School: Croxton Specialist School
Partner: Darebin City Council
Croxton Special School in the northern suburbs of Melbourne caters for students from five to eighteen years old with mild intellectual disabilities. The school has seven sub-schools based in local primary and secondary schools and a local TAFE College. The school population is 164 students.
The school works with local businesses to provide its students with appropriate work experience placements. It offers a range of programs to develop students’ self esteem and engagement in their own educational development, and to assist them in finding suitable employment.
The school was involved in an action research paper commissioned by the Department for Victorian Communities, which highlighted the positive outcomes that can occur from providing open employment opportunities for students with a disability.
One of the programs run by the school is in the area of horticulture. The school has established a school community garden, involving eight local families, and has a Certificate II program in Horticulture auspiced by Broadmeadows TAFE. The school’s major partner in the development of a community garden, however, is the Darebin City Council. The school is also working with the Royal Talbot Hospital in renovating old garden areas and providing therapeutic gardens for its patients.
With the money from the Seed Funding Award, the school will be able to expand the program, in partnership with the Darebin City Council and Community House, to cover the maintenance of a number of community gardens. The school will work with the council to train the students in the specific tasks involved in the maintenance and beautification of the gardens. The award funds will go towards the purchase of a number of items of equipment, including a small bus and trailer to transport students and equipment to the various venues.
The students participating in the program will develop a wide range of skills. These will include the safe use of gardening machinery and tools and occupational health and safety skills. It is also anticipated that students will gain such work-related skills and attributes as punctuality, self esteem, customer relations and team work. The success of the program will be evaluated through a variety of measures, including survey data, student destination data and student attendance records.
