Inadequate funding, outdated class sizes among challenges for children with disability in ACT public schools
In short:
Two Canberra families say their children with disability were failed by the ACT public school system, citing a lack of support and exclusionary practices.
Education leaders acknowledge the sector lacks sufficient resources, with unions and parents calling for urgent funding reform and smaller class sizes to meet students's needs.
What's next?
The ACT government says its 10-year Inclusive Education strategy and resourcing review will guide future reforms.
Being pulled out of his public school in Canberra's north was one of the best things to happen to Liam Wolthof.
At 10, he is now happy and thriving.
"He's not aggressive anymore, his meltdowns are few and far between, and he's become more confident in himself," Liam's mum, Kate Wolthof said.
"His self-esteem has definitely boosted, and he loves to learn now."
Just a few years ago, Liam was a student at a public primary school in Canberra's north, and it was a very different story.
Before he started kindergarten, his parents told the school's executive team that Liam had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and would soon be assessed for autism.
"From the first day, he was put in a class with two different teachers — one for the first half of the week and one for the second — and that's what we asked them to avoid because he needed consistency," Ms Wolthof said.
"That was the first thing we noticed that was ignored."
Kate and Andrew Wolthof noticed their son's self-esteem improve after he began homeschooling. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)
Year 1 was even more of a challenge, as Liam became withdrawn and often refused to participate in group activities.
"His teacher called me and told me I needed to get on the phone to him and tell him to behave himself," Ms Wolthof said.
"I remember asking Liam what was going on and what was happening for him that day, and the teacher snatched the phone away, clearly upset I didn't reinforce that he was in trouble."
Autism diagnosis did not lead to extra support
By Year 2, Liam had been diagnosed with autism, and his parents were hopeful the diagnosis would mean he would be provided the supports he needed to flourish at school.
But despite Liam's therapist recommending that he join the school's small group program, designed for children who need additional support, the school did not allow the transition.
Daily one-on-one support from a teacher's aide was also recommended, but not possible due to inadequate funding.
A request for Liam to wear a necklace specifically designed to help children cope with sensory overload was refused.
The school did supply Liam with a sensory beanbag, but it had to be shared with other students.
As a result, Liam struggled to learn, and often failed to complete his schoolwork.
"As punishment, they would keep him in at lunchtime and not let him go outside and play," Ms Wolthof said.
"He would have to eat his lunch alone with the teacher in his classroom and finish his work.
"We asked if they could send his work home for us to do after school so he didn't miss those movement breaks, which he really needed, but they refused to do that as well."
'It felt like Liam was segregated'
Liam's parents watched their son's confidence and self-esteem diminish.
"It felt like Liam was segregated from his class, from his peers, he was the bad one, and he was pulled aside," his dad, Andrew Wolthof, said.
"And that's how he felt, that's how it made him feel — that he was the problem."
Kate and Andrew Wolthof with Liam and his sisters Madelyn and Arabella. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)
As the year went on, it got more and more difficult to get Liam to walk through the school's front gates.
"It was really terrible to watch our little boy struggle and hate school so much," Ms Wolthof said.
"Every single day was a battle to get him to go.
"He started becoming quite withdrawn, and his confidence was really, really low."
The first day of Year 3 pushed the Wolthofs to breaking point.
Despite promises that Liam would meet his new teacher and be able to familiarise himself with his new classroom ahead of the school year starting, neither was done.
As the family walked in on the first day, Liam had a meltdown and ran from the classroom.
"I talked to the teacher, she seemed genuinely shocked by Liam's response and even asked, 'Is he always like this?'" Ms Wolthof said.
"She had no idea about Liam's history, she hadn't even read the handover.
"That's when I said, 'I can't do this anymore — I need to take Liam out of this school now'."
Ms Wolthof and her husband have been homeschooling Liam ever since — a change Liam described as "super good".
"The best bit is probably that the teacher is my mum," he said.
"And sometimes we go on excursions."
Schools 'stretched' for resources
ACT Australian Education Union president Angela Burroughs says the territory should overhaul its school funding model. (ABC News: David Scasci)
The president of the ACT Branch of the Australian Education Union, Angela Burroughs, said stories like Liam's were proof the ACT's public education system is in "urgent need of fundamental fix".
"We need to properly resource all ACT public schools," Ms Burroughs said.
"We are so stretched, and that became abundantly clear in July when the Education Directorate announced that 77 of 92 public schools were over-budget.
"And the issue with resourcing is for all students, but it's particularly exaggerated for students with disability."
Ms Burroughs also argued that the allocation of students into classrooms based on age was "old-fashioned" and did not take complexity into account.
"Our student body is made up of complex kids and class sizes need to cater for that level of complexity," she said.
"The class size model is so out of date, and that's a critical piece of work we need to advance."
It is a sentiment Sharon Kensell and her son Jacob Sternfein agree with.
Jacob, who was diagnosed with autism when he was three, struggled with the size of his classes at his public high school in Canberra's south, as well as the unfamiliar environment and the rotation of teachers for different subjects.
He felt isolated, excluded and was bullied relentlessly.
"I would say they cared more about trying to be inclusive to all races and people who were LGBTQ than they did for people with disabilities," Jacob said.
Jacob Sternfein, here with mum Sharon, was isolated, excluded and bullied during high school. (ABC News: Joel Wilson)
His experience caused a deep and dangerous depression.
"It wasn't great. Obviously, it's affected my life, it's still affecting my life now," Jacob, now 18, said.
"I got to the point where I was contemplating suicide."
Issues also in public high schools
Dedicated, supportive teachers meant Jacob's experience in primary school was a positive one — and initially, his experience at high school was the same.
"The school did help me transition early, but, unfortunately, that was, in my opinion, the best it got," he said.
"I will put it this way — I learnt more off watching people on YouTube than I did in school in some subjects."
Ms Kensell described Jacob as a "textbook case of autism" and said his needs as he has got older became "a little more obvious".
She requested one-on-one support at peak times during the day from Jacob's high school, resources for his sensory needs, and a quiet space for him to self-regulate.
But every time she requested an adjustment to help her son cope, she was faced with resistance from the school's executive.
Jacob's mental health suffered in high school (ABC News: Joel Wilson)
"It came down to funding — the school didn't have the funding," Ms Kensell said.
"It was infrastructure changes that needed to happen in some of these issues, and that's not things they could provide."
Jacob's younger sister, who is also neurodiverse, is still a student at the same high school.
"Unfortunately, the experience has been mirrored and we're at the point where I'm ready to pull my other child out of the school as a result," Ms Kensell said.
"Going back, I wish I would have pulled Jacob out of school as well.
"I think it would have been better for his mental health and we could have looked at other ways of providing the education he needed."
Jacob Sternfein's mother Sharon Kensell wishes she pulled her son out of high school. (ABC News: Joel Wilson)
Schools must be 'accepting and inclusive'
The ABC spoke to a dozen families across the ACT who had children with a range of disabilities at public schools.
They all identified similar concerns: inadequate funding; a lack of resources; and teachers who struggled to cope with the level of complexity in their classes.
ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry agreed there was room for improvement when it came to supporting students with disability in public schools, adding she was "deeply concerned" by the experiences of some families.
"That's why we're working on ways to overcome those challenges and make sure every child has a great experience in our public schools," Ms Berry said.
"Our schools have to be a place that's accepting and inclusive."
Ms Berry said she was open to addressing outdated class sizes as a mechanism for improving the experience for all students and teachers.
"I think we do need to look at class sizes, particularly with regards to the complexity we're seeing in our schools now," she said.
"That's bigger than it ever has been — and that's not just in the ACT, it's across the country."
ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry says she would like to review class sizes in public schools. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
However, Ms Berry disputed that public schools were chronically underfunded in the ACT, highlighting that they receive the highest funding in Australia.
"But that doesn't mean that that's solved all of the problems, there's no silver bullet when we're looking at making sure every child is included in their school," she conceded.
Ms Berry pointed to the 10-year Inclusive Education strategy, which will fund inclusion coaches, additional school psychologists and additional inclusion training for teachers, as part of the solution.
She also said a key focus for the ACT Public School System Resourcing Review would be decreasing teacher workload to increase their capacity to support all students, as well as assessing where the current funding model was adequate and appropriate.
"What I want to make sure is that every child across every school is getting the funding that's required to give them best possible education, and it's done sustainably," Ms Berry said.
"It can't just be money thrown at an issue, we need to actually deeply embed a culture shift about how we include every child."
'A really hard battle' for parents
ACT Parents chief executive officer Veronica Elliott says the government should provide schools and support services with additional funding. (ABC News: Mark Moore)
ACT Parents is the representative body for parents and carers of students attending Canberra's public schools.
Executive officer Veronica Elliot said the organisation regularly heard from parents and carers about their children with disabilities missing out on the supports they need.
"It's not okay, it's not optional and we need to do better," Ms Elliott said.
Ms Elliott echoed the criticisms of the Australian Education Union about the concerning combination of budget pressures, staffing shortages and a general increase in the amount of need within schools.
But she said what could often be missing from the conversation was the impact on parents of constantly advocating for their child within the school system.
Ms Elliott says the impact on parents who constantly advocate for their children within the school system needs to be considered, too. (ABC News: Mark Moore)
"It's a really hard battle and sometimes parents don't know what to ask for. They often feel really overwhelmed and very isolated," Ms Elliott said.
"We need to fund initiatives that support our schools and make sure they've got an adequate amount of funding.
"But we also need to invest in our parents and carers because it's not something there's a lot of support for, which is why we've called for funding of a Parent Advocacy Service to support parents to navigate the system."
ACT Parents applied for funding in the most recent ACT Budget, but was unsuccessful.
"I understand they're frustrated they didn't receive funding in this budget, but I agree there needs to be some kind of advocacy service here in the ACT," Ms Berry said.
"Certainly, it's a decision for future budgets."