Meeting Diverse Learning Needs
Diverse Learning at Saint Francis Catholic College
Learning Support
Students of all academic abilities are catered for at St Francis Catholic College. All future graduates will leave the College as holistic, liberated, lifelong learners.
Saint Francis Catholic College respects the wide range of academic abilities and interests present in every student population. The College provides a broad range of strategies and support mechanisms to enrich every student’s learning. At St Francis Catholic College, we understand the importance of learning the unique learning profile and history of each student in our care. We do this by developing warm learning relationships with our students, communication with their families, and through comprehensive assessments and data analysis.
To support the unique learning profile of all our students, St Francis Catholic College has a strong collaborative approach amongst teaching and diverse learning staff to:
- support student learning;
- provide a differentiated curriculum;
- implement evidence-based interventions to support student learning;
- provide additional literacy and numeracy support;
- develop individual learning plans; and
- develop modified programmes and adjustments to learning activities where appropriate.
Our Diverse Learning Team at St Francis Catholic College includes two Diverse Learning teachers and six Learning Support Officers who strive to provide a caring, nurturing environment for students. The Diverse Learning Team engenders an inclusive approach to support for students who benefit from additional interventions or support in the classroom. Interventions may be for a few weeks or may be ongoing for those with more complex needs.
Gifted and Talented
St Francis Catholic College recognises the differing needs of those who are in the gifted range of ability. We understand that high-potential students have distinctive learning characteristics that deserve to be fully developed and that these students need to be challenged in their pursuit of excellence.
Many avenues and opportunities exist throughout the College for students to extend themselves and to be challenged in their areas of personal strength and emerging interests.
We apply a systematic framework to identify and provide for students with high academic potential. We then build personalised adjustments that can range from participation in external extension programs and co-curricular activities, advanced differentiation within the classroom, to mentorship and specially designed projects to suit the student’s interests and talents.
St Francis Catholic College also recognises that extra-curricular activities and leadership opportunities, such as debating, the arts, sport and formal student leadership positions, add richness to the learning experience for students of all abilities. As such, these programs form an integral part of our learning enrichment program.