«Back to previous

Proposed site for future autism school in the west

Wednesday, 14 December 2011

Education Minister Martin Dixon today announced Laverton P-12 College as the preferred site to establish a P-12 school for students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Mr Dixon said the proposed stand-alone school would be located alongside the Laverton P-12 College and less than one kilometre from the Western Autistic P-3 school.

"Identifying the eventual location of the new school will provide the community with a sense of certainty and will allow long-term planning to commence," Mr Dixon said.

Mr Dixon, who last week released the final report of the P-12 Autism Spectrum Disorder Education Provision Review Proposed Options Paper, acknowledged the growing need for autistic education provision in Melbourne's west.

"Western Melbourne is the only metropolitan region that doesn't have a stand-alone P-12 autism school," Mr Dixon said.

"Once completed, the school will bring autism education in Melbourne's west into line with other metropolitan areas."

Mr Dixon said the government had listened to parents during an extensive consultation process and had taken on board the findings of the independent review of autism education provision in the west.

"The timing for construction of the new school will be subject to future budget deliberations. However, this government is committed to improving the quality of education for the state's most vulnerable students," Mr Dixon said.

This year's state budget saw a major funding increase to support students with ASD and the largest single-year capital investment in special and autistic schools in a decade.

Download PDF 64.19 Kb