Hon. Donna Faragher asks about the flexibility of preprimary enrolment requirements and the authority of principals in making decisions regarding year group placements, including appeal mechanisms for parents.

AnsweredQoN 1333Legislative Council
Asked
25 November 2020
Portfolio
Education and Training

QuestionView source ↗

PREPRIMARY ENROLMENT REQUIREMENTS
1333. Hon DONNA FARAGHER to the Minister for Education and
Training:
I refer to preprimary enrolment requirements and requests
received on occasion by school principals from parents seeking some flexibility
in the school starting age for their children.
(1) Can the minister confirm that principals have the
authority to make decisions regarding year group placements?
(2) If yes —
(a) what
matters are taken into consideration by principals in making such decisions if
a request for some flexibility has been received; and
(b) are there any mechanisms by which parents can seek
to appeal a decision of a principal; and, if so , will the minister
provide further detail?

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) Yes.
(2) (a) Principals consider the parents' reasons
for making the request, as well as other relevant information provided
by health professionals, school psychologists or educators who know the child.
(b) Principals
are best placed to make these decisions in consultation with the family. In the
event that parents are not satisfied with the outcome determined by the
principal, they may request that a review be undertaken by the local regional
executive director. Following that, a parent may request that the procedure by
which the principal made the decision be reviewed by the Minister for Education
and Training under section 223 of the School Education Act 1999. That goes to
the process; I cannot review the merit or otherwise. The minister is not
obliged to conduct a review.

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