Port Phillip Specialist School uses a Fully Serviced School model. This unique, holistic approach to service provision has received national and international recognition as a best practice model for schooling children with special needs.

This approach means that a wide-range of educational, medical, paramedical, and mental health services can operate simultaneously in a single environment to maximize each child’s opportunity for learning.

Thus, at the school, a range of services are offered including: Art Therapy, Drama Therapy, Music Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech-language Therapy, behaviour modification, Social Work, Psychology services and parent support programs.

The school also has extensive connections with local health providers who supply services for students attending our school.

Each week a multidisciplinary team meets to discuss students at the school and review each student’s individual program and needs. New services are added when the need arises and resources made available.

INTEGRATED SERVICES

Port Phillip Specialist School uses an Integrated Model of Service Delivery.

When teachers, specialists, and therapists collaborate in an integrated service delivery model, each brings a unique knowledge, including an understanding of the curriculum, materials, and classroom management techniques. The knowledge base of these collaborators is continually evolving as they search for instructional approaches that assist the learning efforts of children with special needs.

The teachers and teacher assistants learn from the specialists and therapists and the therapists and specialists learn from the teachers and teacher assistants. Using this collaborative model ensures that all staff are involved in developing strategies to best help the student with disabilities. It also means that when therapists are not present, then teachers and teacher assistants can provide the program that has been devised in conjunction with the therapists and specialists.

This model ensures that students are learning efficiently more of the time. The model also requires that staff work collaboratively in teams to set appropriate goals, ensure that goals are achieved (as everyone is working toward shared goals), and write appropriate reports. Many of the therapy practices are embedded into the curriculum as part of daily practices.