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Building begins on new $9 million school on landmark day for special needs education

Friday, 28 October 2011

Education Minister Martin Dixon today kicked off construction at the $9.1 million Hume Valley Special School in Broadmeadows, where he also launched a new nation-leading resource for students with disabilities.

Mr Dixon said the Abilities Based Learning and Education Support (ABLES) program would provide Victorian teachers with a comprehensive set of tools to help them teach students with special needs.

The new resource, which will be provided to all Victorian schools, will help teachers identify students with intellectual disabilities and provide them with specialised teaching strategies designed to lift student achievement.

"Today is a significant day in special needs education in Victoria," Mr Dixon said.

"Not only do we have a brand new $9 million school going up but we have a new classroom resource to help teachers identify how well an individual student is performing and what teachers can do to help them improve.

"The Victorian Coalition Government has listened to parents of special needs students and is taking action in this area, which was overlooked in the past.

"I am confident this new resource will have a big impact on lifting the achievement of students in Victoria's special and mainstream schools."

Mr Dixon, who was joined by Member for Northern Metropolitan Region Craig Ondarchie, said the new Hume Valley Special School, due to open in 2014, would provide a huge boost for special education in Melbourne's northern suburbs.

"Hume Valley students will have a state-of-the-art school that is designed to give them the best possible learning environment," Mr Dixon said.

The Victorian Government committed $9 million towards a replacement school in the 2011/12 state budget and the school community provided $113,000, which will go towards a horticultural facility, sheds and playground equipment.

Northern Metropolitan MP Craig Ondarchie, a well-known visitor to the school and supporter of Principal Dianne Basset's work, said this was a fantastic day for the school and the ABLES initiative would enhance skill development of teachers to assist Victorian children of all abilities.

Mr Ondarchie said the new school would have a range of features including open-plan classrooms, a performing arts area, food technology area and an arts space.

The school's recently completed gymnasium will also be extended to include the independent living and eLearning centres.

"These new facilities are designed to help special needs students get the most out of their time at school," Mr Ondarchie said.

"At the new independent living centre the students will learn how to prepare meals, use household appliances and how to do household chores."

The Victorian Government committed $60.3 million towards capital works for special and autistic schools across the state in the 2011/12 State Budget – the biggest single-year investment in over a decade.

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