Woden School to expand to year 11 and 12

Submitted by Andrew Barr on 14 May, 2010 - 10:39

The Woden School will expand to include year 11 from 2011 and years 11 and 12 from 2012.

I am pleased to announce the School, which currently caters for 84 students in years 7 to 10 with mild to severe special needs, will now expand to cater for students in their college years.

The expansion is part of the ACT Government’s commitment to improve services, access and educational opportunities for students in the ACT with special needs, a key recommendation of the Review of Special Education in the ACT conducted by Professor Tony Shaddock last year.

Expanding the school will not only avoid some students making the transition to another college to complete year 11 and 12, but with the majority of current year 10 students at the school living on the south-side of Canberra, it will allow them to continue to attend a school closer to home, reducing transport costs for parents.

The need to expand The Woden School was evident, with enrolments continuing to grow at Black Mountain School.

Student numbers at Black Mountain School have increased from 83 in 2004 to 109 in 2010. Students transitioning from The Woden School to Black Mountain School to complete year 11 and 12 are also putting further pressure on the school.

Parents of students at The Woden School, have also indicated their interest in the school expanding to cater for college years, to avoid an extra transition for some students.

From 2011, students with moderate to profound disabilities will be able to continue their education at The Woden School, while students with mild disabilities would transition to disability education programs in mainstream colleges, as usual.

A working party has been established to develop an implementation strategy for the expansion, including the principals of The Woden and Black Mountain Schools and consultation has also occurred with The Woden School Board and staff at the school, as well as other key stakeholders.

It is expected the cost of the expansion will be minimal as The Woden School already has the facilities and infrastructure to cater for the additional year levels. I am pleased to announce the expansion as part of the ACT Government’s continued investment in special education in the ACT.