A day in a youth detention centre school
Each youth detention centre in Queensland has a school and training centre located inside.
The staff who work in our youth detention centre schools help young people meet their learning needs and work toward their rehabilitation.
This is the story of a teacher at the school inside the Cleveland Youth Detention Centre in Townsville.
Being a teacher in a youth detention centre
The role of a teacher in a youth detention centre is like that of every good teacher. We plan, prepare and deliver learning programs and teaching materials that meet the need of each individual student.
In the youth detention centre we work with male and female students of different cultures, and with varying ages and abilities.
We work closely with:
- other teachers
- teacher aides
- reading specialists
- support professionals
- youth workers
- other detention centre staff
- volunteers
- parents.
A day in the life
My day starts at home, checking that everything I need for the day is packed into my government-issued heavy-duty clear plastic work bag.
It’s important that I don’t accidentally take contraband to work—things that are not allowed inside a youth detention centre. This means no:
- mobile phone
- metal cutlery
- tinned food
- glass
- chewing gum.
When I get to the youth detention centre, I put my gear on a conveyor belt to be screened and walk through the scanner. I then wait to be let through the first door that will take me into the centre.
I collect my security keys and personal duress alarm, then I can move through the final door to enter the inside of the youth detention centre, and head to the Education Queensland staff building.
Preparing for class
Inside the staff building I check today’s school timetable—it changes every day, so no 2 days are ever the same.
I record my teaching day on an individual timetable for quick reference, including:
- classroom numbers
- student names
- subject areas
- class start and finish times.
I grab each student’s custom folder for each class that day, and check to see if their work is up to date.
I head to my desk and log into the student database to enter each student’s positive behaviour learning points (PBL) on the timetable.
PBL plays a huge role in a student’s day, and therefore in a teacher’s day too.
The school day
Our school day consists of 4 class sessions:
- 1 before morning tea
- 2 between morning tea and lunch
- 1 after lunch.
We teach in classrooms and in specialty areas, such as the hospitality kitchen or the music room.
A typical teaching day might start with English, and be followed by numeracy, then information technology, and then a non-contact session without students.
After classes finish
At the end of the day, I must mark all work completed by my students and enter their results and PBL points into the database.
I return the student custom folders to the shelves, ready for the next day.
Then, importantly, I record and report any incidents (positive or negative) to the necessary parties—our One School system plays a key role in this.
On Tuesdays I leap for joy with my fellow teachers, because we have to stay for a compulsory staff meeting for an hour after the school day has ended.
Comparing with regular teaching
The main and ever-present differences between the jobs of my mainstream teaching colleagues and I are:
- the jangling of security keys fastened firmly to my belt
- the need to be vigilant about wearing a duress alarm
- the need to record and count—and recount—objects that could be dangerous.
It is all about keeping the students and staff safe in a protective environment.
What makes me the same as teachers across the country is my hope of leading students from unknown to known, and from difficult to easy. I want to help these young people fill knowledge gaps, and teach them new skill sets as they transition toward active citizenship.
Subjects that move students toward success at our registered training organisation, Cleveland Education and Training Centre, include certificate courses in:
- numeracy and literacy
- information technology
- health and physical education
- woodwork
- small engines
- hairdressing
- sewing
- hospitality
- creative industries
- digital or visual arts
- ceramics.
Further information
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