Our school values are Building Independence, Building Communication and Building Relationships.
These values were developed with input from staff and families during 2017 and reflected upon in 2019 during the review process. Our values reflect what is important to everyone in our school community.
Coburg SDS believes that every child can learn and every child has the right to a safe and engaging learning environment. All students are supported to develop their own abilities in the area of independence and life skills. Our school looks at learning as a continuous process and a lifelong journey for both students and staff. All students learn in their own way and the team around the learner (teacher, education support, therapy staff) work together to identify the student’s strengths and needs so they can build an educational program suited to the child.
Coburg SDS has a communication policy based on the Communication Bill of Rights which advocates that “all people with a disability of any extent or severity have a basic right to affect, through communication, the conditions of their existence.” Students at Coburg SDS are supported to find their voice through a range of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Visual Supports. They are encouraged to make choices, accept, reject and make comments. Our School has a Student Voice Coordinator who works to embed practices from the Amplify Program which include developing student leadership and student decision making throughout the school as well as building agency in their own learning. Our school has a communication team working towards us becoming a communication accessible school where all members of our community are able to engage in successful interactions by catering to their communication needs.
Coburg SDS believes that having positive relationships enhances the quality of life for our students, their families and the community in which they are engaged. Play based learning in the Early Years helps to build the foundation of the social learning needed to later participate in group activities, projects and community activities. Students learn how to engage the community in a safe and positive way through life skills and health and wellbeing programs. Students have opportunities to engage in our local community through activities which include shopping, Café Coburg, school incursions, swimming, interschool sport and visits to the local library.
