Teaching in public schools across Illawarra was disrupted due to school closures caused by the floods

Warrawong High School is a culturally diverse secondary school in the Lake Illawarra North network with 545 students. 46% of students have a language background other than English and 11% identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

Student families represent 25 different nationalities and the school houses the region's Intensive English Centre, which supports both refugee and international students as they enter Australia. Warrawong High School also has a large and dynamic Special Education Unit, supporting students with a diverse range of abilities.

The school established a COVID ILSP team and developed a plan to prototype withdrawal from class: 28 Year 9 students In-class support: For Year 7 students. Tuition was delivered in three 50-minute lessons per week.

Formative assessments were used to monitor student progress. The school combined feedback from students (which included a pre-program questionnaire, a mid-point check, and an end of program survey) that provided additional details around focus areas and allowed staff to deliver tuition tailored to student needs. A strong focus on evaluation informed next steps and reporting.

The school has regular ongoing communication with families about the program and student progress. Quantitative and qualitative data indicates that the withdrawal from class tuition for Year 9 students has been highly successful.