Students with disability — Reasonable Adjustments Resourcing (RAR)
All state schools are required to make reasonable adjustments to enable students with disability to access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers without disability. Special schools will be provided with a core allocation for every student at the same level as other state schools. Additional teachers and teacher aides will be provided through RAR, based on the reasonable adjustments that are made for students with disability. Schools must use all of the allocations provided through the model, including the Head of Special Education Services (HOSES) position, to support students with disability.
Schools receive a range of resources which can be used to meet the diverse needs of students within the school community, including:
- a core or base allocation of teachers and teacher aides for every student enrolled at the school or attending a special school on temporary attendance
- Investing for Success (I4S) provides funding for every student and additional loadings for students with disability
- Whole School Support – Student Learning Resources (WSS – SLR) which includes guidance officers, learning support and behaviour support teachers for all students, and are allocated based on enrolments.
RAR provides additional teachers and teacher aides to schools to enable them to make reasonable adjustments for students with disability who have been provided with adjustments in the top three Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) adjustments levels.
What are reasonable adjustments?
Adjustments are defined as actions taken to enable students with disability to access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers without disability. A reasonable adjustment is developed in consultation with the student (if appropriate) and/or their parents/carers and takes into account the interests of others at the school.
Accessing and participating on the same basis means that students with disability can have the same, or very similar, range of choices and opportunities for students without disability.
What will not change under RAR?
Some features of the previous students with disability resource allocation model and requirements on schools will not change, including:
- the requirement to make reasonable adjustments and consult students and/or their parents/carers before adjustments are made
- schools must continue to accurately report the NCCD in accordance with the National NCCD Guidelines
- what resources are allocated
- the RAR continues to allocate additional teachers and teacher aides
- Heads of Special Education Services will continue to be allocated if a school or a cluster of schools (Special Education Programs) are allocated two teacher full-time equivalent (FTE) for two consecutive years through RAR
- how resources are allocated
- resources will be provided as a pool to schools and not for individual students
- principals will be responsible for effectively using the pooled resources within their school for students
- resources will be provided based on enrolment FTE
- when resources are allocated
- an indicative allocation will be provided in Term 3 each year and a final allocation provided based on Day 8 (or equivalent) enrolments
- schools can access additional resources for emergent student needs from their regional office.
Which levels of adjustment will attract resourcing?
The NCCD adjustment levels reflect the frequency and intensity of adjustments provided. The highest three NCCD adjustment levels that will attract resourcing are:
- Supplementary — Students receive adjustments supplementary to the strategies and resources already available for all students within the school for particular activities at specific times throughout the week.
- Substantial — Students have substantial support needs, receive essential adjustments and require considerable adult assistance to the usual educational program at most times, on most days.
- Extensive — Students have very high support needs and are provided with extensive targeted measures and sustained levels of intensive support at all times.
Key points – Using the Students with disability RAR
- Schools receive both a core allocation of teachers and teacher aides for students with disability and additional resources to support schools to make reasonable adjustments.
- Resources are not provided to individual students under the model.
- Resources are provided as a pool with principals deciding how best to use them.
- Schools must use all allocations provided under the model to support students with disability.
- Schools must ensure that HOSES and SEPs have sufficient resources to undertake their role and support classroom teachers to make adjustments for students with disability.