School Profile Practical Placement 2 – EDN2101.

Rhiannon Huston

1. Describe the school in terms of its demographics, appearance and

resources.
 The school I attended for my practical placement is an Independent
Public Secondary School that was built within the past 10 years so is
still quite new to the area.
 It is also the first public secondary school in this particular area and
includes intake from surrounding areas with a similar demographic.
 The area the school is approximately 46 kilometres south of the CBD
and had a population of just below 32,000 (ABS, 2016). The school is
also located close to a shopping centre that many students visit before
and after school.
 The school, being built less than ten years ago, appears to be quite
modern and has fantastic resources such as a modern gym and library
for students to use in and out of class. The departments of English and
HASS are also kept in a clean state and have many student exemplars
within the hallways which creates a bright and lively atmosphere.
 The school also has a range of programs that they offer such as SCSA
developed courses and VET programs. Additionally, they will soon be
offering a program designed specifically for Autistic students and
already provide Education Assistants to aid students struggling in class
due to learning disabilities.

2. What were the roles and responsibilities of the teaching staff you
observed?
 Every staff member had recess, lunch or after school bus duty
throughout the week. Most teachers would have this role 3-5 times per
week.
 All teaching staff had multiple classes they would teach every day. Due
to the time of year I attended (Term 4) some of these classes were
minimised due to the wind down of the year for year 11 students and
most year 12 students were on study break before ATAR or had been
marked as completed if they did General course studies. If factoring in
the year 11 and 12 classes most teachers would have 4-5 classes and
therefore either a completely full timetable or have a DOTT period 4
times per week.
 All teaching staff were responsible for behaviour management of
students and ensuring the students were safe throughout their time at
school.

3. You will have observed the diverse nature of your classes. How was
this diversity supported?

 Some of my classes included students with learning disabilities,

ranging from mild learning disabilities to quite severe learning
disabilities.
School Profile Practical Placement 2 – EDN2101. Rhiannon Huston

 Some students were fortunate and had assistance provided by an

Education Assistant (EA), however not all were able to receive the aid
of an EA.
 As a general rule the students that needed the most assistance were
more likely to have an EA. However, one student in a year 7 class was
non-verbal and so this was difficult to support as a teacher without
someone there to more consistently aid this student when I was
explaining things to the class or other unsure students.
 My mentor teacher encouraged me to support all students, exampling
particular focus with students with special needs and those with greater
knowledge that needed to be pushed further in their work.
 Students in my classes did not seem to be particularly unkind to one
another and bullying did not seem to be an issue in class
School Profile Practical Placement 2 – EDN2101. Rhiannon Huston