Welcome to the next issue of Making Every School a Great School, where we will regularly share information with you on the department’s program for modernising and improving schools. We are interested in your feedback on these new facilities and what outcomes they are delivering for your students, teachers and the wider school community. So if you have a story to share we’d love to hear from you.

Western Autistic School going from strength to strength

Thirty years ago Valerie Gill taught six children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the local church hall.

This week Mrs Gill was joined by the Prime Minister Julia Gillard at the official opening of the award-winning Western Autistic School’s new $2 million teaching pool.

Mrs Gill has seen her school grow to teach 260 students, offer accredited training to teachers of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), have a new two and three year old playgroup and an international autism research centre.

“I look around at this beautiful school and I think it’s wonderful – but it did take 30 years to get to here,” Mrs Gill said.

“It’s been an amazing and fabulous journey.

Left: Internal view of the teaching pool. Top right: External view of the teaching pool.
Bottom right: The view from the inside the teaching pool. View more photos in our gallery

“We built this campus from the ground up, the architects worked closely with the teachers to find out what would work for us.

“We knew a pool would be a great addition for the students and teachers alike – and that’s where the Building the Education Revolution funding came in.

“We got our lovely teaching pool. Now, not only the students and teachers can use its great facilities, but we’ll sub-lease it to a swim school for the local community and holiday programs.”

The school is an internationally recognised Centre of Excellence in the Education and Understanding of Students with ASD and it is hoping to expand to teaching swim teachers how to teach students with ASD to swim.

Western Autistic School is also running a major outreach program, which supports staff and students in primary and secondary schools across western Melbourne. It provides support, information and consultancy to around 300 children, their teachers and parents across 150 schools.

Valerie is proud of her school but isn’t going to rest. Next year the school’s intake of 80-100 new preps should bring student numbers up to almost 300. Staff numbers, including teachers and support staff should reach more than 160.

Western Autistic School received $1.95 million under the Primary Schools for the 21st Century element and $125,000 under the National School Pride element of the BER program.

Tell us your story

The Australian Government is delivering historic reform and record funding to Australia's education system. This includes the largest rebuilding and modernisation of schools in Australia’s history with over 23,500 BER projects at almost 9500 schools.

This school’s BER funding is just one part of the investment of more than $423 million for new and upgraded school facilities in western Melbourne.

Further great news for students with disability, their parents, teachers and school communities was the announcement of the Australian Government’s $200 million More Support for Students with Disabilities initiative.

Through the initiative, education authorities in Victoria will receive up to $48 million over three years, for activities which may include the provision of assistive technology to support the teaching and participation of students with disabilities, the development of authorised training centres focussed on the educational needs of students with disabilities and professional learning for teachers and principals to strengthen their ability to assist students with disabilities. For more information about the initiative go to www.deewr.gov.au/schooling/programs/pages/moresupportforswd.aspx.

Nationally to date, the Government has awarded over $1 billion in funding for 288 TTC projects, benefitting over 900 schools across Australia with more than 131 TTCs already built; approximately 2700 schools with chaplain services; almost 2700 schools participating in the Smarter Schools National Partnerships and over half a million new computers installed.

• Do you have a story you’d like to share about your school?
• Tell us how your school’s project has made a difference to students, teachers, parents or people with special needs.
• How is your school community using the new facilities?
• Are there environmental sustainability benefits as a result of your new project?

If you have a project you would like to share, please send the details to ezines@deewr.gov.au.

To read more about the Australian Government’s investment in the future, go to www.deewr.gov.au/ezines.