Maryborough Central State School

Maryborough Central State School promotes personal and academic development of all students.

Assistance is facilitated by the Support Teacher: Learning Difficulties (ST:LD), Ms Nieke Groenenberg in a .5 capacity (ie Mondays to Fridays until 12 noon). Currently, the school also employs Ms Nshara Kingston as a second Support Teacher: Learning Difficulties in a .2 capacity (ie Mondays and Wednesdays until noon).

Individual student or small group support in literacy and numeracy may occur in various forms throughout the school year. This support may be provided to students through:

• intervention programs such as Support-a-Reader, Support-a Writer and Support-a-Number
• a process of gathering information about a student to put together an individualised learning support plan for that student, collaboratively planned with class teachers
• intervention programs across the whole school targeting literacy
• Intensive Reading programs in the upper school
• analysis of writing screeners in the early years which may lead to revised classroom strategies and individual support to students
• individual student support with speech language programs after assessment by the Speech Language Pathologist
• closely working together with the Guidance Officer, the School Chaplain, The Special Education Unit, classroom teachers, administration and other support personnel in the school to facilitate the most effective support for individual students.

The school accesses a variety of funding to support students including the following:

• Indigenous Educational Strategic Initiatives Program
• Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme
• Literacy Enhancement Special Programs School Scheme
• Upper School Literacy Grant
• and teacher aide support through the general school grant.

A Special Needs Meeting is held once a fortnight to discuss students' support needs and their progress (ie how students might access the school curriculum most effectively).

Participants at the Special Needs Meeting are the Principal, the Deputy Principal, the Head of Special Education Services, the Support Teacher:Learning Difficulties, a Special Education Teacher, the school's Guidance Officer and Speech Language Pathologist. Class teachers who wish to discuss students from their class also attend.