The St Francis Centre and Learning Support

The St Francis Centre is our Learning Support hub, where we provide a safe learning environment for students who may experience challenges beyond those of regular students. The centre is named after St Francis of Assisi, who was regarded as a visionary in his stewardship of the environment and all of God’s creation. The facilities include a home kitchen to provide a welcoming space that fosters independent living skills and skills for life. Café booths and lounges promote collaboration and socialisation and allow for the development hospitality skills. A sensory hut allows for students to experience sensory stimulation, enabling them to interact with and control their environment in a gentle and relaxing way. Additionally, the sensory hut provides a dignified area to de-escalate and self-regulate.

At Irene McCormack Catholic College, we believe every child can grow and learn. We are dedicated to creating an Individual Education Plan (IEP) to support the learning needs of each child.

The St Francis Centre is led by the Head of Learning Support with a small team of Education Assistants who work with students, either individually or in small groups. Where possible, students participate in mainstream classes. The centre operates as a hub, bridging the gap between mainstream learning environments to provide a high level of student support. Staff facilitate individualised learning experiences, including one-to-one functional literacy and numeracy tuition, as well as a range of formative life skills.

We believe in partnership with parents. We work tirelessly to ensure that parents are involved and informed about their child’s learning journey.

The centre is a welcoming space for students, open at both recess and lunch, to support student pastoral needs and facilitate supervised social interaction.

The School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) provides special considerations for students with diagnosed learning disabilities which may include extra working time, rest breaks, access to a scribe or a specific assessment environment. The St Francis Centre provides students with access to these recommended considerations from Year 7.