Visiting Educational and Health Specialists

As students progress through their Secondary School education, their academic and social development may be optimised with the support of an education or health professional who will work closely with the student and the school. Currently Oxley College has established a professional network with the following specialists who undertake detailed assessments and visit the campus for individualised sessions with specific students.

  • Miss Diana Welsh  is an Occupational Therapist who works with "O.T. for Kids", a paediatric and adolescent occupational therapy company run by Samantha Daley. Diana works closely with students to assess aspects of fine motor and gross motor skills associated with handwriting and other day to day classroom tasks. She also assists students with motor planning and visual integration skills.

  • Mrs Kate Psarakis is a Speech Pathologist who works with students on a wide range of language production, comprehension and literacy skills. She is particularly experienced at improving students’ comprehension of and ability to structure written text as well as supporting social skills through communication protocols and improving spelling through developing knowledge of phonological structures.

  • Mr Paul Cox is a specialist in assisting students in managing anxiety and developing strategies to achieve an optimal state of alert relaxation when managing their academic activities. Paul guides students through a series of deep relaxation activities which they can practice independently.

  • Ms Shivawn Davis is a Counsellor and Speech Pathologist who specialises in supporting students who have an Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD) such as Aspergers’ Syndrome. Shivawn works closely with students to assist with aspects of communication and emotional management and guides teachers in their lesson planning and classroom communication to optimise the school experience for students with ASD.

  • Ms Rebecca Snowden is a Paediatric Physiotherapist who assists with exercise programmes and planning for students so that they can participate as fully as possible in the exercise and sporting programmes at the school. Rebecca is experienced in lesson modification to allow students with significant physical impairment to join in PE games.

  • Dr Minh Nguyen Hoan and Ms Fiona Smith are Psychologists who specialise in identification of gifted students through Psychometric Testing (Stanford Binet IQ Test). They are particularly skilled in assessment and support of students who are very bright yet may be underperforming in the school setting.

  • Mr Zac Hulm is a Workplace Trainer who assists students with disabilities to learn valuable vocational skills in workplace settings in preparation for post-school employment.

Each of these specialists will visit the school to work with students and their close association with the school facilitates an effective exchange of information and advice to  support planning and teaching. Specialist fees are paid privately by parents and most can be claimed through private health funds or through disability funding. Parents may initiate a request for a referral by contacting Mrs Bronwyn Tregenza, Director of Learning Enrichment, or a member of staff may contact parents to recommend specialist support.