The Pavilion is an educational setting for young people within the Northern Metropolitan Region who are disengaged from education and/or training. Whilst all Pavilion students are enrolled at Charles – La Trobe College they attend the Pavilion settings which are located off the school site in East Preston(Darebin) and Mill Park (City of Whittlesea). The school is designed as a transition and/or re-integration centre for young people of secondary school age who wish to access educational support that is tailored to meet individual needs. There is a small staff team at the Pavilion that consists of student wellbeing and teachers and students attend in small classes of 8 – 12. 

The Pavilion provides a holistic approach to each young person’s needs, offering an intensive literacy, numeracy and personal development programme. Social work support is provided to each student which can include counselling, advice as well as referral and educational pathways support. The Pavilion staff provide a flexible, individualised form of education that maintains a strict adherence to both the Victorian Essential Learning Strands as well as the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning.

Why was the Pavilion established?

The Pavilion was established as a result of an identified need in the Northern Region to provide an alternative to mainstream school.  After consultation with schools and community groups, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development began planning a programme for students who had already disengaged from mainstream school and who were having difficulty transitioning to TAFE and other accredited programs.  This acknowledged the fact that many students have complex needs and require a more supportive and individualised educational programme.

 What is the aim of the Pavilion?

The Pavilion aims to re-engage young people who are currently disengaged from any form of education, by providing students with a relevant and individually tailored education programme. This programme meets the educational standards of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development in Victoria.The Pavilion aims to provide students with a learning environment that is supportive and productive. Pavilion staff achieve this by creating and maintaining an environment that is conducive to psychosocial rehabilitation so that the ‘whole’ young person can develop safely. Teachers and support staff primarily seek to create and maintain a positive environment by following a student-centred approach that is consistent and reliable whilst adhering to the fundamental principles of unconditional positive regard, respect, honesty and empathy.

The Pavilion aims to provide its students with the opportunity to enhance their education in tandem with their social development and to negotiate their transition into further education, employment or training at their own pace.  The Pavilion staff value the importance of setting high academic expectations which are both realistic and challenging in order to offer all students equal education opportunities.

Enrolment

The Pavilion programme starts with students meeting individually with teachers and student wellbeing staff over a 2-3 week period. During this time, students and staff will design an Individual Learning Plan and make agreements and commitments towards fulfilling each Individual Learning Plan. Students also engage in formal assessment procedures in order to successfully design a targeted Literacy and Numeracy programme. Upon completion of the intake process, students are brought into group classes.

Our Classes

The Pavilion is structured so that students will attend between two and three classes per week, each class lasting for two hours. Within each class, students are provided with a ratio of no more than six students to one staff memberin order to ensure appropriate and intensive support is provided. The classes within the Pavilion are structured so that the absolute focus of the programme is Literacy, Numeracy, Personal Development and Work Related Skills. The structure of each class involves students commencing with a group discussion known as Circle Time in which students negotiate learning outcomes and set personal and academic goals for a particular class. During this time students are also reminded of the importance of respect and productivity in the classroom and they are asked to make a commitment to these values whilst in class. Homework is optional but many students choose to continue working on projects at home.

Elective Program

Further to this, the Pavilion conducts weekly electives which rotate each term in order to provide students, who are able and willing, to participate in a more complete timetable with multiple interest areas. The electives each year are jointly decided upon by staff and students. Regular electives include; art, dance, film, gym, boxing, photography, girls’ self-defence, horticulture, information and communication technology, drug and alcohol education, mental health awareness and anger management. Students are also invited to take part in the VCE elective program which offers a range of Unit 1 subjects such as English, English Literature, Legal Studies and Health and Human Development.

An important component of the Pavilion timetable is the ongoing elective that provides students with the opportunity to work with Evolve at Typo Station. Evolve at Typo Station designstailored programmes, in consultation with the Pavilion, to assist young people to re-engage in education, provide personal development skills and help to develop transition pathways to employment.

Timetable

While the smaller and more intensive hours offered at the Pavilion would not be normally considered a full time programme, the Pavilion creates a full time timetable for its students by organising external services and educational programmes for each student, and importantly negotiated by each student.  Pavilion staff and students work together to create a timetable that is suitable to each student’s particular needs.  For some students this might mean being linked to another accredited educational program, while for others the aim is to link them to part time work or to welfare and support agencies. It is important to note that some students present at the Pavilion completely disengaged from education, health and support services. Staff, combined with community partners, will then endeavour to create an individual timetable that caters for each individual’s needs.

Enrolment Process

• Referral:

Student self-refers or is referred by a family member, case worker or significant other by submitting an expression of interest form by fax or online.

• Intake Process:  

Prospective students will meet with the coordinator, administration staff or student wellbeing staff member to discuss suitability for the programme. Over several meetings information is gathered regarding the student’s needs and an enrolment form is given to student. An Individual Learning Plan that consists of a negotiated curriculum, assessment and reporting process and contractual agreements regarding participation, transition and behaviour is developed.

Engagement Process

Staff work collaboratively with students in the creation of an Individual Learning Plan. Staff support students to reach their personal goals and assist students with transition to desired pathways if necessary.Both the student and staff negotiate the appropriate pace at which to integrate the student into a suitably matched, small learning group that will support their personal, social and academic development. 

For further information please contact Jo-Anne Gleeson.

T 03 9404 8800 or gleeson.joanne.n@edumail.vic.gov.au