Specialist School Education Support - classroom

Location Profile

Warragul and District Specialist School is situated in the regional town of Warragul in West Gippsland, an hour and a half east of Melbourne. The school commenced the 2026 year with approximately 130 students aged between 5 and 18 years.  All students at the school have an intellectual disability with a large percentage having multiple disabilities including Autism, sensory and physical impairments and associated conditions.  Students travel to the school from a broad geographic area, including Drouin, Neerim District, Yannathan / Poowong, and Trafalgar.

At Warragul and District Specialist School we believe that all students can and will learn, and grow in self-esteem, through fostering a climate of care, dignity and respect, using deliberate positive reinforcement, and recognition of achievement. The school promotes a curriculum that develops skills that its graduates will utilize as adults.  We believe that graduates should be actively involved in work/further education, participate in managing their own homes, and are active participants in their own local community.

The whole school commitment to build teacher capacity and improve student learning outcomes is reflected in the key improvement strategies in the schools Strategic Plan which are:

• To maximise student learning growth .
• To improve student voice and agency.
• To improve the personal and social responsibilities of students.

In 2018 the school reviewed its values in line with the School Wide Positive Behavior Supports initiative. All components of the school community were consulted coming up with 3 v…