Testimonial – College Row School, WA, April 2020

College Row School is a special needs school catering for students from Kindergarten to Year 12 with severe and complex disabilities. Students at the school demonstrate a range of challenges including a significant number of students with the potential for demonstrating extreme challenging behaviour.

Over the last 5 years College Row School changed the way it operates and the principles and training of Team Teach has been a pivotal part of this transformation. In this time College Row School has seen a dramatic reduction in challenging behaviours and need for physical intervention along with an increase in active student participation and academic performance. Staff to student ratios have decreased as have staff workers compensation claims. In this time the school has nearly doubled in students numbers as the school has become a school of choice for many families, rather than the only option for children with the most complex needs. Effective implementation of Team Teach, alongside Positive Behaviour Support and Alternative and Augmentative Communication has been key to this change.

Our school engages in annual Team Teach training as a whole school. The benefits of this include common language, expectations and understanding based on current best practice. It also provides opportunity to share and ensure training is grounded in the reality of the context. The balance of theory and practice is excellent and having on site trainers available helps us to ensure training is relevant and physical aspects are only as needed.

Cale Begley
Principal
College Row School, WA