School-Based Specialist Programs
Como Secondary offers school-based specialist programs as well as Department of Education-approved specialist programs.
We currently run Create@Como, Follow The Dream and the Learning Support Program.
FutureLinks
FutureLinks is an engagement program for selected Year 11 and 12 students. Students work towards completing a Certificate 2 which provides eligibility for TAFE. They focus on literacy and numeracy skills, and work to develop interpersonal and workplace skills and knowledge to give them a head start in the world of work.
Entry to the program is by application, and assessment of need and suitability.
Students in this program work towards the Western Australian Statement of Student Achievement (WASSA). They do not work towards achieving the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE).
The FutureLinks program is not running in 2024.
Follow The Dream
Como’s Follow the Dream program is an after-school tutoring and enrichment initiative to empower Aboriginal students to complete school and successfully move into post-school pathways. It is run in collaboration with the Follow the Dream programs at Belmont City College and Kent Street Senior High School.
Follow the Dream is an initiative of the Graham (Polly) Farmer Foundation.
Our “Dreamers” meet twice a week for after-school tutoring and support from several Como teachers. They receive help with homework and general curriculum support with one-on-one or small group tutoring. Throughout the year, our “Dreamers” are also invited to special events such as university introduction workshops and career development days. Once a year, there is a Follow the Dream camp, which sees Como, Kent Street and Belmont City “Dreamers” bunk in together.
Como’s Follow the Dream program has been growing in popularity year to year. Our “Dreamers” come to each after-school session for help with schoolwork, and to be part of the Follow the Dream Family. If you are interested in finding out more, or would like to be involved in some way, please contact our Coordinator, for a chat.
Intensive Learning Program
The Intensive Learning Team aims to explicitly teach and accelerate the learning of students at educational risk. The team of two teachers and education assistants, run an intensive, highly structured, evidence-based literacy and numeracy intervention program to target the points of educational need for each student.
Approximately 50 students participate in the ILT classes every year. Progress is carefully monitored to ensure an average of 2 years growth in 1 year of intervention. Many students demonstrate 3 to 5 years progress in the same amount of time. Students graduate from the ILT better able to cope with the literacy and numeracy demands of mainstream classes.
This initiative has attracted considerable interest from schools across WA and interstate. The ILT has developed a reputation for meeting the educational needs of students with learning difficulties. Many schools use Como’s ILT as a model for implementing their own evidence-based literacy and numeracy intervention.
For more information about the ILT, please contact the ILT Head of Learning on 9365 2000.
English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in Years 7-12
The English language support classes in Years 7-10 are also known as:
- EALD (English as an Additional Language or Dialect sometimes abbreviated to ELD).
These lessons focus on:
- reading to increase speed, word recognition and improve spelling; and
- writing to ensure handwriting is fast, as neat as possible and in academic or formal language.
The classes also assist students prepare for:
- NAPLAN tests in Years 7 and 9; as well as the
- OLNA Reading and Writing assessments in Years 10, 11 and 12.
In addition, there is an ELICOS class for senior students to either continue practising English literacy skills or focus on private studies in their senior school subjects.
English
Afrikaans
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Filipino
French
German
Greek
Hindi
Indonesian
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Macedonian
Malay
Myanmar (Burmese)
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
Russian
Spanish
Swahili
Swedish
Thai
Ukrainian
Vietnamese