Billy’s story – a parent’s perspective

Kathy Kettle became increasingly concerned about her son Billy’s behaviour as he went from being a bright and engaged student to disinterested and withdrawn. It didn’t take too long for her to understand that he was not coping well at school and as a parent she knew she had to step in and guide him towards an alternative route.

Armed with her convictions about Billy’s academic capabilities, Kathy was determined to find the right place where he could apply his skills.

“When we sat down and spoke to Billy about the VCAL program at Chisholm he was very excited and wanted to see how that might work for him. Billy started at Chisholm in Year 10, they were very happy with him and he was happy and from that day we never had any trouble at all”

As Billy settled down at Chisholm the changes in him were apparent almost immediately. He was happy and thriving in the new environment.

“The beauty about it was that Chisholm still included English, Maths, all the subjects we wanted him to do and promoted the independent learning. It was a very safe environment, and they were allowed to do things at their pace as long as they got it done”

Among the positive changes that Kathy appreciates in her son, she especially values that his time at Chisholm helped him become an adult. She is finally able to relax knowing that Billy no longer requires supervision where his studies are concerned and that his career prospects are becoming clearer.

"The future holds so much for Billy now, he has his wonderful scholarship to university, and it’s just going to lead to so much. He’s talking park ranging, and journalism”