Koorana, in Bentley, was a non-residential school established and run from 1974 by child welfare authorities. It admitted primary-school age children who needed assistance to develop learning and behavioural skills that would enable them to return to mainstream schooling. Many children who attended Koorana lived in departmental Homes or foster care. A child did not have to be a ward of the State to attend Koorana.
The annual reports of child welfare authorities (Signposts 2004, pp.273-276) explain why children were sent to Koorana: ‘The major referring problem is that the child’s behaviour is such that he is unable to progress as well as his ability would allow in a normal school setting. Other relevant issues may be that his behaviour is excessively interfering with the progress of other children in his class, and that his formal learning is much below what could be expected.’
Children did not have to be in the ‘care’ of the child welfare authorities to be admitted to Koorana, but children who were wards of the State were given a ‘slight preference’.
By 1986, when policies reflected the desire of authorities to let children remain in their ‘natural community setting’, children would only be admitted to Koorana if all other community-based options had been exhausted. By 1987, in response to a review of the McCall Centre programmes, the Koorana facility was closed and was replaced by a ‘community-based preventive’ program delivered through the McCall Centre.
