St Mary’s College is committed to an educational model of curriculum excellence, inclusivity and equity for deaf and hard of hearing students. Partnering with quality local schools, St Mary’s students access the full range of Victorian Curriculum subjects and learning experiences as well as a complimentary expanded program designed to remove or reduce gaps and barriers experienced by deaf and hard of hearing students in reaching their potential in each class.
Our flexibly designed deaf program is self-determined by our student’s changing needs and monitored and reviewed over time.
We offer a range of senior secondary options from VCE subjects within our partner schools, VCAL certificate delivered jointly by our partner schools, RTOs and St Mary’s College or a highly individualised senior secondary program focussing on work readiness that is delivered by St Mary’s College Teachers of the Deaf.
Our learning approach
Our tiered approach to educating and supporting our students involves full participation and immersion in our partner school classes to personalised study courses that divides time between mainstream classes and specialist teaching and therapy.
Additional to the Victorian Curriculum, our expanded program offers explicit speech and language therapy and teaching of the Expanded Curriculum for deaf and hard of hearing students. The Expanded Curriculum covers focus areas designed to improve learning outcomes and develop confidence and positive identity in students with hearing loss.
Key focus areas include:
- Literacy
- Receptive and expressive language
- Audiology and listening
- Speech production
- Self-advocacy
- Social and emotional skills
- Careers education.
Our teaching approach
Our deaf and hard of hearing students are supported by an interdisciplinary team of qualified Teachers of the Deaf, Speech Language Therapists and Education Support Staff. Our onsite teams work directly with students who guide and support mainstream teachers and our partner school programs as needed.
Our teaching strategies follow evidenced-based practice, so our approach is supported by scientific research that demonstrates how effective our strategies will be. We teach skills and knowledge based on student understanding and assessments and provide a clear, visible learning sequence.
Learning assessments are an integral part of the educational experience allowing our teachers and therapists to continually assess and review student progress and know exactly what each student needs to help them continually develop, learn and grow.