Contents
Disability Standards for Education Standards for Education eLearning Course Assisted School Travel Program for Students with Disability NSW Centre for Effective ReadingStudents with a disability
Students with a disability that has no functional impact on the students education are not included in the NCCD.
For example wearing corrective lenses due to mild vision impairment would not warrant a students inclusion in the NCCD.
NCCD
All students with disability who require the provision of adjustment(s) to address the functional impact of the disability under the DDA for 10 weeks or more over a 12 month period. All are included in the NCCD (and only after consultation with student / parent / carer / guardian)
Students receiving adjustments
Students who are receiving educational adjustments made solely for reasons other than disability are not included in the NCCD.
For example adjustments made by schools for student due to frequent absenteeism would not warrant students inclusion in the NCCD.
The NCCD process began in some schools in October 2013 and became the funding model for the non-government education sector for disability loadings for all Diocesan and Congregational schools in 2018. As the approved sector authority, Catholic Schools New South Wales (CSNSW); as part of its quality assurance processes; provides the capacity for schools and dioceses:
- In their data reporting, the capacity to verify and confirm with the Commonwealth the eligibility and evidence that the National Guidelines for the NCCD stipulates
- In their moderation processes, the capacity to access a credible source of information for resources and training workshops that maximizes consistency in decision making and minimizes risk in non-compliance and/or outliers
Schools utilise the NCCD section within the CSNSW Personalised Planning online tool to enter student NCCD information including the disability category, level of adjustment and confirmation of evidence collection for each student that is eligible to be included in the count. In the lead up to the census in August, CSNSW assists in any necessary moderation of adjustment levels.
Principals must also complete the CSNSW Principal NCCD Confirmation within the CSNSW Personalised Planning online tool at the end of the moderation period to verify their school data in preparation for submitting. CSNSW then submits the data drawn from NCCD section within the Personalised Planning online tool on the first Friday in August each year to the Australian Government Department of Education (AGDET) in Canberra, on behalf of Diocesan and Congregational schools in NSW.
The primary source of information regarding the NCCD can be found at the website nccd.edu.au.
This portal was launched by Educational Services Australia (ESA) – a branch of AGDET – in February 2019 and has been established as a ‘one-stop’ resource for all information about the data collection. This new portal also now houses the Disability Standards for Education eLearning Course – refer to this section within the Catholic Schools New South Wales website for more information.
DIOCESAN SCHOOLS:
For further information on the NCCD, Diocesan schools should firstly direct all queries to their Educational Officers in their Diocesan Office for all NCCD matters.
CONGREGATIONAL SCHOOLS:
For further information, contact Kerryn Barnett kerryn.barnett@csnsw.catholic.edu.auÂ
Senior Manager, Diverse Learning | Education Policy
Disability Standards for Education (DSE)
The Disability Standards for Education 2005 (The Standards) clarify the obligations of education and training providers and seek to ensure that students with disability can access and participate in education on the same basis as other students. The Standards were formulated under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and came into effect in August 2005. For more information please see: https://education.gov.au/disability-standards-education
Standards for Education eLearning Course
The Disability Standards for Education (DSE) 2005 – eLearning Course:
- Prior to 16 February 2019, staff in schools accessed the Disability Standards for Education (DSE) E-Learning Course created by the University of Canberra through the University of Canberra portal.
- As of 16 February 2019, the DSE E-Learning Modules are no longer accessible through the University of Canberra and are instead accessible on the new national portal for the NCCD at www.NCCD.edu.au
- Catholic Schools NSW will provide all Dioceses and all Congregational Schools with staff completion lists at the end of each term which have been generated directly from the national portal by ESA.
Instructions
Click here for instructions to access the DSE Course
Background
The Disability Standards for Education 2005 (‘the Standards’) clarify, and make more explicit, the obligations of education providers under the DDA and the rights of people with disability in relation to education.
The Standards provide a framework to ensure that students with disability are able to access and participate in education on the same basis as other students.
The Standards cover:
- Enrolment, parental choice
- Access and participation
- Curriculum development, accreditation and delivery
- Student support services
- Elimination of harassment and victimization
The Standards support consultation, negotiation and collaboration between schools, families and services. Such processes need to maintain the dignity, respect, privacy, and confidentiality of the student/parent and her/his associates.
Assisted School Travel Program for Students with Disability (ASTP)
The Assisted School Travel Program (ASTP) aims to assist eligible students with disabilities to access educational services in both government and non-government schools in New South Wales with a maximum of two funded trips per day.
Transport services are available to students enrolled in government and non-government special schools or in mainstream (regular) schools for students who are mobility dependent.
To be eligible to apply for transport assistance, students enrolled in Catholic schools in NSW must:
- Have a Catholic Schools New South Wales disability confirmation form that confirms the student meets DE established criteria (obtained through your Diocesan Office)
- Be enrolled in the closest appropriate Catholic school to their home, following consideration of educational needs and the impact of travelling distance and time on individual learning programs
- Be assessed as being unable to travel independently
- Have parents and/or carers who have demonstrated in writing their inability to provide or arrange travel for the student either fully or in part and
- Be a permanent resident of New South Wales.
Please contact your school principal in relation to any enquiries and applications for access to the ASTP. You may also contact the Student Special Transport Unit on 131 071 for further information on the Scheme.
For more information, visit the Assisted School Travel Program on the NSW Department of Education website or to APPLY How to apply for assisted school travel.
NSW Centre for Effective Reading (SWDCER)
NSW Centre for Effective Reading
The NSW Centre for Effective Reading is a joint NSW Department of Education and NSW Health initiative.
The Centre provides direct assessment and intervention services for students in rural and remote primary schools who are experiencing complex reading difficulties. The Centre also provides resources and professional learning opportunities for teachers and other key participants, and undertakes research and development in the area of complex reading difficulties.
Assessment Services
Multi-disciplinary teams undertake assessments in four hubs located at Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Manly and Westmead. These teams comprise of specialists, including an educational psychologist, a speech pathologist and a special education teacher.
Intervention Services
Using information gained from assessment, the Centre staff develop a plan for reading intervention in collaboration with the parents/carers and home school. The student’s home school implements the plan for reading intervention under the guidance of the specialist staff from the Centre.
An up to four-week intensive educational clinic is available to those who require it.
Specialist staff from the Centre support the implementation and monitoring of the plan for reading intervention for 12 months. Centre staff use systematic monitoring to ensure prompt action to support students not making expected gains.
Additional support may include:
- making changes to the plan for reading intervention
- accessing an assessment/further assessment and new plan for reading intervention
- attendance at an up to four-week intensive educational clinic with a follow-up school-based intervention plan
Referral to the NSW Centre for Effective Reading
Following discussions with parents, principals from eligible government and non-government schools can refer a student with complex reading difficulties to the Centre for a direct school-based assessment and intervention service. Sector placement panels manage referrals and decisions about allocation of the Centre’s services.
Eligibility
Students eligible to access the assessment and intervention services through the Centre:
- have not responded to reading intervention provided at the student’s home school and
- live and attend a school over 100km from the Sydney metropolitan basin
Referral Process
Eligible schools complete an online referral form to refer students the NSW Centre for Effective Reading. The Department of Education provides all eligible schools with information about the referral process which occurs in Term 2 and Term 4.
When making a referral, schools document previous interventions used to remediate a student’s reading difficulty and provide data about previous interventions and the student’s response.
Referrals from government and non-government schools are forwarded to Disability, Learning and Support, NSW Department of Education.
A state placement panel with representation from senior officers from the NSW Department of Education, the Catholic Schools NSW, the Association of Independent Schools of NSW and NSW Health considers referrals to the Centre.
Referral Decisions
Students referred to the Centre either:
- receive an assessment and school-based intervention service through the Centre; or
- continue on a program delivered in their home school with assistance and support provided through the relevant education sector’s support services
Further information about the Centre can be found at:
http://www.cer.education.nsw.gov.au/about
Disability Discrimination ACT (DDA)
The Commonwealth’s Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) implements Australia’s International human rights obligations under the Convention On the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as obligations relating to non-discrimination under other treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The DDA makes it against the law to treat people unfairly because of a disability.
The Australian Government supports the right of children with disability to have the same educational opportunities as other children. All state and territory education providers, including government and non-government school, must comply with the DDA and the relevant disability discrimination legislation of their state or territory. All education providers must also comply with the Disability Standards for Education 2005.
Further information is available here.