Providing Education and Training for At Risk ... - Victoria University

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• a work placement (one day per week).Students are attracted to the Program because of the work experience and because they “didn’thave to do some subjects (eg. science)”. This is the first year of the program and of the 65students who applied, 27 were selected. The criteria used for selection was:• the extent to which students showed interest in the Program and had parent support;• recommendations from year level coordinators.The Program is based on values of relevance, caring, trust and raising self-esteem. A smallteam of teachers was selected for the program through a call for expressions of interest. Theywere selected on the basis of their demonstration of these values in their teaching and willingnessto be flexible in the context of the teaching team. These attributes are important to the studentswho feel more comfortable with the small team of staff, and appreciate the relevance of theProgram content to their work placements and lives generally.Although the program is in its early stages, the staff are clear about the purpose and directionof the Program and the nature of the students they are attempting to accommodate. They teststudents regularly to gauge improvement and encourage students in their achievements. Somestudents have secured part time work as a result of their work placements and the rates ofabsenteeism for this group of students have declined.Curriculum Diversity at Footscray City Secondary CollegeFootscray City is a secondary college of about 1,400 students. It does not see itself as a ‘secondchance’ school, nor as a school which has a mainstreamed provision for ‘at risk’ students norfor adults returning to study. Rather, it has developed over the past decade as a large schoolwith great curriculum and client diversity at VCE level.There are about 600 students in Years 11 and 12, making the school a little ‘top-heavy’, but notsignificantly so. Within the education component of such a large population catering for ‘atrisk’/returning to study students are located strong welfare and community connections. Theseconnections are made by key coordinators such as those for student welfare, VET year leveland the like (there are quite large time allowances for this work).The staff is proud of the atmosphere of the school, and the way students care for the buildingand the grounds. The general attitude toward students is collegiate enough for staff to be ableto talk to students about, and perhaps through, their problems. Students often keep in touchafter leaving the College, which is evidence of good internal relations. There are no uniforms,which helps in the transition to adult students and study.There are also no attendance requirements for VCE, so senior students are free to come and goas their classes determine. However, there is no free day with the timetable that runs fromMonday to Friday. VCE students also have a tutor system, with staff grouped with students ona time-block basis of about one teacher to 15-25 students.The daily times and bells are different for VCE students and Years Seven to Ten with lunchtimesand recesses staggered between these two groups. Separation of these two groups is alsomaintained geographically by the judicious use of the building layout.43
There are VET subjects, of which the school is proud (it was built as a technical school in thelate 1970s), and a diversity within them and the VCE itself. For example outdoor education,information technology, horticulture, media, film and TV, drama, theatre studies and Englishliterature are all popular. Year Ten students often combine VCE subjects with their regularcourse, and many students take a three year VCE. There are no part-time students.The college recognises there are many opportunities within the VCE for students to negotiatetheir studies, such as over CAT requirements, and this could be made more widely known toprospective returning-to-study adults.In 1997, the Student Welfare Coordinator connected with 19 community agencies. Chiefamongst these is the Melbourne City Mission at Footscray, which is the hub of the Communityand Schools Support Program (CASSP). CASSP employs two staff who assist with transitionissues (those returning to school, ‘at risk’ at schools, and support whilst within a school) atFootscray and across the three other local schools involved.There is a steering committee that meets monthly, with a tie-in to JPET and other local agencies,such as those concerned with accommodation, health and family mediation. CASSP providesa place to study (downtown in Footscray) for those who live away from home (includingrefugees), and tutors who will collect students and take them to other agencies as for immediateassistance if needed. In addition, other agency involvement includes the Open Family, whohave a worker in Footscray, and BEAT, which is the only place in the area for 15 to 22 yearolds who are ‘in between school and….’. BEAT can take very challenging Footscray Citystudents and (in two cases in 1997) successfully integrate them into local TAFE.One School – Many Pathways: Hawthorn Secondary CollegeHawthorn Secondary College is a school of 650 students. It is the model school for the SirEdward Dunlop Program that marries the VCE and certain VET in Schools courses (inautomotive, retail, multimedia, desktop publishing and IT). Year ten students are also includedin this program. The program is an ‘umbrella’ for several pathways, involving full and parttimestudies. In addition, there is a breakfast program and a VCE contact ‘program’ of informalbut regular care that links students to a teacher (on an 8:1 ratio) if they are thought to be fallingbehind in their studies. There are also other social supports such as the supply of clothing tothose in need and important extras such as make-up and toiletries. Staff involved in the contactprogram meet twice a week.The school attracts many students into VCE from other public and private schools. (The collegecatchment spans metropolitan Melbourne with two students coming daily from as far away asMaldon and Traralgon). So the traditional student enrolment profile is an inverted pyramid.The year seven cohort (was 45 and now currently about 90) are joined at the end of Year Tenby many students from other schools to the extent there are over 100 in each of years 11 and12. Years Nine and Ten have a closely coordinated pastoral care program with lots of homeschoolcontact to address issues associated with the estimated 30% of students ‘at risk’.Indicators of success are the expansion of Year Seven, plus the ‘contact program’ mentionedabove. Year Ten electives are popular and are available via flexible delivery, which has requiredsome professional development of staff on diverse teaching styles.44
Page 2 and 3: Providing Education and Trainingfor
Page 4 and 5: ForewordThe Commonwealth Government
Page 6 and 7: ContentsForeword 3Acknowledgments 4
Page 8 and 9: Executive SummarySuccessful learnin
Page 10: program leaders (at least) to meet
Page 13 and 14: The major outcome sought from this
Page 15 and 16: Data was entered in categories unde
Page 17 and 18: 2Literature ReviewBenchmark 1995Sub
Page 19 and 20: It is likely that a significant gro
Page 21 and 22: Indeed, these ‘messages’ have b
Page 23 and 24: In this we look at labour market sk
Page 25 and 26: Individuals appear to perform bette
Page 27 and 28: The research literature on ‘alien
Page 29 and 30: ConclusionPathways are notoriously
Page 31 and 32: 3Mapping the FieldThe Stage 1 inter
Page 33 and 34: Wilderness Enhancement Program, ATL
Page 35 and 36: them from progressing or even parti
Page 37 and 38: 4Program ModelsAnumber of the 19 pr
Page 39 and 40: 3. All students are case managed.4.
Page 41 and 42: (i) accommodating student diversity
Page 43: Teachers involved in the course hav
Page 47 and 48: This approach helps the transition
Page 49 and 50: Young people are referred to the pr
Page 51 and 52: to become contributing members of t
Page 53 and 54: Rules are negotiated with the young
Page 55 and 56: 5Characteristics of Programs That W
Page 57 and 58: The review processes that already e
Page 59 and 60: attitude to learning and enhanced s
Page 61 and 62: 6Conclusion and RecommendationsMr G
Page 63 and 64: 2.4 That program activities include
Page 65 and 66: ReferencesACFE Board (1998) Young a
Page 67 and 68: Withers, G. and Batten, M. (1995) P
Page 69 and 70: Successful learning projectsDraft o
Page 71 and 72: Successful learning projects 1998Dr
Page 73 and 74: Program and LocationTarget Group, P
Page 91 and 92: Program and Location- Certificate i
Page 95 and 96:
Program and LocationTarget Group, P
Page 97 and 98:
Page 99 and 100:
Page 101 and 102:
Page 103 and 104:
Program and LocationCambodian Youth
Page 105:
APPENDIX IIICURRICULUM OUTLINE FOR
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