MacKillop Education Geelong is a Foundation to Year
12 campus with a capacity of 80 enrolments. Class sizes
are a maximum of eight students, with a Key Teacher and
Education Support assigned to each classroom. Our staff
are trained in trauma-informed practice and Therapeutic
Crisis Intervention and have ongoing professional
development in all areas of learning and teaching,
targeted interventions and wellbeing support.
We work in partnership with guardians and
carers and recognise the importance of a holistic
approach to education. Staff work collaboratively
as an inter-disciplinary team, utilising our ReLATE
education model to enhance the educational and
wellbeing outcomes of our students.
At the school,
we provide targeted and personalised learning experiences
for students, all of whom have their own Individual
Education Plan and Safety Plan. Supporting students to
return to mainstream education is a high priority; however,
there is no limit to the amount of time a student can be
enrolled at MacKillop Education Geelong. Student progress
and transition goals are discussed with students,
guardians and host schools at quarterly Student
Support Group Meetings.
It is also recognised that a return to a mainstream school may not be in the best interests of some students and we offer the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) for senior students who wish to complete their secondary school studies at MacKillop.
As
a result of our commitment to ensure consistent
classroom staff, structured break times and minimal
transitions between classes, our days are slightly
different to a mainstream school. The primary program
runs Monday to Thursdays, between 9 and 2pm and on
Fridays between 9 and 12:15pm. The secondary program
runs Monday to Thursdays, between 9 and 2pm. The VCAL
program runs Monday, Tuesday and Thursday between 9
and 2pm, with Vocational Education and Training (VET)
and/or Structured Workplace Learning (SWL) on a Wednesday
and/or Friday. VCAL students can also access VET Kitchen
Operations onsite, in our Hospitality Centre, or a
range of alternative VET courses through our partnership
with the Joseph Innovation Trade Training Centre.
In2School: Supporting students to return to school
The term ‘school refusal’ defines a child-motivated refusal to attend school or difficulties attending classes or remaining in school for an entire day. To support these students, our Geelong campus implements the In2School project, a three-phase intervention program that supports students over a six-month period to return to school via a ‘transitional’ classroom. The program is highly successful with an 80% return to school rate.
The Bitter Sweet Café is part of a VCAL project aimed at supporting local students aged 12-17 who are disengaged, or at risk of disengaging from school.
Following the success of the MacKillop Café Project in 2018, students at MacKillop Education Geelong went mobile and established a pop-up soup kitchen to give back to the community.
Find out more about our schools, or contact us to organise a tour