Easter Monday

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Outcry over unfair advantage

From the Sydney Morning Herald

The NSW education minister, Adrian Piccoli, says he will talk to his federal colleagues after revelations that students from an elite Sydney private school were granted a shortcut to the University of sydney.

Six Scots College boys were offered places at the university in 2014 after sitting a 17-week diploma instead of the Higher School Certificate ( HSC )

University staff have reportedly objected to the pilot program on the grounds that it lets students buy their way into courses they might not have qualified for via the HSC. The program was devised by the university’s commercially driven arm Sydney Learning, Fairfax reported.

Piccoli expressed concern about the revelations, saying access to university “should be fair and equitable”.

“Any scheme that gives some students an unfair advantage is unacceptable and I will be discussing this with the federal government, which is responsible for universities,” he said on Monday.

The NSW opposition leader Luke Foley said earlier the program undermined the standing of the Higher School Certificate.

“Revelations that a small number of students from a GPS [private] school can avoid the HSC and sit a fast-tracked diploma to gain access to university will alarm many students and parents,” he told reporters in Sydney.

Scots is continuing the pilot with another 11 boys this year, but the University of Sydney’s academic board has resolved that diploma applicants below the age of 21 would now also need the HSC or an equivalent qualification, Fairfax reported.

The course in question – the Diploma of Tertiary Preparation – is usually aimed at mature-age students who have missed out on the HSC.

Scots students who passed with an average of 65% or more were reportedly guaranteed places in a restricted range of bachelor courses.

Scots principal Ian Lambert said that the diploma was a good alternative for “middle rank” students ill-suited to the HSC, while a university spokesman said it was “an honest attempt to widen access to the university”.

Yeah right!

Graeme Innes says 'appalling' cage practice not one-off, calls for inquiry on education of children with disabilities

From the Brisbane Times

In the wake of revelations an autistic Canberra student was confined in a cage-like structure, former disability discrimination commissioner Graeme Innes says such abuses are widespread and has called for a broad inquiry into the treatment of children with disabilities in the nation's schools.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten immediately backed Mr Innes' call, declaring: "we cannot assume this is a one off case".

Mr Innes, who served as the nation's disability discrimination commissioner from 2005 until last year, said such "appalling" incidents were not confined to the ACT. Mr Innes believes that incidents like the one recently reported about in the ACT are not isolated.

Mr Innes believes that an inquiry needs to be held into the treatment of disabled children. He said he had no strong view on who should conduct an inquiry. While school systems are state-based, much of the funding to support students with disabilities is provided by the Commonwealth. 

Mr Shorten said he strongly supported an inquiry, which could be conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission.

"We need to hear the voice of parents of children with disabilities as well as schools and teachers in such an inquiry," Mr Shorten said. "Schools and teachers are stretched and often without the knowledge or resources they need. Our schools and teachers need greater support when it comes to understanding children with challenging behaviours."

"Parents of children with disabilities are often made to feel like trouble-makers because they demand support for their child at school and that's just not right," he said.

The Assistant Minister for Social Services Mitch Fifield, who has responsibility for disabilities, said the ACT case was "deeply disturbing." He said in March the government had supported the establishment of a senate inquiry into the mistreatment of people with disability which would include both schools and restrictive practices. 

"There will no doubt be lessons from the inquiry for state government arrangements to protect students with disability in their schools. The federal government will also closely consider the work of the inquiry as we development a national safeguards and quality framework for the full NDIS."  

Minister Pyne hides behind his states rights mantra. His spokesperson said predictably: "The Commonwealth doesn't employ any teachers or have any role in managing students," the spokesman said.The spokesman said the Commonwealth was providing record funding to the states and territories for students with a disability, delivering $1.2 billion in 2015 alone and $5.2 billion over the period 2014 - 2017."States and Territories can spend this funding on additional teacher training or other support services for students with a disability, it is a matter for them." 

Sunny Easter

Nice sunny Easter Saturday.

More about the ACT cage scandal

From today's Canberra Times

Autism Asperger ACT manager Susanne Morton said while it was wrong and inappropriate to put a child in a cage, the school might well have thought it was doing the right thing.

"Schools are trying with limited resources and obviously they're getting it wrong sometimes," she said. "Generally I'd say to be cautious and know everything about the case because we have a lot of contact with the schools and they try really hard."

Children with autism often needed a safe place and her organisation worked in schools to set up a "sensory corner" or a chair where they could take time away, she said.

"The fact that they've used fencing might make it seem it was more sinister than what was the intent – it doesn't sound appropriate, it sounds a bit scary," Ms Morton said, but she expected the family would have known about the structure from taking their child to and from school.

Schools were under-resourced and teachers not adequately trained to deal with autism, with one in every 80 children now diagnosed with the condition, she said. 

Children with Disability Australia chief executive Stephanie Gotlib said the group was fielding an increasing number of calls from parents distressed at the treatment of their children.

"We are hearing about incidents of restrictive practices more frequently, including restraints and seclusion," Ms Gotlib said. "It is increasing and it's a clear reflection of a system which is inadequate in meeting the needs of students with a disability. Teachers are stretched to the max. Some of them don't have appropriate training. The system is in crisis."

Children had been locked in "time out" rooms or physically restrained. 

"It is a form of abuse. Would teachers physically restrain a child without a disability?" Ms Gotlib asked.

Those crazy teachers

Good Friday

Lazy Good Friday today. The proverbial has hit the fan since the story of the cage in the ACT school. ( refer previous post) Lots of stories in the press today from other parents with similar experiences. Time for a national approach to supporting autistic children and the teachers who teach them? That is something practical and worthwhile Minister Pyne could do?

Bought some delicious cupcakes today from the Little Cupcake Shop in Eureka St. Possibly the nicest smelling shop in Ballarat!

Hooray 36000 visits!

Only in the ACT

From the Canberra Times

ACT Education has suspended a principal and launched an investigation into how a primary school student with special needs and behavioural issues was placed in a cage-like withdrawal space within a classroom.

The structure used metal pool fencing and measured two by two metres.

It is understood the structure was built specifically for the student, believed to be a boy with autism, on March 10. It was dismantled on March 27, the day after the directorate became aware of it.

Diane Joseph from the ACT Education Directorate said it was an isolated example of very poor decision making. 

"The space was basically a fenced-in structure inside a classroom," she said. 

"It was entirely inappropriate and unacceptable, and the structure has been removed. 

"The decision to erect such a structure raises so many questions.

"This is not how our students should be treated."

The withdrawal space was built for a particular student, but the Directorate conceded it did not know if it had been used for other students.

The investigation will be conducted by someone independent of the ACT Education and Training Directorate.

IPods

With my daughters help and using her Apple laptop I downloaded some new audiobooks that the kids can listen too next term on our iPods. I hope they enjoy the new stories. ( They are quite expensive but I found a few gems which were quite cheap, such as The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and a few others that were very cheap- but none for free!)