Hospital school
The Hospital School at Westmead is a Department of Education school which means it is part of NSW public schools and is just like a local primary or high school, with students from Kindergarten to Year 12. It can also be arranged for siblings to attend the school.
Patients can enrol if they are:
- admitted to hospital for five days or more
- admitted on a regular basis
- referred under special needs.
The school has a flexible approach to learning to cater to the needs of children who are juggling their time with appointments, treatment and school work.
Participating in school during treatment can keep your child connected to their school community. When a child is in hospital, school can also represent a normal part of their life, even if they can only participate in it sometimes.
By continuing with school activities they can adapt more easily to returning to school when their treatment ends.
Enrolmment
After a parent or caregiver fills out an enrolment form, it is processed so the child can start learning in the hospital school.
A shared enrolment will be set up with the school they normally attend, and the student's hospital school teacher will contact that school to discuss topics and learning goals, which will be adjusted to meet the student's current needs.
Students will attend a classroom in the hospital or be visited in the ward by a teacher. Siblings of patients may also attend the school.
How it works in the hospital school
Many students look forward to being part of the school because it keeps them connected and busy and they can meet other children. The school provides opportunities to:
- keep in contact with and engage in school work from the child's regular school
- strengthen areas of concern
- participate in computer skills, incursions, music, special events, visitors, cooking, creative arts
- use technology to support learning in educational programs
Classrooms
Our school has four classrooms which have been designed to meet the needs of all students and are supportive and safe learning spaces. These classrooms are listed below.
- primary classroom level 2
- high school classroom level 1
- Hall Ward class level 1 (joint facility with the Department of Health to cater for students in the Hall Ward Program)
- high school class at Westmead Hospital for adolescents (block A level 4C).
Teachers also visit wards to see students who are unable to come to the classroom.
Contact us
(02) 7825 2813
childhosp-s.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Find our office
- walk into the main entrance of the hospital
- turn left at the corridor after the chemist and volunteer shop.
- half way down this corridor, on the left is the hospital school office.