The national data collection on students with disability reinforces the existing obligations that schools have towards students under the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005. It counts the number of students who are supported under these obligations based on the professional judgement of teachers and their understanding and knowledge of their students. The Standards require that all Australian schools ensure that students with disability are able to access and participate in education on the same basis as students without disability.

Under the Standards, all schools are required to make or provide 'reasonable adjustments' for students where necessary to enable their access and participation.  This includes all students with or without a ‘diagnosed’ disability.  Therefore, even if your child does not have a specified disability, they may still need adjustments to access their learning. Every student has needs whether it is formally diagnosed or not. Adjustments of some kind are required by most students.  Adjustments reflect the assessed individual needs of the student.

Adjustments

• Can be made in both the classroom and whole-school settings as well as at individual student level.
• Will be provided in a timely and sensitive manner, protecting the privacy and the dignity of the student at all times.
• May be permanent or temporary depending on the nature of the disability and the needs of the individual.
• The level and nature of the adjustment may also change over time. However, it may not be necessary for a student to repeat the processes of seeking the same adjustments for an ongoing condition, e.g. format of learning materials
• May take many forms. e.g following a medical action plan, modifications to lessons, extra time to complete work, specific individual programs.

The Standards also require that reasonable adjustments are provided in consultation with the student and/or their associates; for most students, this means their parents and carers. Therefore classroom teachers will contact parents if we believe that a child receives adjustments and are therefore part of the collection of data. The Standards recognise that not all students with disability are alike. Students with disability have specific needs, including the type and level of support they need in order to access and participate in all aspects of education on the same basis as students without disability

The national data collection on students with disability acknowledges the work already undertaken in our school to support students with a disability. It assists schools to identify and to support students with disability so they can access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers. 

At SJV adjustment data is collected through a child's Personal Plan. More information about the collection of data can be found: FAQ or FACT SHEET

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