Reports and Position Papers

July 2023

Over the course of a year WAPPA collected anecdotes and evidence from members, regarding the challenges and impact of the growing number of students with complex needs in our schools. This paper examines the impact, the current interventions and some proposed solutions.

Recommendations for preventing and reducing occupational violence in schools from adult community members

Purpose: to advocate and support the WAPPA membership in providing for Students with Special Educational Needs.

WAPPA believes that all students have the right to be provided with the most appropriate educational setting to meet their needs. SEN require additional resources to access an appropriate education that utilises expert staff and facilities.

Executive Summary

This report has adopted an empirical and evidence based approach to how funding could be utilised moving forward. There is a strong focus on the student outputs of Achievement and Engagement. To set the context, the research shows that performance gaps are widening: both between and within schools. This creates an impetus to develop solutions that can seek to close the widening gap. Three key arguments are made:

• Research shows that engagement clearly impacts upon achievement, and has psychological impacts for students;
• Engagement exists within a system, which is complex and incorporates drivers such as parents and teachers,
• Sustained, not simply early, intervention is the gold standard;

What does WAPPA believe about assessment?

A number of writers have researched and defined the key principles of assessment. Some sources are listed at the end of this paper, including the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA), which oversees the implementation of curriculum in Western Australian schools. While the writings vary in their language and emphasis, there is clear agreement between them. WAPPA has examined the research and responded to concerns by its members to identify a number of assertions about assessment.

The Western Australian education system is currently recognised as a high-performing system. However, the Western Australian Primary Principals’ Association (WAPPA) notes that there are worrying signs that the gap between high-performing and low-performing schools and their students, is growing.

WAPPA believes that if Western Australia is to maintain its high standing in the education world we must enhance and accelerate targeted, evidenced-based educational reform over the next ten years. The change must be value-driven.

The Western Australian Primary Principals’ Association has commissioned Kaya, an Organisational Psychology firm, to facilitate a research process with local members and external stakeholders. The aim is to develop a position paper on the future of primary education in Western Australia for the next ten to twenty years. To initiate conversation about future possibilities Kaya have prepared this research paper drawing on ideas from other high performing educational systems.