



Pioneering Twice-Exceptional Education in Australia


&
OUR VISION
is to foster an understanding in the world
where all twice-exceptional people
recognise
their own boundless potential,
embrace their differences and are accepted
by others for their own uniqueness.

OUR MISSION
is to provide a world-leading education for
twice-exceptional
young people.
As the first school of its kind in Australia,
Tombolo aims to provide an educational environment
that is one of the best places in the world for
twice-exceptional young people to develop and
flourish socially, emotionally and academically.


TWICE EXCEPTIONALITY (2E)
1
Demonstrate potential for high achievement or creative productivity
in one or more domains such as: maths,
science, technology,
the social arts, the
visual, spatial, or performing arts,
or other
areas of human endeavour.
2
Manifest one or more disabilities
as defined by federal or state eligibility criteria. These disabilities include:
specific learning disabilities; speech and language disorders,
emotional/behavioural disorders, physical disabilities,
Autism Spectrum Disorders, or other neurological differences,
such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
3
Students whose unique combination of formidable abilities and
disabilities cause dissonance in traditional educational environments,
leading to potential failure and emotional distress.
4
Many slip under the radar as the two opposing characteristics mask
each other, leading to being misunderstood.
“Influential people are never satisfied with the status quo. They’re the ones who constantly ask, ‘What if?’ and ‘Why not?’ They’re not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom and they don’t disrupt things for the sake of being disruptive; they do it to make things better.”
-Dr Travis Bradberry – Author of No #1 Best Seller
Emotional Intelligence 2.0
Contact Us!
Contact Us
453 Bluff Road
Hampton
3188
Victoria
Email us: admin@tombolo.org.au
Call us:
+61 (0) 3 9585 8503
Stay in Touch
Opening February 2021
Opening Date 2021
Student Discipline
This policy provides the framework for:
- the development of work systems, practices, policies and procedures that promote child protection within the School
- the creation of a positive and robust child protection culture
- the promotion and open discussion of child protection issues within the School
- compliance with all laws, regulations and standards relevant to child protection in Victoria.
Statement of Commitment to Child Safety
Tombolo Academy is committed to providing a child safe and child friendly environment, where children and young people are safe and feel safe, and are able to actively participate in decisions that affect their lives. At Tombolo Academy we have a zero tolerance for child abuse and are committed to acting in children’s best interests and keeping them safe from harm. The School regards its child protection responsibilities with the utmost importance and as such, is committed to providing the necessary resources to ensure compliance with all relevant child protection laws and regulations and maintain a child safe culture.
Child Safe Values and Principles
The School’s commitment to child safety is based on the following overarching principles that guide the development and regular review of our work systems, practices, policies and procedures to protect children from abuse.
- All children have the right to be safe.
- The welfare and best interests of the child are paramount.
- The views of the child and a child’s privacy must be respected.
- Clear expectations for appropriate behaviour with children are established in our Child Safe Code of Conduct and Staff and Student Professional Boundaries policy.
- The safety of children is dependent upon the existence of a child safe culture.
- Child safety awareness is promoted and openly discussed within our School community.
- Procedures are in place to screen all staff, Direct Contact Volunteers, Third Party Contractors and External Education Providers who have direct contact with children.
- Child safety and protection is everyone’s responsibility.
- Child protection training is mandatory for all Board of Directors members, staff and Direct Contact Volunteers.
- Procedures for responding to alleged or suspected incidents of child abuse are simple and accessible for all members of the School community.
- Children from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds have the right to special care and support including those who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
- Children who have any kind of disability have the right to special care and support.
Complaints procedure
What is a Complaint?
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction made to Tombolo Academy board or staff, related to our services or operations, or the complaints handling process itself, where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected.
Informal Complaints Resolution
The vast majority of issues causing concern in schools can be handled quickly and in an informal manner. In most cases these issues can be resolved through informal discussions with appropriate staff members. Even if an issue is able to be resolved informally, all staff are required to log issues on our complaints management register so we are able to identify any systemic issues arising, and take appropriate rectification action.
How Do I Make a Formal Complaint?
If you have been unable to resolve a matter informally, or simply wish to make a formal complaint you can do so by any of the following means:
- Sending an email to complaints@tombolo.org.au.
- Writing a letter addressed to the Principal or the Chair of the Board of Directors.
- Telephoning and asking to speak to your child’s classroom teacher
All formal complaints will be logged into our complaints register and managed in accordance with the following procedure.
Tombolo Academy has implemented the following steps to encourage feedback, and to make it easy for people to lodge a complaint.
- A short form Complaints Policy with information on how to make a complaint is available on our public website.
- All staff are made aware of the importance of capturing and recording critical feedback. Many complaints are received via telephone, in person, or via email, and the ability of our staff to recognise a complaint, and to capture it effectively, is a central feature of our Complaints Handling Program.
Informal Complaints Resolution
The vast majority of issues causing concern in schools can be handled quickly and in an informal manner. In most cases these issues can be resolved through informal discussions with appropriate staff members. Even if an issue is able to be resolved informally, all staff are required to log issues on our complaints management register so we are able to identify any systemic issues arising, and take appropriate rectification action.
How Do I Make a Formal Complaint?
If you have been unable to resolve a matter informally, or simply wish to make a formal complaint you can do so by any of the following means:
- Sending an email to complaints@tombolo.org.au.
- Writing a letter addressed to the Principal or the Chair of the Board of Directors.
- Telephoning and asking to speak to your child’s classroom teacher
All formal complaints will be logged into our complaints register and managed in accordance with the following procedure.
Our Internal Complaints Handling Process
Step 1 – All formal complaints are logged on our complaints management register where they are screened by one of our Complaints Officers (Business Manager or Principal), or in the case of complaints against the Principal or Business Manager, by the Chair of the Board of Directors.
Step 2 – All valid complaints will be acknowledged in writing, as soon as practicable, and allocated a status, priority and target resolution date. It is our policy, where possible, to resolve all disputes within 14 days.
Step 3 – The Complaints Officer shall conduct an investigation into the issues raised, following principles of procedural fairness, and make a determination.
Step 4 – Following the determination, if appropriate, the Complaints Officer shall formulate a resolution and provide a written response to the complainant. The matter will be closed if this response is accepted.
Step 5 – If the initial response is not acceptable the matter will be reviewed internally by the Chair of the Board, who may seek additional information or submissions from the relevant parties. All disputes will be addressed within 14 days from the date that the review process is initiated. The matter will be closed if the response is accepted.
Step 6 – All complaints received will be entered into our Complaints Register and, where appropriate, a corrective action request will be made to address any underlying processes which the complaints investigation revealed may require improvement.
Step 7 – If the matter remains unresolved, the complainant may pursue external resolution alternatives.