Supported inclusion schools

They are mainstream primary or secondary schools designed to support a higher number of students with a disability than typical mainstream schools. They have facilities that provide additional support for students with a disability, so that all students can use the same learning and play areas.

Additional facilities include sensory areas, accessible play spaces, wider corridors, therapeutic gym equipment and inclusive learning spaces with improved acoustics and lighting.

Supported inclusion schools offer extra emphasis on services and features that support the student's journey from enrolment, for the duration of enrolment, and finally, as students transition to new learning settings. This includes a focus on resources, equipment and technology; curriculum and pedagogy; and the physical environment.

Our designs for supported inclusion schools are not new. We're already using them to make other Victorian public schools more inclusive. We're just taking things to a new level.

Supported inclusion schools mean that more students, regardless of ability, are able to attend their local neighbourhood school while still receiving the support and facilities they require to learn and succeed. These schools are designed to provide mainstream and specialist learning facilities that are accessible to all students at the one location.

All students benefit when young people of various abilities and backgrounds learn together in an inclusive education setting. Benefits to students extend beyond the classroom when they are in an environment that reflects a wide diversity of abilities. Research shows that these inclusive learning settings increase understanding and acceptance of differently-abled peers.

We've designed the additional learning and wellbeing features of supported inclusion schools to benefit all students. They allow greater integration within local neighbourhood schools for children of all abilities, which research shows increases social acceptance and learning outcomes for all. Supported inclusion schools provide a safe learning and social environment for a diverse range of students.

• Riverwalk Primary School (opened 2020)
• Elevation Secondary College (opened 2020)
• Keelonith Primary School (opened 2021)
• Riverbend Primary School (opened 2021)
• Cranbourne West Secondary College (opened 2021)
• Clyde Secondary College (opened 2022)
• Wollert Primary School (opened 2022)
• Quarters Primary School (opening 2023)
• Wollert Secondary College (opening 2023)
• Barrawang Primary School (opening 2023)
• Brookfield Primary School (interim name) (opening 2024)
• Riverdale Secondary School (interim name) (opening 2024)