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Learning Centres are a small-group educational program offering a targeted-to-intensive level of service intervention for government students.
Learning Centre programs are for students whose complex behavioural, social and emotional needs can’t be met in regular classrooms. They are an option for excluded students to continue their education.
Learning centre programs can be up to a 10-week placement. They can start at any time during the school year.
Students remain enrolled at their regular school for the duration of the placement.
Eligibility
To be placed at a Learning Centre and have a program developed for them, students must be:
- enrolled in a government school
- under exclusion from school for 4 to 10 weeks
- from reception to the age of 16 (compulsory school age).
Referral
When a student is excluded from school, the school must recommend an educational program for them. Placement at a Learning Centre is one of the options available to schools.
Students’ home schools will make the referrals in consultation with parents or caregivers.
Learning Centre programs
Each student’s program is personalised based on their assessed educational and developmental needs.
Students will be placed at 1 of the 3 metropolitan Learning Centres. This is usually the centre closest to their home school.
The Learning Centre staff to student ratio is 1 to 5. Each teacher acts as a case manager for a maximum 5 assigned students. Students will usually be placed in a class of 10, with 2 teachers per class.
Learning Centres keep in constant contact with students’ home schools. This partnership supports schools’ understanding of the successful strategies that promote growth in educational and developmental areas.
Students attend the Learning Centre program during normal school hours. The program follows the normal school calendar.
Programs include support for:
- literacy
- numeracy
- social and emotional wellbeing.
