Darling Point Special School teachers plan in accordance with the Australian Curriculum, the P-2 curriculum, assessment and reporting advice and guidelines (2014) from the Queensland Studies Authority, and are guided by the school’s functional and developmental curriculum that has been developed in consideration of the evidence-based curriculum from Puget Sound Educational Service District., Canada.
Curriculum subjects include the following key areas, but are studied based on each student’s strengths, interests and needs:
English – literacy, communication, reading, writing, spelling, listening, speaking
Mathematics – numeracy, number, space, measurement, probability and statistics
Science
Geography – Asian and Pacific studies
Health and physical education – perceptual motor programs, exercise and fitness, swimming, developmental swimming, hydrotherapy, games and sport
Leisure and recreation – play skills, fun skills, teamwork
The Arts – visual arts, music, drumming, dance
Technology – information communication technologies, low-tech technologies, manual arts – woodwork, home technologies – cooking, laundry, yard maintenance
Personal and social development – Why Try? social skills program, Kimochis social skills program, including an emphasis on coping and tolerance, as well as personal care – hygiene, toileting, dressing, showering, hair and nail care
Positive behaviours and relationships – sharing, turn taking, negotiation, anger management, resilience, self-esteem development, relaxation
Vocational education – certificate 1 in vocational pathways, certificate 1 in hospitality, certificate 1 in agri-foods; machining, manual arts
Community participation – public transport, community involvement including budgeting and shopping aligned to authentic programs in literacy and numeracy.