This article appeared in the "Melbourne Weekly" 23rd March, 2003 - "Neighbourhood with David Bonnici"

A small independent school in Kew has done wonders for children with learning difficulties

There was something wrong, but Natalie Potter couldn't put her finger on it. Her infant daughter Lauren seemed to live in her own little world, unable to socialise or grasp simple things most toddlers pick up.

By the time Lauren started kindergarten, Potter's worst fears were confirmed. Lauren had learning difficulties which disrupted her ability to communicate and socialise. Potter feared her daughter's life at school would be rough.

"It was mainly her social skills that were of question and her inability to keep on task," says Potter. "She'd often wander off because she couldn't keep up with what was going on in the classroom. Her social skills with the group were immature."

Potter was in a quandary. Lauren was not prepared for the social and academic challenges of primary school (she repeated kinder). However, she did not meet the criteria for a more specialised school setting.

"Finding the right school for your child when they come up to that stage is a complete needle in a haystack," says Potter. "You really are left to your own resources. It's a huge challenge as a parent when you've realised your child doesn't really fit into the mainstream school environment. And when you look into special schools you know your child does not belong there either."

Fortunately, Andale School in Kew fit the bill. An acronym for A New Direction in an Active Learning Environment, Andale is a small independent school.

It is targeted at students with difficulties in areas such as auditory processing, language comprehension, the ability to follow instructions, attention, concentration, confidence and self-esteem. It follows a regular primary school-style curriculum, modified and tailored to the needs of individual students.

Andale was established in 1981 as a result of a successful part-time motor sensory exercise program run by the Ansua Centre (A New Start for the Under Achieving). It has 18 students from Grade Prep to Year 8, two full-time teachers, a part-time teacher and volunteer teacher aids. Speech and occupational therapists are available for students eligible for funding.

Andale's principal/teacher of three years, Margaret Cotter, says the school has had remarkable results with children who would normally be on the outer.

"There are children everywhere with these subtle learning problems," she says. "I'm not just talking about children struggling with their reading and writing, because they can be assisted within the school system.

"They are kids with really subtle difficulties like visual perception problems and auditory processing. This impacts on their written work, their ability to spell, and reading because they can't decode words."

Cotter, who taught for several years at Rossbourne School, a similar institution in Hawthorn for secondary students, says such children fail in the mainstream school system because they are unable to receive the one-on-one style of teaching they require.

"Our children often need to have things broken down into much smaller chunks of information. We teach them one step, make sure they've got that and move on to the next."

Cotter says children like Lauren have poor organisational and communication skills. The latter can be heartbreaking for child and parent. "You get children who come in and they've been teased by other kids or they've never been invited to a birthday party," she says. "They probably haven't had a group of friends because they find it hard to follow games."

Fortunately, Andale's personalised teaching style has a positive effect on many children, including Lauren. Her mother has seen a remarkable transformation in her daughter since she started at Andale 18 months ago.

"Incredibly so," she says, with a mixture of relief and joy. "It's probably more obvious to our family and friends. It was obvious in the first couple of months how much more sociable Lauren had become and how capable she is with her language and independence skills."

Within one week of leaving kinder Lauren grasped the concept of reading. Since then Potter reckons her skills are almost comparable with children her age. Before, she was at least a year behind.

Although she is passionate about Andale, Potter hopes Lauren will be able to attend a mainstream primary school in a couple of years.

"We'll see what the next year or so holds for Lauren," she says. "It's not a status thing or a pride thing. It's only if Lauren gets to that stage and whether or not it's best to challenge her further."

Some children have been able to transfer to mainstream primary schools, while others choose to wait until secondary school to make the move.

"One boy recently moved on to a secondary school and he's doing okay," says Cotter. "He struggles sometimes but he's happy and he's confident there. That is one of our main aims, to give the kids that confidence so they can tackle those problems."

Andale is the only school of its kind in Victoria, despite the many children languishing in the mainstream system who would benefit from its style of teaching. Potter, who moved from Brighton to Hawthorn to be closer to the school, says she only discovered it by chance.

"It was an awful realisation to know you don't fit and the education department can't assist," she says.

"It was only through Alfred Hospital's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) that we got a recommendation to Andale. But it's not like the Victorian education department have Andale on a list and were able to put it forward.

"If it wasn't for Alfred CAMHS, Lauren probably would have had to struggle in the mainstream environment. I really feel for those parents who are in the same position I was in a couple of years ago, asking 'where does my child fit?'."