Kingsdene Special School at Telopea provided schooling and residential care to children aged 10-18. It was run by Anglicare, who described it as being for children and young people with “moderate to severe intellectual disabilities”. It closed in 2010 due to a lack of funding to continue operations. At the time of closure Anglicare stated that it was the only school in Australia providing education and accommodation for children with intellectual disabilities. Following the closure of the school, one of the buildings was redeveloped to support the expansion of work by Anglicare Out-of-Home Care Services.
Dave Earl’s thesis describes Kingsdene as a “semi-residential high school”. It contains the story of Julia, born in the early 1980s, who would spend weeknights at the school and weekends at home with her family (Earl, 2007, p.133).
From
1976
To
2010
Alternative Names
Kingsdene Special School and Hostel
Kingsdene Special School
1976 - 2010
Kingsdene Special School and Residential Service located at 19 Gibbons Road, Telopea, New South Wales (Building Still standing)