What is Special Assistance Education at Ontrack?

For some of our young people, mainstream schooling can become difficult for a time. Some lose their place in large schools; they do not develop a positive vision for their future or acquire the tools they need to move intentionally in a positive direction. Ontrack College is a place where young people will find hope and learn skills to put them back on track for a productive adult life. 

Research is showing us that ongoing stresses from our modern world are fracturing many traditional family units. Often our young people are affected most in these situations, experiencing emotional trauma that they do not have the ability to process: trusted adults are suddenly less available, the familiar support network is gone. This is difficult for most children but particularly hard on neuro-nontypical students such as those with ADHD or ASD. 

Turning to online communities via social media just exacerbates the isolation, opening teens up to ruthless commercial, emotional and sexual exploitation. The dopamine addiction caused by excessive online gaming is just one way our teens self-soothe. Soft drugs, including sugar, tobacco, alcohol and marijuana, usually come into play as well.

GEMS Christian Education is responding to the needs of teens caught in the crossfire of the demands of senior schooling, family trauma, and the resulting pressures and anxieties through its Ontrack College ministry to Emerald and surrounds. 

There are 40 Special Assistance Schools (SAS) in Queensland including Ontrack College. Special Assistance Schools are not Special Schools. While we have expertise in trauma-informed education and neuro-divergent ways of learning, Special Assistance Schools are not equipped with staff or facilities that can cater to the full range of special learning needs. SAS meet the needs of students who cannot thrive in mainstream schools for a time, providing parents and their children with choices, strategies and support. SAS are funded by Commonwealth and State Governments and do not charge tuition fees.

As a Christian ministry, we Ontrack College recognizes that we live in a broken world. Oftentimes this means our young people's hopes and dreams for the future have been broken as well. At Ontrack, we focus on finding ways to make those hopes come to life again, built on the learning of skills and capabilities that will lead to self-respect and pride. This means Ontrack will find and encourage personal dispositions like creativity, entrepreneurialism, (responsible) risk-taking, and opportunity finding. We strive to provide a community that helps foster social and communication skills, as well as a sense of belonging. In order to fuel all of these adventures, Ontrack provides daily breakfast and lunch. We will also help with laundry, clothing and any other short-term need our students have. If we cannot help with a challenge they face, we will connect them with people who can. 

If you would like to find out more about how Ontrack College can help your child access opportunities, please be in touch: [email protected].