What is the Distance Education Support Unit?
The Distance Education Support Unit (DESU) is a unique state-wide school catering for isolated students with intellectual and multiple disabilities from Pre-school to Year 12. It is part of the NSW Department of Education and Training Distance Education Network and is located at Sir Eric Woodward School.
What does the DESU do?
We provide innovative and flexible individual programs for our students. These are negotiated with parents and, where possible, students. Programs are based on ability level and needs, providing the greatest opportunity for success.
Teachers at the DESU bring special education training and wide-ranging experience, along with shared expertise to the teaching of their students. They work as part of a dynamic team with students, parents, tutors and government and community agencies to address individual learning needs.
Preparing all of our students for the future is a key focus at the DESU. Transition planning enables students to move from school to their next environment. We have an excellent range of resources and technologies available to support optimum learning maximising student potential.
With support from the DESU, students can achieve a Life Skills School Certificate and Higher School Certificate, apply for TAFE delivered Vocational Education and Training courses, participate in work experience and access post-school programs where available. Flexible options are also available for students requiring a mixed mode of life-skills and regular subjects.
What does a tutor do?
The role of the tutor is vital. When students enrol at the DESU, parents and caregivers accept the responsibility to tutor their child and to implement lessons provided by the teacher. Tutors are involved in the planning and reviewing of the student’s program with the teacher. They follow written and verbal instructions provided by the DESU teacher and give valuable feedback about progress in learning. Weekly phone calls are an essential part of assessment and monitoring. As a result, timely adjustments to lessons can continually be made. The commitment of the tutor to working with the student on a 1:1 basis for an agreed amount of time each day is fundamental to the success of the program.
How is the program delivered?
Initial assessment is carried out shortly after enrolment. A home visit is then arranged to identify specific student strengths and needs. In consultation with each student and their family, goals are established and an individual program is developed.
These programs build on the student’s unique strengths and skills and aim to help young people lead a more independent and fulfilling life. Lesson content that is most meaningful and relevant to the needs of each student is taken from the various NSW Board of Studies syllabi. We are committed to ensuring that when students leave the DESU they will be prepared for life in the future.
We use an increasingly broad range of learning experiences to motivate and engage students in their learning. Teachers write highly visual lesson materials specifically for each student. These may be delivered by mail, email, satellite and over the internet. Students can engage in both paper and computer-based activities. Increasingly, we are expanding opportunities for students to interact with their teachers directly, including the use of Webcams over the internet. We are also endeavouring to provide more immediate access to lessons which can be downloaded from the internet where possible.
Tutors come from a variety of backgrounds and educational circumstances. Teachers recognise this in the support that they provide to tutors. Detailed written or verbal instructions guide tutors in implementing lessons. Teachers can be contacted throughout the school day to answer concerns as they arise.
Field trips are generally carried out twice a year for students who live beyond the Sydney metropolitan area or four times a year for students located in Sydney. Teachers usually spend two days each semester or one day each term visiting each family to foster relationships, conduct curriculum-based assessment, teach the student and develop tutor skills and knowledge. A risk assessment and assessment of student circumstances is completed before teachers are able to visit with their students. In keeping with Department of Education and Training regulations for child protection, we must ask that a family member representative is present in the home at all times during a visit from the DESU teacher. Our teachers look forward to field trips and learning more about their students and their families. These visits are a valuable experience for everyone involved.
Who can access DESU services?
Students aged 4 to 18 years who are isolated geographically or by circumstance and have mild, moderate or severe intellectual disabilities may be eligible to enrol at the DESU. (Please note: Students with a mild intellectual disability are not eligible to enrol at the DESU until they are 8 years old and must apply to mainstream distance education schools if they require distance education.) Whilst the primary basis of student enrolment at the DESU is intellectual disability, some of our students have additional disabilities, including physical, vision impairment, hearing impairment. A number of them also live with syndromes and conditions such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Autism.
Students wishing to enrol in the DESU must also meet the criteria for distance education enrolment outlined in the Distance Education Enrolment Guidelines, in one of the following categories:
- Isolated home students
- Students travelling within Australia
- Students temporarily resident or travelling overseas
- Students with a medical condition
- Pregnant students/young parents
- Vocationally talented students
- Students with significant support needs (including mental health conditions, autism, severe disruptive behaviours and school phobia)
- Extraordinary circumstances
All enrolment applications for the DESU need to clearly indicate why the student is prevented from attending a face-to-face educational setting.