By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
STUDENTS who used to slum it on a cramped campus are now learning at a $12.5 million state-of-the-art education centre at Springvale Park Special Developmental School.
At their former small Noble Park campus, students were learning to ride bikes in the staff car park and had nowhere to kick a football.
Their new 4.7-hectare digs have winding bike paths around spacious buildings with sun shades, shiny playgrounds and well-grassed hills. The 180 students can also use a warm-water hydrotherapy pool, specialised therapy rooms, library, music room and gymnasium.
School council president Michelle Barnes said the school’s eight-year battle for the campus was “worth it in the end”.
“It’s been a godsend having the space. Our therapists have their own space to work, not in a hall or in the classroom,” she said. “No matter what, we always tried to keep the morale up.”
Ms Barnes has continued to lead the school council two years after her daughter graduated. “It’s like family here, most kids stay here until they’re 18. The school has done so much for our kids that we want to keep helping out.”
At the school’s launch last week, Education Minister Martin Dixon admitted the “beautiful, colourful” school was a project of the previous state government — with the help of almost $1 million raised by Noble Park Lions Club and the school.
He revelled in the numerous handshakes, queries and greetings from students as he toured the school.
“Lots of people have put in hard work for a long time. What it shows is how important special schools are.
“They deserve beautiful buildings and great schools as much as anyone else.”
AUTISM STATUS QUO
EDUCATION Minister Martin Dixon has no plans to loosen restrictions denying students with autism spectrum disorders from getting places at specialist schools or aides in mainstream schools.
Despite lobbying by parents group Change the Criteria for almost a year, this month’s state budget was silent on the matter.
Mr Dixon said the ASD criteria, like all other criteria, were subjective. “We work with parents to come up with a program with the resources we’ve got and for what’s best for the child — that’s the main thing in the end.”
He said funding had increased for students with a disability, plus $40 million was invested in training mainstream teachers to “deal with and recognise students with autism”.
“We want to skill-up as many teachers as possible so they can operate more effectively over the coming years.”
Under the state’s disabilities funding criteria ASD children are excluded if their language skills aren’t ‘two standard deviations below the mean’ and that excludes all but the bottom 2.5 per cent.
Change the Criteria spokeswoman Janeane Baker said better-trained teachers alone wouldn’t be able to give sufficient one-on-one attention for ASD students to “reach their potential”.
“The criteria hasn’t changed from last year. They might think they’re doing the right thing, but they’re not for many, many families.”
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