Gateway School

Gateway School

The Gateway School, part of Roxburgh College, one of Banksia Gardens' community partners, is a flexible learning school.

The Gateway School is a flexible learning school designed to accommodate the educational, behavioural, and the social needs of a young person who cannot be adequately addressed in a mainstream school environment

The Gateway School in conjunction with other service providers, aims to re-engage the young person by providing a holistic support program that explicitly targets key ‘Essential Learning Strands’, leading into the attainment of the:

  • Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC)
  • Victorian Certificate of Education – Vocational Major (VCE-VM)
  • Vocational Education Training (VET) certification

 

The mode of delivery is flexible and staff will work closely with trained counsellors and outreach workers to see that each student has connection to learning that is real and maintained through collaboration and support of the student’s personal, social and academic development.

The Gateway School is auspiced by Roxburgh College. Based on the Pavilion School Model, an alternative setting founded in 2007. Its aim will be to meet the needs of children and adolescents who cannot learn effectively in a traditional school environment and have disengaged from schooling. In the Hume municipality we face a growing number of young people being disengaged and marginalised from government and non-government schools due to the critical circumstances they face such as; financial, physical, psychological and behavioural.
Currently within Hume, young people unable to participate in mainstream education, either by choice or by circumstance would be referred to existing alternative education providers including:

  • St Joseph’s North Melbourne
  • The Pavilion School
  • Coburg Island
  • Sydney Road Community School
  • Kensington Community
  • Harvester Technical College Sunshine

 

The Gateway School provides an accessible option for young people in Hume.

The Gateway School is available only to students who have disengaged from mainstream school for 6 months or longer. It will not be an automatic option for students who misbehave and face expulsion at a mainstream school. These students will need to find a place in another mainstream school. Only in extreme cases, when a young person’s psychological and behavioural issues, including substance use and abuse, depression, and violence are serious enough will the Gateway School be offered as an option.
The Gateway School operates out of Hume City Council Youth Services building, Youth Central at 37 Pearcedale Parade Broadmeadows, creating a partnership that explores the possibility of integrating education opportunities and social/clinical services in one place to facilitate learning.
The Gateway School aims to re-engage young people who are currently disengaged from any form of education, by providing students with a relevant and individually tailored education program. The Gateway School aims to provide students with a learning environment that is supportive and productive and seeks to create literate, numerate and curious learners. The Gateway School staff members achieve this by creating and maintaining an environment that is conducive to psychosocial rehabilitation so that the whole young person can develop safely. Teachers and support staff primarily seek to create and maintain a positive environment by following a student centred approach that is consistent and reliable whilst adhering to the fundamental principles of unconditional positive regard, respect, congruence, sincerity, honesty and empathy.

The Gateway School aims to provide its students with the opportunity to enhance their education in tandem with their social development, and to negotiate their transition into further education, employment or training at their own pace. The Gateway School value the importance of setting high expectations which are both realistic and challenging in order to offer all students equal opportunities.
The Gateway School is structured so that students have a reduced timetable. Students are divided into groups of 15 students and each group has one teacher, one counsellor and one teacher assistant allocated to it. The classes within The Gateway School are structured so that the absolute focus of the program is on Literacy, Numeracy, Personal Development and Work Related Skills. The structure of each class involves students commencing with a group discussion known as Circle Time in which students negotiate learning outcomes and set personal and academic goals for a particular class. During this time teachers use clear, explicit teaching strategies to prepare students for class and to ensure each student has a thorough understanding of what the focus and goals for class are. Students are also reminded of the importance of respect and productivity in the classroom and they are asked to make a commitment to these values whilst in class.

The Gateway School conducts weekly electives which rotate each term in order to provide students, who are willing and able, to participate in a more complete timetable with multiple interest areas. Regular electives include; horticulture, bicycle mechanics, art therapy, drug and alcohol education, mental health awareness and anger management.

While the smaller and more intensive hours offered at The Gateway School would not be normally considered a full time program, The Gateway School creates a full time timetable for its students by organizing external services and educational programs for each student, and importantly negotiated by each student. The Gateway School staff and students work together to create a timetable that is suitable to each student’s particular needs. For some students this might mean being linked to another accredited educational program, while for others the aim is to link them to part time work or to welfare and support agencies. It is important to note that some students present at The Gateway School completely disengaged from education, health and support services. Staff, combined with community partners, will then endeavor to create an individualized timetable to cater for the students needs.

Referral:
Student self-refers or is referred by a family member, case worker or significant other by submitting an expression of interest form online.

Intake Process:
Prospective students will meet with the campus manager, administration staff or student wellbeing staff member to discuss suitability for the program. Over several meetings information is gathered regarding the students needs and an enrolment form is filled out. An Individual Learning Plan that consists of a negotiated curriculum, assessment and reporting process and contractual agreements regarding participation, transition and behaviour is developed.

Staff work collaboratively with students in the creation of a Individual Learning Plan. Staff members support students to reach their personal goals and assist students with transition to desired pathways. Both the student and staff negotiate the appropriate pace at which to integrate the student into a suitable matched, small learning class that will support their personal, social and academic development.