The first inclusion-focused Community of Practice for educators held at NSW Parliament House received an “overwhelmingly positive” response from those attending.
Launched by Autism Spectrum Australia, it attracted more than 150 school principals and leaders, teachers, education support staff and researchers from NSW Public, Catholic, Independent and University sectors, intended to strengthen the inclusive education environment for autistic students.
The program included practitioner sessions and panel discussions with a keynote from Eliza Tait, deputy premier of the NSW Youth Parliament.
“Listening to the voices of the students and those with lived experience made an impact on the practitioners in the room,” Aspect Education national director Maryanne Gosling told F2L.
“The aim of this initiative was to drive our efforts forward through a collaborative approach where everyone benefits,” she said, adding the response was “overwhelmingly positive”.
Reflecting on the initiative’s launch, Gosling noted: “Initially we wondered can we gather enough evidence-informed, practical examples from current practitioners, will there be interest from every schooling sector and will it be worthwhile? And the answer has been a resounding yes!”
Looking ahead, the focus will concentrate on developing more localised communities across NSW.
“The real strength lies in people coming together in a robust partnership,” Gosling added.
There were some big ideas coming across the line too, such as Aspect’s satellite classes that many in the audience recognised as a “important model”.
It followed an inspiring session on a collaboration between Sydney Catholic Schools and Aspect Sydney South-East School on their successful satellite model. These special programs, within mainstream primary and secondary schools across NSW, are designed to help students with autism integrate into the broader school community.
Welcoming the initiative was Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Early Learning, Greg Warren who said inclusive education was not the responsibility of one school system or sector but “something we must achieve together”.