The Learning Enrichment staff and teachers work in partnership with families to educate, instruct and guide students to develop independence for learning and essential life skills. Our aim is to encourage boys to accept and value their uniqueness while acknowledging and respecting individual differences in others. We foster the development of personal responsibility for working towards goals and making progress in the academic, social, emotional and spiritual domains. 

The role of the Learning Enrichment Department is to support teachers and students while also coordinating external support service professionals who regularly work with individual students. Boys enrolling at Blackfriars Priory School arrive with different talents, strengths, abilities and specific needs which are required to be addressed. Information regarding the individual student’s learning style, learning strengths, interests and difficulties is collated along with recommendations and accommodations made from previous schools and/ or professionals. This information is then recorded and forwarded to staff to ensure awareness and preparation for successfully adjusting lessons to facilitate student transition and integration. Each year, data relating to the number of students who are receiving adjustments to their learning environment, is collected and forwarded for purposes of the Federal Government Nationally Consistent Collection of Data.

Many students require adjustments to their learning environment, learning goals, lesson delivery or assessment products. Hence, Personalised Plans for Learning (PPL)) are initiated, documented, reviewed and updated as required in collaboration with teachers, families and specialists. The PPL becomes a working document which outlines the specific adjustments a student requires to be successful in developing various learning and life skills. Decisions made during PPL review meetings are acted upon and communicated to all relevant staff to ensure each student has his particular needs known. Occasionally, an Educational, Speech or other assessment is recommended and the Learning Enrichment Coordinator assists the family with recommendations of relevant services.

An important function of the Learning Enrichment staff is the continual liaison with professional agencies such as Autism SA, Novita, Down Syndrome South Australia, psychologists and speech therapists, SASVI and Catholic Education consultants. With their expertise, recommendations are offered to support teachers in the implementation of the strategies required to support the acquisition of skills. The important aim is for skills to be consolidated across the school and home environment. Links are also offered to various teacher professional development opportunities and Parent/Family workshops which promote networking for ideas and resources.

Learning Enrichment staff work with students in the classroom. They endeavour to support the teacher in making appropriate adjustments to suit particular strengths and needs while also providing flexible and varied options to support the student, such as scribing, explicit individual explanation of concepts, assistance with organisation, beginning and completing tasks and monitoring progress.

“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”

Ignacio Estrada Quotes