Student Services

Dianella Heights Primary School

Dianella Heights Primary School is committed to identifying students at risk and addressing the needs of students as early as possible.

The Student Services Team at Dianella Heights consists of the Deputy Principal – Student Services, Learning Support Coordinator, School Psychologist, Curriculum Coordinator, the school Chaplain and the School Nurse. Under normal circumstances your child will receive three health checks during primary schooling, unless some specific area of need is detected which requires further follow up. In such cases parents will be advised.

Children with learning difficulties or learning disorders, may, with parent approval, be assessed by the School Psychologist. For students who require specific and intensive support, plans are designed to address limited progress in areas of targeted intervention (major modifications may be required). Programs may replace, or where possible, be additional to classroom instruction. These are delivered in small groups or individually. This requires collaboration with external agencies and the development of an Individual Education Plan. Children may have individual education plans or individual behaviour plans developed in partnership with parents to address their needs.

The Student Services Team meets regularly to discuss student referrals and support options for teachers and students, and to coordinate the implementation of our three tier Response to Intervention model.

Response to Intervention

The Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behaviour needs. The process begins with high-quality instruction and universal screening of all children in the general classroom setting. Identified learners are provided with interventions at increasing levels of intensity to accelerate their rate of learning. These services may be provided by a variety of personnel, including teachers, specialists and education assistants.

Progress is closely monitored to assess both the learning rate and level of performance of individual students. Educational decisions about the duration and intensity of interventions are based on each student’s level of progress. The essential components of this approach include:

  • High-quality classroom instruction
  • Ongoing student assessment
  • Targeted teaching and learning adjustments
  • A team approach and ongoing parent consultation and involvement
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