Planning for Personalised Learning and Support: A National Resource

Edited on January 13, 2023

Schools have responsibility for maximising the learning outcomes and wellbeing of all students and for providing access to a high-quality education that is free from discrimination. All children are entitled to quality education experiences. Students should feel that they are included in an environment of high expectation where they are both able and enabled to learn.

At the core of inclusive education is the human right to education for all, which is pronounced in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 (UNESCO). This resource supports inclusive education.

Inclusive education means that all students are welcomed by their school in age-appropriate settings and are supported to learn, contribute, and participate in all aspects of school. Inclusive education is about how schools are developed and designed, including classrooms, programs, and activities so that all students learn and participate together. To create an inclusive environment, changes and modifications may need to be made to help a student or group of students participate on the same basis as other students. The changes or modifications made will reflect the assessed individual needs of the student and can be made in both the classroom and whole school setting.

Modifications are often referred to as adjustments to meet individual needs. Adjustments can be made to a range of areas to support an individual student, including but not limited to the way that teaching and learning is provided, changes to the classroom or school environment, the way that students’ progress and achievements are assessed and reported to parents, the provision of personal care and planning to meet individual needs, as well as professional learning for teachers and support staff.

The legal responsibilities of educators who work with students with disability are outlined in the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (the Standards). The Standards seek to ensure that students with disability can access and participate in education on the same basis as other students. The Standards were formulated under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA). The Standards clarify and elaborate the legal obligations of all education providers to students with disability under the DDA. The Standards also set out how education is to be made accessible to students with disability to enable them to participate in education on the same basis as students without disability, including the provision of ‘reasonable adjustment’ where necessary to enable this.

The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008) is a commitment to action in education and was agreed to by all Education Ministers. It states that all young Australians should be successful learners. For this to be achieved, educators need to provide personalised learning that aims to fulfil the diverse capabilities of each student.

Schools demonstrate respect and support for the learning, strengths and needs of students from diverse, linguistic, cultural, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Effective teachers plan how to best respond to the needs and interests of their students.