Information about In-School Allied Health Services at St Mary's Primary School Ipswich, for your child. 

⚠️Please allow a minimum of 2 weeks for school staff to gather information and respond to requests⚠️

This information outlines processes and expectations that support effective collaboration between families, allied health providers, and the school. 

• Appointments and on-site visits will require preapproval and compliance requirements to be completed prior to appointments being made. Appointments will also need to suit the class/teacher schedule
• External providers will need to complete our External Provider Student Access Request Form so we have a register of details and dates of appointments
• Parents/Carers will need to complete the Consent to Share Form particularly for In-School Observations, and if Therapists wish to share support strategies that assist the student in the classroom
• Allied Health Professional will need to read the R&C - Information Regarding External Providers, review the links inside, and complete the Third-Party Training Requirements indicated in this document
• Parents/Carers, and Allied Health Professionals are encouraged to review the BCE Safeguarding and Student Protection website to appreciate our approach to external providers on-site during school hours

Regular Service Appointments

• Regular appointments (e.g., speech pathology, occupational therapy, psychology) can take place onsite with prior approval from the school. This is only for students who meet school-based eligibility criteria

• Please make sure you complete the External Provider Student Access Request Form and list the appointment times. Please be aware that the times request may not be available at the school

• Parents must provide written consent before any sessions occur during school hours. Please complete the SMPS Regular Appointments Consent Form 
• Appointment times are arranged to minimise disruption to teaching and learning, with consideration for each student's classroom program. Appointments will take place in designated room that complies with our Safeguarding Policy
• Allied health professionals are responsible for bringing all required resources and for communicating session outcomes with parents
• Where appropriate, therapists may collaborate with teachers to support strategies that assist the student in the classroom

In‑School Observations

At times, schools may receive requests from external service providers to make an observation/s of a student in the classroom/school setting. Such requests should be considered very carefully with close attention to:

• the necessity and purpose of the observation
• whether there is a viable alternative such as the Guidance Counsellor/STIE conducting the observation and providing the notes to the parents for forwarding on to the provider
• clear written instructions to the provider (could be via email) regarding the boundaries of the observation such as:
• only the subject student is to be observed, and any data collection is for that student only
• no other student is to be observed or included in any data collection
• no information about the teacher or school staff is to be collected, documented or discussed
• how the provider will be supervised by a school staff member
• requirement to complete Student Protection and Code of Conduct Training for Volunteers and Other Personnel and provide certificate to the Principal
• should any information be accessed and/or disclosed without authorisation or is lost, this constitutes a data breach in accordance with the  BCE Privacy Procedure.

Communication and Follow‑Up

• Allied Health will inform parents of any observations or appointments scheduled during school hours.
• Allied health professionals are encouraged to provide written summaries or progress updates to families.
• If further collaboration with school staff is required, this will be arranged separately to ensure adequate time for discussion. *Reiterating our min 2 week timeframe*
• Student absence will not be communicated to Allied health professional from school staff. This is parent responsibility.

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E-Mail all requested documentation to our Risk & Compliance officer at R&C-Officer and our Learning Enhancement Officer. Once we have received the required documentation, we will be able to confirm bookings.

Consent to Share Form.pdf

SMPS_Regular​ Appointments Parent-Carer Consent.pdf

R&C - Information Regarding External Providers.pdf