Victorian High Ability program

The Department of Education and Training’s Victorian High Ability program is for Year 5 and 6 students. The program is delivered via WebEx by Virtual School Victoria. It focuses on extending and developing students' English and mathematic abilities. The Department manages the student selection process. Parents/carers are notified if their child is to be enrolled in the program.

Mathematics extension

A weekly mathematics extension program is run for students in Years 3 - 6. The focus for this program is on reasoning and problem solving. Students are supported to explain their thinking, deduce and justify strategies used and conclusions reached, as well as transfer learning from one context to another. Parents/carers are notified if their child is to be enrolled in the program.

Getting Ready In Numeracy (GRIN) program

A twice-weekly mathematics intervention program is run for small groups of students in Years 1 - 6. GRIN sessions are designed to:

• Prepare students for concepts to be taught in mathematics lessons
• Familiarise students with the language and terminology that they will hear during the lesson
• Model what students can expect to see and/or do in the lesson.

Reading Tutor program

William Ruthven Primary School implements the Maquarie University's MultiLit program. The program provides effective literacy instruction grounded in evidence-based practice. Year 1 and 2 students participate in MiniLit sessions and students in Years 3 - 6 participate in MaqLit sessions. The focus of the sessions is to develop phonological awareness, decoding strategies and increased comprehension skills.

One-on-one placement tests are completed in order to determine which students receive support. Parents/carers are notified if their child is to be enrolled in the program. In order for a student to succeed and maximise their progress, we require them to attend school every day. If they do not attend every day, the school may need to discontinue them from the program.

Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD)

The Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) provides Department of Education and Training funding to assist schools to support eligible students with disabilities and high needs who attend government schools. There are seven categories of eligibility criteria:

1. Physical disability
2. Visual impairment
3. Hearing impairment
4. Severe behaviour disorder
5. Intellectual disability
6. Autism Spectrum Disorder
7. Severe language difficulties with critical educational needs.