Bayside SDS is a specialist school for approximately 65 students located in the South Eastern Victoria Region.  The school has established a positive and engaging learning environment for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities ranging in age from 4.8 to 18 years.  Many students have additional diagnoses including Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and emotional regulation difficulties.  A highly successful Early Education program operates for pre-school children with additional needs.

The school prides itself in maintaining an atmosphere of warmth and encouragement, and the consistently high results in both staff and parent opinion surveys substantiate this claim.  The staff consists of teachers, teacher assistants, specialists, and a therapy team.  The differentiated curriculum is delivered individually and in small groups and is designed to maximise the development of skills in communication, engagement, and social interaction.

The school practises the Positive Classroom Management Strategies approach across all year levels and supports staff to complete training in this approach.

SC1    Demonstrated knowledge of the relevant curriculum, including the capacity to incorporate the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills. Demonstrated capacity to respond to student learning needs.

SC2    Demonstrated capacity to implement high impact teaching strategies, guided by how students learn, and evaluate the impact of learning and teaching programs on student learning growth. 

SC3    Demonstrated capacity to monitor and assess student learning. Demonstrated capacity to use data to inform teaching practice and to provide feedback on student learning growth and achievement to students and parents.

SC4    Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills. Demonstrated capacity to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with students, parents, colleagues and the broader school community to support student learning, wellbeing and engagement.    

SC5    Demonstrated behaviours and attitudes consistent with Department values. Demonstrated capacity to reflect upon practice and engage in professional learning to continually improve the quality of teaching.