Department of Education - Victoria

BULLEEN HEIGHTS SCHOOL PROFILE

 

Effective teaching at Bulleen Heights is the provision of a safe learning environment within which consistency is valued and motivated staff engage, instruct and assess students along a continuum of learning to achieve individual goals.

 

The Bulleen Heights School community is diverse. It includes all those individuals and groups who work in direct and indirect ways, both at our school and in the wider community, to achieve goals and targets outlined in the schools Strategic Plan 2023 - 2026 and our vision and mission statements. The school promotes and upholds the values of: integrity, high professional standards, care and support, and consistency.

 

Bulleen Heights School is a Department of Education (DET) specialist school for students with autism spectrum disorder. Our school currently provides exemplary educational programs for approximately 260 students ranging in age from five to eighteen years. Classes vary in size with staffing reflecting student needs. The school has two campuses: Primary School and Secondary School. Students are in classes based upon a combination of age, developmental level and maturity. Inclusion learning  programs are a feature of students¿ programs and involve local primary and secondary schools. DET contracted buses and taxis transport most of our students to and from the school.

 

Bulleen Heights School is situated across two closely located campuses at Bulleen and Lower Templestowe in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne and approximately 14kms from the city center. Both campuses are in residential areas close to public transport and local community facilities such as the Macedon Square and Bulleen Plaza shopping centers and the Bulleen Library.

 

The school provides excellent teaching programs and learning experiences designed to develop and extend the particular skills and strengths of each student. This is achieved by encouraging decision-making and risk-taking within a structured, predictable and secure environment. Bulleen Heights is committed to providing core teaching and learning programs and supporting students and their families. It looks at both immediate and long-term goals in the belief that all students can learn, achieve success and enjoy adult life as contributing members of a community.

 

Curriculum development and implementation across the school is based on the Victorian Curriculum, providing a framework for planning the whole school curriculum by setting out standards for students to achieve in core areas. This curriculum assists the development of individual learning plans, and assessment and reporting on student achievement and progress. Program delivery, using Applied Behavior Analysis teaching techniques, continues to be an option predominantly for students in our Primary School. Applied Behavior Analysis teaching methodologies are implemented by a team of therapists in this specialist area, in partnership with classroom teachers.  As an accredited senior secondary school students in Year 11 and 12 maybe enrolled in the VPC program offered by the school. 

Specialist programs in Health and Physical Education, STEAM and Visual Arts provide an integrated approach to personalized learning. Our Multidisciplinary Team supports classroom staff in the achievement of exemplary learning outcomes of our students. A psychologist, social worker, occupational therapists, speech therapists, support our extensive educational programs. This team of professionals compliments our educational programs.  The school is closely linked with tertiary and post-graduate students working with the school community to conduct research and complete practicum placements.

 

Partnerships between parents, siblings, past students, local schools, consultants, universities, government and non-government agencies and the local community provide vital contributions to programs. The varied characteristics of our student population demand the implementation of a range of evidence based teaching methodologies. Individual Learning Plans are developed through Student Support Group meetings involving parents/carers, teachers and other appropriate professionals and/or agencies. Teaching and learning takes place within many contexts including the community and is structured to be functional and meaningful. Social, academic, independent living, recreational, behavioral and vocational goals are developed for each student.

More information is available from our website: http://www.bulleenheights.vic.edu.au

SC1    Demonstrated knowledge of the relevant curriculum, including the capacity to incorporate the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills. Demonstrated capacity to respond to student learning needs.

SC2    Demonstrated capacity to implement high impact teaching strategies, guided by how students learn, and evaluate the impact of learning and teaching programs on student learning growth. 

SC3    Demonstrated capacity to monitor and assess student learning. Demonstrated capacity to use data to inform teaching practice and to provide feedback on student learning growth and achievement to students and parents.

SC4    Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated capacity to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with students, parents, colleagues and the broader school community to support student learning, wellbeing and engagement.    

SC5    Demonstrated behaviours and attitudes consistent with Department values. Demonstrated capacity to reflect upon practice and engage in professional learning to continually improve the quality of teaching.