Schools to get all-abilities funding

STATE Minister for Education, Natalie Hutchins, visited Miners Rest Primary School last week to announce a funding program to help schools support all-abilities students.

Through new Disability Inclusion Transition Funding, the State will provide money to schools to use the Disability Inclusion Profile process.

The process aims to help schools and the families of all-abilities students identify needs and strengths and how school could be more accessible for them.

Trained disability inclusion staff work with schools, students, and families to develop the profiles.

Ms Hutchins said this initiative is the largest boost to disability support Victorian schools have seen.

“It will make a difference in classrooms and to kids across the state,” she said.

“This transition funding will enable schools to plan with certainty so they can support more students with disability. We’re supporting more students with disability to get the great education they deserve.”

Miners Rest Primary School’s recent $21.6 million redevelopment has seen the construction of 10 new classrooms, specialist art, music, and food spaces, play areas, a gym and synthetic oval, but the community has been asking for something more.

There have been over 1000 requests to make student Disability Inclusion Profiles.

In this year’s Victorian budget, $1.6 billion was put towards the disability inclusion program in schools, and the most recent funding is expected to be delivered to all State schools by 2025 and support 55,000 students.

Schools within the Central Highlands area are in the second year of participating in the disability inclusion program.