Sunshine Coast Special Schools: A Guide for Families Navigating the NDIS
Updated: 3 days ago
If your child has a disability and goes to school on the Sunshine Coast, you already know how much work goes into finding the right school. Sooner or later, the next question arrives: what happens after Year 12?
At Loving Life Support Services, we support young people and families across the Sunshine Coast from our Studio in Moffat Beach. This guide gives you a clear picture of Sunshine Coast special schools and special assistance schools, and explains the NDIS supports that can help when your young person is ready for life after school.
What Is a State Special School?
In Queensland, state special schools are government schools for students with a severe disability that includes an intellectual disability. Eligibility is set by the Department of Education, and a student generally needs to be verified through the Education Adjustment Program in the intellectual disability category. Many students also have other disabilities, such as autism, physical impairment, or hearing or vision impairment.
Special schools offer individualised programs from Prep to Year 12, with a strong focus on communication, life skills and independence. Enrolment is decided by the Department of Education rather than by each school on its own, so the place to start is a conversation with your child's current school or the department's North Coast regional office.
Which Sunshine Coast Special Schools Are There?
There are three state special schools on the Sunshine Coast.
Currimundi Special School sits just north of Caloundra, Nambour Special School serves families in the hinterland, and Palmview State Special School is the newest, opening in 2021 on the same site as Palmview's state primary school and secondary college.
*We have done our best to make sure this guide is accurate and up to date. Student numbers are approximate and based on 2025 school profile data. School details can change, so we recommend checking each school's website or contacting them directly.
Special Assistance and Flexible Schools on the Sunshine Coast
Special assistance and flexible schools work differently. They are independent or Catholic schools for young people who haven't found mainstream school a good fit, often because of anxiety, disengagement, learning needs or a difficult time at a previous school. They do not require an intellectual disability verification, and entry processes vary, so it is worth contacting each one directly.
Some mainstream state schools on the Sunshine Coast also have special education programs, so a special school isn't the only option. Your child's current school can talk you through what is available nearby.
What Comes After School? NDIS Support for Sunshine Coast School Leavers
For families at a special school, what happens after Year 12 is one of the biggest questions they will face. School gave your young person routine, friends and people who knew them well, five days a week. When it ends, that support has to come from somewhere else.
Many NDIS plans were written while the person was still at school, so it is worth checking the plan fits life after school. Finishing school can count as a significant change in education arrangements, which can support a request for a plan reassessment. Our guide to the new NDIS plan reassessment rules explains how it works.
These are the main supports school leavers use.
Employment Assistance (previously SLES)
Employment Assistance helps participants who have a goal of working, including young people aged 14 to 24. They don't need to be job ready or have a job lined up. Support can include work experience, workplace skills, travel training and building a career plan. It is funded from the Capacity Building, Finding and Keeping a Job part of a plan. Our guide explains the change from SLES to Employment Assistance, and our Employment Assistance program on the Sunshine Coast is built around each participant.
Moving into study or TAFE
If your young person is heading to TAFE, university or a short course, Capacity Building, Improved Learning can fund support with the move into further education. That might mean practising the trip to campus, getting familiar with the environment and building the organisation skills study needs. The NDIS won't pay for the course itself.
Everyday independence skills
Where the goal is learning to cook, shop, manage money or get around on their own, Capacity Building, Improved Daily Living can fund it. Our Improved Daily Living explainer covers what it pays for.
Life transition planning and mentoring
Not every school leaver is ready to go straight into work or study, and that is completely okay. Capacity Building, Increased Social and Community Participation can fund life transition planning, which includes mentoring, peer support and individual skill development to help a young person plan for big changes like leaving school and build confidence at their own pace.
Community access: 1:1 support and groups
Core funding for assistance with social, economic and community participation, often called community access, pays for support worker time so a young person can get out into the community, try new activities and build friendships. Groups bring back some of the structure and friendship school provided, and because the cost of support is shared, they can make a budget go further than the same hours of 1:1 support.
Support coordination
If support coordination is funded in the plan, a support coordinator can help turn goals into funded supports and connect you with providers. If it isn't, your local area coordinator or the NDIA can explain what each part of the plan is for.
How Loving Life Supports School Leavers on the Sunshine Coast
Our Sunshine Coast programs run from The Studio, Moffat Beach, and we support young people across the coast, including Caloundra, Kawana, Maroochydore and Nambour. Programs that suit school leavers include:
ThunderBolts, a social group for young adults
Fun Friday, a weekly community access and adventure group
Craft Group, a relaxed art and craft group at the Studio
Employment Assistance and 1:1 support, tailored to each person
You can see all our NDIS social groups on the Sunshine Coast. For a fuller look at life after school, read Finishing School on the NDIS. Families further south can read our guide to special schools on the Gold Coast.
Every Plan Is Different
No two NDIS plans look the same. What is available to your young person depends on their goals, needs and circumstances. If you're not sure what's in the plan or how to use it once school finishes, you don't have to work it out alone. Starting the conversation before the last term ends means supports can begin in January instead of after a gap.
To see where we meet and what we run locally, visit our Sunshine Coast NDIS provider page.
📍 Based on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast
Information current as at 6 November 2026. School details and NDIS rules can change, so check with the school, your plan manager or the NDIS before acting.
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