Tips to set children with disability up for the best transition into school

Starting primary or high school can be daunting for any child and family.

But there are added complexities when it comes to students with disability, especially if they are going to be attending a mainstream school.

From learning how to navigate new spaces, explaining disabilities to teachers and students and seeking funding for classroom support, the hurdles may at times seem insurmountable.

There might also be trepidation on the school side, concerned they do not have the resources to create a fully-inclusive environment.

Not every transition goes perfectly, but with good planning and two-way communication, families and schools say it is more than possible to set children with disability up for success.

This is their advice.

Tips for parents

• Talk to your child

This is the best place to start, Children and Young People with Disability Australia CEO Skye Kakoschke-Moore says.

"Talk to them about … 'what does a good day at school look like for you? What are some of your strengths? What are the things that you really enjoy doing?'" she says.

"Hear directly from the young person about what a good education would look and feel like for them."

• Open dialogue with the school

You can then take that to the school and into conversations with staff, Ms Kakoschke-Moore says.

"You're entitled to do that under the Disability Standards for Education and … you can talk about what kind of adjustments or accommodations the school could make to ensure the classroom is a really inclusive place," Ms Kakoschke-Moore says.

"It's the child's right to access an education, and so parents and caregivers and children should really feel empowered to speak up about what it is that they need." 

• Be proactive

Fiona Gould epitomises this tip.

Her son Archie, 7, is blind and lives with a hearing impairment and cerebral palsy, so starting at a mainstream school two years ago was a big task.

One year before Archie was due to start, Ms Gould took it upon herself to do several things, including interview staff about what they could do for her son, make a video to show them how much he was capable of, and write a letter to students and parents to share his story.

She also made herself available in the playground, classroom and at drop-off time for parents and students to approach her with questions about Archie.

They are among the many reasons Archie is loved and thriving at that school.

"Don't be scared to go to the school and give them information … they need to know everything," Ms Gould says.

"It's about having that positivity and solution focus of working together if there's a [roadblock]. Having that transparent, open, collaborative, holistic approach is really important."

• Understand things might take time

Ms Gould says it's important to realise that even the most comprehensive transition plans might not click perfectly into place overnight.

"The school will not know everything to do with your child [right away]," she says.

"It's easy to get highly emotional when you're talking about your children because you're trying to prove they deserve to be at this school.

"But just remember that the school community may have never had a child like your child."

• Build independence outside the classroom

This is one that can sometimes be forgotten.

Gavy Culey, 12, was born with hearing loss and cerebral palsy, and is moving into high school next year.

Gavy's family and support team are making sure he's familiar with his high school grounds and staff members, can get the bus independently and read timetables.

His father Ross hopes the extra preparation around smaller things will help take the pressure off adapting to some of the larger aspects of the transition.

"Our hope is that when Gavy arrives at high school, he'll be good to go," Mr Culey says.

Tips for schools

• Get to know the student and their family

Julie Torney, principal of Narraweena Public School in Sydney's north, says this is the "number one thing".

It's even more important if the student has higher support requirements, she says.

"[It's] so we have mutual trust, so we can work together to best support that child. We have to meet and talk so we can use a curious mindset to work out how to solve problems," she says. 

Ms Torney says other important initial steps include determining the student's accessibility needs and staffing arrangements, such as whether extra staff from the state education department will be required.

If a student is leaving your school for another one, passing that information onto them can really help.

Mr Culey says teachers from Gavy's primary school have regularly met with staff at his high school, allowing them to pass on expertise in how to work with Gavy and adapt class materials for him.

• Try to get on top of things early

Kristie Goldthorp, principal of Gerringong Public School on the south coast of NSW, says ensuring the right resources are in place from the get-go is critical.

"Regardless of [whether] we're talking about transitions from preschool to Year 1 or Year 6 to Year 7, it actually sets them up for a really successful time at school," she says.

"If that transition starts off bumpy … often it will tell a story going through."

• Throw assumptions out the window

Many students with disability perform well academically.

Ms Kakoschke-Moore says you shouldn't assume that a child is unable to do something solely because they have a disability.

"Those kinds of assumptions are dangerous and really feed into low expectations of young people with disability," she says.

"As a country, that's something that we really need to do more to overcome."

• Understand every transition will be different

Even if you've had a successful transition with one student with disability, it's no guarantee that same approach will work with another, Ms Torney says.

"[A tailored approach] is extremely important," she says.

"We need to determine a child's specific needs in order to work out exactly what we need to do differently so that they can come and make the most of all learning opportunities at school."

The ABC is partnering with International Day of People with Disability to recognise the contributions and achievements of the 5.5 million Australians with disability.