The Western Australian Curriculum provides teachers and supporting staff information to help plan student learning programs, assess student progress and report to parents. The curriculum is established by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA).
Our Lower School program encompasses Years 7 to 9 with a focus on developing independence, resilience and Protective Behaviours, while also building on functional Literacy and Numeracy skills. Students also engage in specialist areas of Design & Technology (Woodwork) and Physical Education.
Focus areas of our Lower School learning areas are:
Literacy and Numeracy
All lower school students participate in literacy and numeracy programs that are designed to meet their individual needs and levels of development inline with the Australian Curriculum.
Students participate in regular assessments to determine their progress in both literacy and numeracy. These assessments provide teaching staff with valuable data that allows them to see what each individual student understands and build on that knowledge to targeted skills and learning outcomes each student needs to develop.
Literacy programs are supported at each student’s developmental level through Soundwaves Spelling, DSF readers and activities and units of work to that will develop basic sentence writing through to more complex tasks such as procedures and persuasive writing.
Numeracy programs are developed and supported using Paul Swan Mathematics Kits. These provide hands-on learning strategies that help our students see and understand mathematics concepts.
Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)
At Kalamunda Secondary Education Support Centre Humanities and Social Sciences cover History and Geography. We plan lessons that are relevant to our students as learners.
History focuses on the local and Perth area. This allows us to make the learning relevant to our students, providing real life opportunity to explore and visit historical places, gaining increased understandings of their importance.
Geography explores mapping skills that are local, and Perth based. Students explore the biomes within Western Australia and will gain an understanding of Australia, states and territories and capital cities.
Learnings include the development of understandings of Aboriginal and Cultural Perspectives. This is supported by two-way teaching with our Cultural Community Liaison Officer (CCLO).
Health & Physical Education
Our Health and Physical education program is delivered by a specialist teacher. Students attend a two-hour lesson each week.
Health focuses on the development of social and emotional skills of our students. This ensures resilience is built, ensuring positive health and well-being, for our students as they move forward through school towards post school options and/or employment. Programs such as Zones of Regulation, Rock and Water, and Social Thinking Skills provide the foundations and strategies students need.
The Physical Education program reflex the modified sporting games students play at our Kalability Carnivals each term. Our special teacher develops skills needed to participate successfully in modified Basketball, Cricket, Soccer and AFL. Students learn the concepts and rules of each modified sport to participate with skill and sportsmanship at each term’s carnival with other students from Education Support Centres and Schools in and around the Perth area.
Design and Technology
With the inclusion of Design and Technologies in the curriculum and a strong national focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics), KSESC introduced a new woodworking room in 2021 which enables students to learn real world skills in a realistic environment.
Students learn about workplace signage, identifying workplace safety and hazards as well as personal protection equipment.
Our D & T workshop provides students a safe environment with a wide variety of tools and machinery, specifically chosen to maximise their learning potential.
Students are encouraged to solve problems, follow simple instructions and complete basic routines to create a variety of projects throughout the year.
Protective Behaviours
Protective Behaviours is a compulsory and important part of the curriculum for our vulnerable students. Students participate in the Circle Program at Kalamunda Secondary education Support Centre. This allows them to develop an understanding of social boundaries, interpersonal relationships, relationship specific and social skills to use at home, school and the wider community that will keep them safe now and in the future.
Staff also plan and deliver protective behaviour lessons to help keep our student safe online. Students look at social media and chat groups, who to accept friends request from and how to avoid people pretending to be someone they are not. This follows on to cyber safety and protecting personal information such as where student live, bank information or when they have their birthday.
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