Lake Colac School TheirCare

Lake Colac School is located in the regional town of Colac and provides high-quality curriculum, well-being, and therapy programs for students with special learning needs from Early Education to the year they turn 18.

We span a large catchment area of students from the local district, including the coastal region. All school-age students have a diagnosis of intellectual disability, ranging from mild to profound, whilst many students also have associated social, emotional, sensory, or physical impairments. Around one-third of students are on the autism spectrum. The Early Education Program caters for children 2.8 to 4.8 years of age who present with delays in two more developmental areas. Teachers met in Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) and as Professional Learning Communities (PLC) and are focused on creating a positive school climate and improving their professional practice. We strive to provide differentiated curriculum practices for students with disabilities within and beyond the school into the wider education community. We recently located to a brand new school site in Colac and adopted a new name, Lake Colac School, formerly Colac Specialist School.

LCS offers an Early Education Program (EEP) for children who have a developmental delay. EEP is an educational program which uses the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) and develops and promotes each child’s social and emotional skills through guided play, as well as creative and structured activities. EEP is based around developing skills which promote fine and gross motor co-ordination, language and communication, cognition and self-care.

LCS recognises and values the importance of parents and professionals working collaboratively as partners to achieve the best outcomes for each individual within our care. We promote positive student wellbeing and engagement through implementing a whole school Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum that builds and strengthens students’ personal and social capabilities.

Our school curriculum offers flexibility for teachers to tailor their teaching in ways that provide rigorous, relevant and engaging learning and assessment opportunities for students with an intellectual disability. Individual Learning Plans are provided for every student with the necessary adjustments made in order for students to engage in curriculum content as well as demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding.

The Curriculum taught and assessed from Foundation to Year Ten is the Victorian Curriculum F-10 encompassing the Towards Foundation Level Victorian Curriculum, Levels A-D. Students in their final years of schooling have a managed individual pathways plan and, where applicable, a careers action plan. This includes Enterprise Education, work experience and the Duke of Edinburgh program.

The current student enrolment at LCS is approx. 60 FTE and has 15 EEP children. It prides itself on providing a high-quality education for all students in a safe and secure learning environment, where kids come first. The school has a new Strategic Plan (2023 – 2026) and its Annual Implementation Plan incorporates the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes 2.0 (FISO).