Student Support Services
Academic Support
Sirius College provides a range of services in the Student Support Department across all campuses for students with additional needs and/or who may be experiencing academic difficulties. These services consist of a range of approaches and intervention procedures that are designed to support student needs across any subject area.
Example of learning difficulties students may experience include the following but is not limited to:
- Attention or concentration difficulties
- Comprehension
- Speech/language difficulties
- Expressive difficulties
- Workload management
- Time management
- Study skills
- Extension activities
The intervention process is developed with a team approach that ensures specific goals are designed to meet the individual needs of every student.
- Supporting students in small groups or 1:1 by the Learning Support Teacher
- Modifying Curriculum and Assessments
- Collaborating with subject teachers and Year Level Coordinators
- Development of Individual Learning Plans which provide achievable goals that can be met each semester
- Speech Therapy
- Hearing or Vision Visiting Teachers
- Collaborating with external services such as Psychologists, Occupational Therapists and Pediatricians
- Study, time-management and organisational workshops
- Integration Aides/Mentors/Tutors support
- Follow-ups
Social & Emotional Support
Professional counselling service is provided at Sirius College to assist students in developing appropriate skills and attitudes and resolving problems in academic, psychological, emotional, and/or social contexts. At Sirius College, counselling is performed within the framework of the whole school community, involving staff and parents as required. The counselling services at Sirius College are not limited to students. Staff and parents are also encouraged to access support from counsellors when necessary.
At Sirius College, the school counsellor will help students who may be struggling with:
- Bullying
- Academic pressure/high expectations
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Parental divorce or separation
- Grief
- Social Skills
- Peer pressure
- Body image issues
- Sibling rivalry
- Perfectionism
- Trauma
- Self-harm and Suicidal ideation
- Drug and/or alcohol
- Physical/sexual abuse
- Mood disorders
- Friendship issues
- Racism, tolerance and acceptance
Referrals
Referrals may be made in one of five ways :
- Principal/ Deputy Principal/ Coordinators/ Classroom Teacher
- Self-referral by the student
- Parent
- External Agencies
- Counsellor referrals
Therapies and Intervention
In dealing with a student, the school counsellor will provide recognised interventions. These may include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), family, narrative and play therapy, and solution-focused approaches. In many cases, the applied intervention will be a blend of approaches that focus on supportive, short-term, problem-centred outcomes. Interventions may also include the provision of psychometric/psychological assessments (e.g.cognitive, behavioural, academic, and emotional). However, given the significant amount of time required for the administration, interpretation, and reporting of such assessments, parents will generally be advised that private psychologists should carry them out. The School Counsellor may provide the names of suitable practitioners to parents if requested.
Staff at Sirius College ensure that appropriate steps are taken when providing additional support for students. Parents' consent and involvement in the intervention process are at the highest importance and privacy and confidentiality.
To find out more about the range of support and services Sirius College can provide your child with, please contact the relevant campus Student Support Coordinator.