Indie College Bendigo

"Indie ? ACHE ? - The Australian College of Higher Education. It's a god-send ! My daughter didn't adjust to primary school here in Bendigo (we moved here six years ago). Inevitably, high school was much, much worse and was exacerbated by the fact that the few friends she did make, we allocated to a different secondary school. My daughter has always been a quiet girl, and has found socialising difficult, being bullied at primary school and again at secondary school only made things worse. This made school very hard for her, she felt alone, and found making friends very hard. Many a day away from school was had - how do you send a child to school who asks you, ' Mum, why do you send me to school so they can make fun of me, pick on me and hit me ?'. Of course many a meeting was had at high school to make a ' personalised plan' for my daughter - all to no avail. ( If I had one dollar for every meeting, I could have gotten her a personal tutor ! ). Not many people know about Indie school until I came across it in a meeting with our doctor. This was the only option left to me - wish I had known about it sooner ! My daughter has flourished ! There's no pressure to be in a classroom with other students until your child is ready and even then the class is one third or less of the average sized class of students in a mainstream school. Only a few hours per week are required for attendance at the beginning, slowly working your way up as your child's confidence grows too. Sometimes, as your child's confidence grows, and they get better with their education, the option of returning to mainstream school is available. From my perspective, we need more of these schools. No child is the same, so neither should be their education. How many children have 'slipped through the cracks" because of this way of thinking ? Not every child is able to 'fit in'. The coaches (not teachers) are always available to answer any questions you have - it's very handy being able to text your child coach at any time of the day or night. The students also have this sort of communication with their coach too. If your child is struggling, being bullied, missing school ( whether you've kept them at home or their 'wagging', please, please give Indie school a closer look. Honestly, if you had asked me what I thought my daughter would be doing a month before her seventeen birthday, I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT have thought for a moment I would be saying 'My daughter's half-way through her VCAL studies. As parents we want what's best for our child and for them to have a good education, continue with their studies or get a job they love and be contributing members of society. You as a parent have nothing to lose by enquiring about INDIE school for your child. But, YOUR CHILD HAS EVERYTHING TO GAIN ! (Much as I hate to talk dollars and cents, the 'fees' are negligible - less than normal school 'fees', a LOT less. Good luck - but with Indie school, you won't need it !!"