Bates Drive School
Situated at Kareela in the Sutherland Shire, Bates Drive is a school for students with special needs. Our students present with a wide range of abilities, requiring individualised planning and high levels of support. Significant intellectual and physical disabilities combined with autism and behavioural issues as well as severe communication impairments necessitates the development and implementation of exemplary learning and teaching programs, delivered by dedicated staff. The school has 11 classes, Kindergarten to Year 12, which cater for students between the ages of 5 to 18 years. Education through collaboration is the cornerstone of our philosophy. Students, parents/caregivers and staff work as a team to create a dynamic learning environment. The school achieves its mission by providing 'exceptional learning opportunties for all'. The school has excellent facilities and a wide range of resources to meet the needs of the students. An impressive physical feature of the school is its attractive bushland setting with the spacious playground area incorporating a large sandpit, sensory room, sensory corridor, inground trampoline, indoor / outdoor multipurpose area and a solar heated pool. The school has a small but very proactive P&C Association and links with many organisations in the local community.
We recognise the Ongoing Custodians of the lands and waterways where we work and live. We pay respect to Elders past and present as ongoing teachers of knowledge, songlines and stories. We strive to ensure every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learner in NSW achieves their potential through education.