ELOUERA SPECIAL SCHOOL

COOTAMUNDRA

Students From Young

With the recent issues facing the Bellhaven School in Young we have been asked a number of times by the media and some parents if the Elouera Special School can take students from Young.  We felt it important to answer these questions.

It must however be said up front that we were sorry to see the loss of Bellhaven, its always sad when services available to people with a disability are lost, they are rarely gained again in the future. 

Can Elouera Take on Students from Young

The answer to this is a simple yes, The Elouera Special School has been advertising on Prime TV including in Young for some time that we have vacancies at our School.  Nothing has changed as a result of the problems faced by Bellhaven. 

We currently have a number of students from Young attending the school and we are happy to discuss with parents the needs of any student with a disability.  Parents have choices that they alone can make, be that sending their child to a Government or non government mainstream school or a special school, that choice remains today for the people in Young, Temora, Harden, Junee and of course Cootamundra. 

Can I Visit the School

Certainly, all parents of prospective students are encouraged to visit our School, see what we do and view our facilities.  Parents need to know as much as they can about choices available and we are keen to ensure you can make this choice confidently.  Just call our Chief Executive Officer Allan Young on 02 6942 6586 and he will make arrangements for you to visit the school and meet the School staff at a mutually agreeable time.

Can you Cater for Severe Disabilities

Yes we can, our School has a number of very high support students now and our staff that have many years experience in providing the best quality of service, two of the staff at the Elouera Special School are in fact the longest service staff in the organisation. 

We only require that a student have a moderate to severe disability to discuss their needs.  The only time we are not able to provide services is when the student presents a clear danger to the staff and other students in the school and all interventions and efforts to reduce this risk have been ineffective.  When the School is at capacity we will place new students on a waiting list. 

Is Elouera Special School Economically Sound

Yes it is, a recent Financial Health Assessment of all Independent Schools placed Elouera Special School in Group 1 which is Financially Viable.  Being part of the larger organisation of Elouera Association we have an economy of scale that assists us remain viable and the ability to use some of our commercial income to increase services in other areas. 

We also have access to the Harold Brady Trust and a more recent significant bequest that gives our organisation significant financial stability.  These grants largely allowed us to build the Harold Brady Building in 2003/04 and to make planned changes in 2011.

How will my Child get to Cootamundra

In all of the towns our students come from they have successfully applied for Taxi Services to and from our school paid for in full by the State Government, its a great service.  Young had been the exception to this as there is a Special School in Young so applications have been knocked back.  For this reason we ran a bus daily from Young to Cootamundra.  With the closure of Belhaven the Taxi Services has become available.   

What are the Facilities Like in Cootamundra

We have an amazing school that is about to get even better.  We have two sections operating, a Junior school and a senior school, each has their own wing of the school and access to many shared resources such as the Library, hall and sound and light room.  We have well equipped class rooms that include the latest in technology including interactive whiteboards and computers.  In 2011 we will be upgrading these facilities even further. 

ELOUERA SPECIAL SCHOOL

SCOTT AVENUE

COOTAMUNDRA NSW AUSTRALIA

PH (02)6942 2064     FAX (02)6942 4464

EMAIL principal@elouera-association.com

ELOUERA SPECIAL SCHOOL 2009 ANNUAL REPORT - FOLLOW THIS LINK