Secondary Placement

Schools As Text Looking At The Whole School

Describe the school in terms of
its demographics, appearance
and resources
The school is located in a low socioeconomic
area, and contains a high percentage of
indigenous students. School attendance rates
are low, but this is due to a range of complex
factors. There are many different programs
set up to cater for all the students. There is
even a program where learning hubs take
place at locations outside of school, and some
teachers even conduct home visits to
students who refuse to or are unable to go to
school. While talking to other teachers, it
appears to me that the school used to be
even worse than what it is at the moment,
and at the moment, it appears that the school
is still quite rough. So the school is
progressing for the better, but is still not yet
there. On a lighter note, the administration is
very welcoming, for each and every day
while I was at the school. The teachers also
made me feel very welcomed, and they were
really easy to get along with. The library also
is full of resources for both students and
teachers. They happily allowed me to use the
photocopier whenever I needed to, and even
provided help using it.
What were the roles of
responsibilities of the teaching
staff you observed?
The teaching staff comprises of the main
teachers, specialised teachers, relief teachers,
and education assistants. Some of the
responsibilities of these educators include:
teaching and guiding children, touching base
with parents if needed, constructing lesson
plans, organising excursions, and
maintaining a general duty of care over their
students. Relief teachers, in particularly, are
responsible for the temporary replacement
of absent teachers. They may be given a
lesson plan, or may in fact have no idea of
what stage the class is at. Education
assistants, on the other hand, are there to
help teachers out who have children with
disabilities or behaviour issues. From
personal experience, they do indeed lighten
the load from teachers.
What did you observe non-
teaching staff doing to support
teaching and learning in the
school?
The non-teaching staff includes the principal,
deputy principal, administration, volunteers,
the nurse, and youth workers. These staff
have varied responsibilities, and each helps
Secondary Placement
out the teaching staff in different ways. The
principal and deputy principal are
responsible for finances, the employment
(and dismissal) of staff, and the general
management, operations, and business of the
school. Administration roles include dealing
with parents, sorting out student enrolments,
and plenty of other duties. There are many
volunteers who help out, including other
prac students and even just members from
the community who want to help out. These
volunteers really do lighten the load of
teachers, who already have high workloads.
They do so by helping with marking, helping
with individual students, helping students
with classroom tasks, and also by taking
small groups to work on activities. The nurse
helps with and cares for students who are
unwell, and the youth workers helps out with
particular students who need that extra
assistance with schooling or even in regards
to personal issues. This school really has
plenty of support from a large non-teaching
staff set.


Students

You will have observed the
diverse nature of your classes.
How was this diversity
supported?
The school is separated into year levels, and
then into different programs. There are
about four programs that cater for all
students, and in each program there are
different streams for the different
capabilities and behaviour of the students.
Those students with a diagnosed condition
or behaviour issue are provided with an
education assistant, or someone with an
equal qualification. However, those that are
not diagnosed but that still have learning
difficulties are not provided with much extra
support. Even support from some parents is
hard to come by! So the school has to make
the most out of what they are provided with.
It is also worthy to note that funding has a
very large influence in this.


Function of Schools

Secondary Placement
Did you observe the connection
of your schools with the broader
community? How did this
happen?
Yes, I did observe the connection of the
school with the broader community.
Evidence of this includes: work experience,
vocational training, apprenticeship courses,
different programs set up with community
partnerships and/or sponsorships, and even
excursions to the outer community. The
school also has a great partnership with the
local Tafe and Universities, which allows the
students for a smooth transition between
school and future/higher education.
What do you think the function of
school is?
I think that the function of the school is to
give students the basic and essential
knowledge and needs for life. Fundamentally,
school is shaping children for the real
world. Hence, we must instill values in them
teaching them what is bad, and what is
good. After all, we want the children of the
future to be active, informed, and educated
citizens, in order for them to make careful
and wise decisions. We want to provide them
with as many opportunities as we can, so
that they can make the best out of life and
their future, since once they are out of
school, there is no longer that added extra
support for them to rely on.