LCS Support Network
At LCS, ensuring our students’ wellbeing is our top priority. To this end, we have created a support network which includes 2 senior first aid officers, a counsellor, a child protection officer, as well as learning support specialists and learning support assistants. Our students also benefit from the support and guidance of our PRIO (Reference Person for Information and Orientation Resources) and our student support team, the Vie Scolaire, which assists students outside of class time.
Our Senior First Aid Officers are qualified nurse who carry out the day-to-day first aid, plan immunisation programs according to NSW government directives, manage the Health Care Plans for students with medical conditions, are also responsible for our students’ health education and ensure that the schools complies with the Health Education Project of the French Ministry of National Education.
The school counsellor and wellbeing officer is available to help students who are referred by parents and/or teachers, older students can self-refer. She works with students of all ages, their families and their teachers, providing valuable support on an individual or small group basis as well as counselling and guidance for students with specific needs. Our counsellor works closely with our learning support specialists in both Primary School and High School.
Our child protection officer implements and follows up on child protection policies. She is also responsible for training staff, and works closely with the school principal to keep the school up-to-date on policies and reporting, making any changes required.
Our school also has several learning support specialists and learning support assistants, whose mission is to facilitate the schooling of children with specific learning needs, be that learning difficulties or the need for more stimulation and bigger challenges. Our learning support specialists are specialist teachers, and they manage individual learning plans and work with students’ teachers to implement adjustments required for certain students. Our learning support assistants are an integral part of our network, and offer one-on-one support to students.
Students with Specific Learning Needs - Which plan?
In the context of an inclusive school, the network of French schools abroad supports including the specific needs of all students, regardless of their nationality, in the different contexts of the French teaching schools registered with the AEFE.
Personalised Education Success Program
The Personalised Education Success Program (PPRE) is aimed at students who, at the end of an education cycle, have not yet mastered certain skills or learned things that are part of the curriculum for that specific cycle. This plan was created to assist students with difficulties through pedagogical support, specialised help or complimentary assistance in order to help the student progress in the corresponding areas. The PPRE was put in place in order to respond to very specific difficulties.
Health Care Plans
Health Care Plans (PAI) are prepared for students with specific medical conditions (asthma, allergies, etc.) The PAIs include precise information concerning the student’s health (treatment, specific diets, emergency procedures, etc.). The PAI is put together with collaboration between the family and treating health practitioner. Families must provide a medical plan indicating how the student should be cared for.
Personal Support Plan
The Personal Support Plan (PAP in French) is a document which describes the official changes and adjustments put in place to support students with specific learning needs. Professional assessments and recommendations are implemented in the Individual Learning Plans. The PAPs are reviewed by a learning support team and then communicated to teachers in order to adapt the student’s education accordingly.
Personalised Schooling Project
The Personalised Schooling Project (PPS in French) concerns students who have physical, sensory, cognitive, psychological or health conditions which the French Departmental Home for Disabled Persons (MDPH) consider to impact on student’s learning and development.
In France, a multidisciplinary evaluation team determines whether there is a need for a PPS based on the student’s assessment by health professionals. If a PPS is required, the team defines the schooling conditions, specifies the pedagogical, educational and practical adjustments to be put in place in order to respond to the student’s needs.
At LCS, the learning support team uses assessments and advice from a number of health professionals to develop the PPS. The school then contacts the MDPH in order to obtain an MDPH notification to approve the PPS. The Individual Plan is then communicated to the student’s teachers who will use this document to adapt the student’s schooling and learning accordingly. These plans assist both students and teachers by providing very specific adjustments and adaptations.
Therapy at School
Speech, language, communication and other therapies are prevalent among school age children. The school supports and encourages collaboration between teachers and therapists to improve the development of these skills in our students. However, due to the increase in student population, the limited room resources available, and to maintain Child Protection protocols, the school is unable to accommodate private therapists on campus and parents are requested to continue therapy for their children in private consulting rooms.
In very extreme circumstances (only to accommodate students with a specific PPS- Projet personnalisé de scolarisation), where consultation in private consulting rooms is not in the best interest of the student, and with authorisation from the school, the school will make arrangements for a private therapist to work with the student and teachers in-school as required and in keeping with obligations to students under the national Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) and Disability Standards for Education 2005.
Diagnosis
LCS offers a number of support systems to help students in their education. At some point, however, the school may need a specialist’s opinion or a medical check-up in order to provide the student with appropriate assistance. If the teacher asks the family for an external assessment, LCS may pay subsidise up to AUD 400 to cover this assessment (or the entire amount for families with the French government grant). An invoice of $400 must be made out to LCS, and the remainder of the invoice made out to the family. This subsidy is available only once during a student’s education at Lycée Condorcet and only when a medical assessment is requested by the educational team.
Anti-bullying at LCS
Following the initial anti-bullying training provided by Mr. Bellon on September 24 and 25, 2018, a Wellbeing unit was set up at LCS. The unit is made up of 10 members ready to intervene quickly, if an incident occurs, applying the Shared Concern Method which is derived from the Pikas Method. The Shared Concern Method is known to resolve approximately 80% of conflicts through its non-blaming approach, the immediate action taken and the rigorous follow-up interviews carried out by the team. If you know of or suspect a case of bullying, you should immediately inform the school by emailing: wellbeing@condorcet.com.au