Building Inclusive Classrooms

Building Inclusive Classrooms (BIC) is a strategy of additional specialist teaching personnel (Learning Support Coordinators), professional learning and support to schools across the public school system.

Overview

The BIC strategy is designed to support schools in the development of inclusive school cultures. It also facilitates the development of teaching and learning environments which are responsive to the needs of students with disabilities and learning difficulties.

This initiative aims to provide adequate and appropriate support to teachers in meeting the educational needs through:

• providing Learning Support Coordinators in schools.
• supporting the Learning Support Coordinators through the professional learning framework.
• realignment of Inclusive Education Teams to districts.
• operating in conjunction with programs such as Schools Plus and Speech and Language to support school communities.

Background

The BIC strategy was developed to:

• meet the needs identified by teachers in the following report: Pathways to the Future: A Report of the Review of Educational Services for Students with Disabilities in Government Schools 2004 [PDF 560kb].
• align with the Curriculum framework and support the existing structures and good practice in schools such as the Students at Educational Risk strategy and Getting it Right Literacy and Numeracy strategy

Four Principal Consultants for Inclusive Education were appointed in mid 2004 to develop and implement the strategy across all public schools. Their intial focus was to develop a model for the allocation of Learning Support Coordinators and the development of the professional learning framework.

The Principal Consultants for Inclusive Education have responsibility for the provision of the ongoing professional learning program to Learning Support Coordinators as well as on-going leadership, guidance and support for District Inclusive Education teams.

Outcomes

• Support for the development of inclusive school cultures.
• Teaching and learning communities are more confident in supporting the learning needs of students with disabilities as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1992.
• Improved educational outcomes for students with disabilities

Budget

The Government allocated $39.9 million over four years to implement the recommendations stemming from the Pathways to the Future: A Report of the Review of Educational Services for Students with Disabilities in Government Schools 2004 [PDF 560kb].

More than half the funds have been allocated to the BIC strategy and more than $20 million will go directly into schools in the form of additional full-time-equivalent Learning Support Coordinators and the associated professional learning program.