Review of the Victorian College for the Deaf

Letter from Mr John Dainutis, Area Executive Director Western Melbourne

Dear parents, carers, students, staff and supporters of the Victorian College for the Deaf community,

Well, what a year 2020 turned out to be! Despite what was a very challenging year for all, the Victorian College for the Deaf (VCD) made significant progress against a number of actions and priorities identified to improve student outcomes. Most notably:

Principal recruitment

In February 2020, Marg Tope was appointed as the substantive principal for the Victorian College for the Deaf (VCD). Marg has significant experience in deaf education both nationally and internationally. Some of Marg's previous roles include assistant principal at Kennington Primary School, Bendigo, coordinator of the Bendigo Deaf Facility, Chair of the Victorian Deaf Education Network (VDEN) and Victorian Deaf Education Institute (VDEI) Consulting Deaf Education Practitioner. Marg has already made a strongly positive impact on the education provision, staff and students at VCD and I would like to thank her for guiding the VCD community through this time and in particular, through the period of remote learning.

Delivering high-quality education

VCD has identified and is implementing its approach to delivering high-quality, bilingual/bicultural education for deaf and hard of hearing students through a range of literacy and numeracy interventions using explicit direct instruction and direct instruction which is already having very positive results.

VCD virtual trial

The COVID lockdowns in Term 2 and Term 3, 2020 presented an opportunity to build on the virtual learning experience to include, on a trial-basis, students in regional and rural areas of Victoria. The trial began at the start of Term 4 to include deaf and hard of hearing students online, into the VCD classrooms. Five students from four schools attend daily literacy classes. The classes are for 100 minutes, Monday to Friday.

Strengthening student pathways

The Pathways Coordinator is leading the implementation of the Careers Curriculum Framework across the secondary school, with a 3 years pathways plan co-developed with the Regional Pathways Manager. This work has been supported by the preparation of the VCD specific curriculum, career action plans and provision of VCE Auslan, combining external and internal courses to broaden student experience.

In 2020 VCD launched A Block Bike shop, a hands-on social enterprise enabling students the opportunity to develop employability skills whilst applying knowledge learnt in BMT VET studies, a course that delivers a foundational trade experience a strong pathway for automotive or other traditional trades such as automotive, building and plumbing.

VCD is a member of the Specialist Schools Transition Network and networking with deaf and disability specific organisations.

Establishment of the VCD Review Advisory Group

While the impact of COVID delayed the establishment the VCD Advisory Group, I am pleased to confirm that the Advisory Group has now been established and met twice in 2020. Members of the Advisory Group include Marg Tope, Principal VCD; Liz Levesque, General Manager, VDEI; Natalie Bakai, Acting Senior Education Improvement Leader, Melbourne Maribyrnong Network and Deaf community members Mija Gwyn and Philip Waters. The Advisory Group provides support and guidance to VCD in implementing the recommendations of the VCD Review Report.

Thank you once again for your interest in and support of the Victorian College for the Deaf.

Yours sincerely,

Mr John Dainutis
Area Executive Director
Western Melbourne Area
South Western Victoria
March 2021

Letter from Mr John Dainutis, Area Executive Director Western Melbourne

Dear parents, carers, students, staff and supporters of the Victorian College for the Deaf community,

I would like to thank you once again for your continued interest in and support of the College and our shared vision for its future. I was particularly thrilled to see the success of the Class of 2019 recognised in the Herald Sun for their impressive VCE achievements taking out the highest median study score of 42, and I too would like to congratulate them on their success.

As many of you are aware, the findings of the Victorian College for the Deaf Review were released on Wednesday 4 September 2019 at the Victorian Deaf Education Institute (VDEI). During the event we committed to providing a quarterly update on the progress to the school and broader community. I am pleased to provide you with the following updates.

The Acting Principal has been working closely with the VDEI and the school’s Senior Education Improvement Leader to progress a number of actions and priorities identified to improve student outcomes. Most notably:

Staff development and professional practice

The VDEI has engaged with experts and researchers to identify teaching strategies for developing phonemic awareness in all students, and has provided resource kits and training opportunities to VCD staff to support this.

VCD staff participated in two two-day workshops organised by the VDEI focusing on literacy development and phonological awareness.

Additional support at school

The new Pathways Coordinator, who commenced at the school in Term 3 2019, has developed a Pathways Plan for the next three years, with support from the Region. This work has also included whole-of-pathways network meetings, meetings with agencies, and supporting students and families to identify pathways options for their futures.

The school has also held family information sessions with facilitators of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), providing a range of advice including how to get started with the NDIS and how to review a plan.

The College has also recently appointed a Community Liaison Officer, who will commence in Term 1 2020. This role has been created to:

• connect families and the wider community to the school as well as relationships between families to help create social events for students outside of the school
• facilitate home visits and support families to engage with seeking support through the National Disability Insurance Scheme for their child

Along with many other school staff, the Community Liaison Officer will be a strong Deaf role model for students.

Annual Implementation Plan

The school leadership team has been working closely with the school’s Senior Education Improvement Leader to develop the school’s 2020 Annual Implementation Plan. This plan focuses on three goals:

• Goal 1: To improve students’ language acquisition and communication skills – a consistent school-wide focus and understanding on teaching and learning that supports the skills students need.
• Goal 2: Improve individual students’ learning growth and achievement – the school needs to provide a tailored and targeted approach to teaching and learning for the students at their school.
• Goal 3: To improve and enrich deaf and hard of hearing students’ engagement and wellbeing – the wellbeing of young Deaf and hard of hearing students must be enhanced and supported so they develop their deaf life skills.

Principal recruitment

I am pleased to advise that the recruitment process for the principal role will commence early in Term 1, with the substantive principal starting on day one of Term 2. The position was advertised over the Christmas period for four weeks.

The recruitment panel will consist of the Senior Education Improvement Leader as the Regional representative, School Council President, a parent from school council, a staff representative, and a practising school principal.

Applicants will need to prepare a written application addressing six statewide selection criteria and one local selection criteria developed by school council. The panel will shortlist on the basis of the written applications, conduct interviews and contact referees in making a decision.

Thank you once again for your interest in and support of the Victorian College for the Deaf.

Yours sincerely,

Mr John Dainutis
Area Executive Director
Western Melbourne Area
South Western Victoria
January 2020