adjustments in schools.
In some circumstances the NDIS Navigator may need to consult with the principal to prioritise families that have more complex needs that require additional support.
Relevant experience in the NDIS, disability, youth or education sectors is desirable but not essential.
Applicants seeking part-time employment are encouraged to apply for any teaching service position and, if they are the successful candidate, request a reduced time fraction. Such requests will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to the operational requirements of the school.
The Department of Education is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, and diversity and inclusion for all. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for roles within the Department. The Department recognises that the provision of family friendly, supportive, safe and harassment free workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work, diversity and safety across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for persons with a disability (see Workplace adjustment guidelines).
Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via *******@education.vic.gov.au
Victorian government schools are child safe environments. Our schools actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all students, and all school staff are committed to protecting students from abuse or harm in the school environment, in accordance with their legal obligations including child safe standards. All schools have a Child Safety Code of Conduct consistent with the department's exemplar available at:
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/child-safe-standards/policy
The department's employees commit to upholding the department's Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. The department's Values complement each school's own values and underpin the behaviours the community expects of Victorian public sector employees, including those who work in Victorian Government Schools. Information on the department values is available at:
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/values-department-vps-school-employees/overview
· Applicants should keep a copy of the position description as it cannot be accessed once the job has closed.
· Candidates are advised that the key selection criteria must be addressed. Visit https://www.careers.vic.gov.au/how-to-apply for guidelines and tips for applying for government positions and addressing key selection criteria.
· All staff employed by the department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
· Successful applicants are subject to a satisfactory criminal record check prior to employment. New department employees are required to meet the cost of the criminal record check.
· If appointed from outside the department, successful applicants will be required to complete a pre-employment health declaration.
· Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
· A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided. Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the department¿s Human Resources website at https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal
· To support the department¿s commitment to its Environmental Management System, department employees are expected to act in an environmentally responsible manner at all times.
