MacKillop Education Geelong is a Foundation to Year 12 campus with a capacity of 80 enrolments. Class sizes are a maximum of eight students, with a Key Teacher and Education Support assigned to each classroom. Our staff are trained in trauma-informed practice and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention and have ongoing professional development in all areas of learning and teaching, targeted interventions and wellbeing support.
We work in partnership with guardians and carers and recognise the importance of a holistic approach to education. Staff work collaboratively as an inter-disciplinary team, utilising our ReLATE education model to enhance the educational and wellbeing outcomes of our students.
At the school, we provide targeted and personalised learning experiences for students, all of whom have their own Individual Education Plan and Safety Plan. Supporting students to return to mainstream education is a high priority; however, there is no limit to the amount of time a student can be enrolled at MacKillop Education Geelong. Student progress and transition goals are discussed with students, guardians and host schools at quarterly Student Support Group Meetings.
It is also recognised that a return to a mainstream school may not be in the best interests of some students and we offer the Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) for senior students who wish to complete their secondary school studies at MacKillop.
As a result of our commitment to ensure consistent classroom staff, structured break times and minimal transitions between classes, our days are slightly different to a mainstream school.
The VPC program runs Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Students have the choice to participate in one day of VET offsite or onsite with the choice of Cookery or Work Place Skills.
VPC students can also access VET Kitchen
Operations onsite, in our Hospitality Centre, or a
range of alternative VET courses through our partnership
with the Joseph Innovation Trade Training Centre.
The term ‘school refusal’ defines a child-motivated refusal to attend school or difficulties attending classes or remaining in school for an entire day. To support these students, our Geelong campus implements the In2School project, a three-phase intervention program that supports students over a six-month period to return to school via a ‘transitional’ classroom. The program is highly successful with an 80% return to school rate.
The Bitter Sweet Café is part of a VPC project aimed at supporting local students aged 12-17 who are disengaged, or at risk of disengaging from school.
Following the success of the MacKillop Café Project in 2018, students at MacKillop Education Geelong went mobile and established a pop-up soup kitchen to give back to the community.