Celebrating the growth of Aspect Central Coast School with the opening of the new Senior College Campus

Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) celebrated the new facilities at Aspect Central Coast Senior College in Terrigal with an opening event on 20 July, 2023.

For Aspect Central Coast School, which teaches an autism-specific tailored curriculum, it’s an event to recognise the individuality of our wonderful students and celebrate their families, teachers and support staff and to acknowledge the local community which has supported our school over many years.

The Senior Campus at Central Coast has refurbished all existing classrooms, as well as adding two new classrooms, all incorporating autism-specific design improvements. There is also a new outside undercover recreational area for the students, renovations of all ancillary facilities, and an upgrade to the existing carpark.

With 36 enrolled high school students, the substantial renovation provides a supportive learning environment where we teach essential life skills including literacy, numeracy, social and emotional development along with core NSW curriculum outcomes in a hands-on, strength-centred individual way.

Principal Mark Rudd states, “We are very excited to announce the refurbishment of our Senior College at Aspect Central Coast School. With a focus on personalised learning and a nurturing community, our Senior College will provide a supportive environment where our students can flourish academically, develop their unique strengths and unlock their different brilliant potential.”

Our school’s ability to expand in so many ways is a testament to the unwavering support of our community. We are thankful to Waratah Education Foundation, VivCourt, CompNow and Financial Reporting Specialists (FRS) who funded a coffee van which has enabled our students to develop skills invaluable for post-school opportunities. Pinoak Fund for contributing to a trip of a lifetime for many of our senior students. Sargents Charity for providing funding for our school’s work education and employment skill program. Apex Foundation for donating funds for an outdoor exercise area and lawnmowing program and the CommBank Staff Foundation for funding a vegetable garden set up.

Our teachers are thrilled to see students mature in their learning but also to watch their confidence grow as they step up to new challenges through the array of co-curricular experiences available.

For our younger students in Years K–4, Aspect’s educational focus strongly supports students’ social and emotional development and communication needs, based around their strengths; while for our students in Years 5-10 we focus on growing greater independence and building a pathway to post-school opportunities, that may include further education and employment.

It certainly takes a village, and Aspect Central Coast School is fortunate to have fostered genuine relationships with our community, teachers and families, enabling us to nurture the gifts and aspirations of our exceptional students.