❓ A Western Australian parliamentary question on notice addresses the Department of Education's policies and procedures regarding school attendance for children with disabilities, including supports, prosecution of parents, and referrals to child protection services. The response provides data on attendance rates and clarifies departmental procedures, while acknowledging gaps in data collection and ongoing efforts to improve support for families.
AnsweredQoN 795Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) What is the Department's process for supporting school attendance for children with disabilities? (2) In relation to issues with school attendance for children with disabilities, is it standard procedure to: (a) prosecute parents for failure to ensure their child’s school attendance; and (b) involve the Department of Communities (Child Protection) in issues of school attendance? (3) How many parents have been prosecuted for failure to ensure their child’s school attendance in the following years: (a) 2025 (so far); (b) 2024; (c) 2023; (d) 2022; (e) 2021; and (f) 2020? (4) How many parents have been referred to the Department of Communities (Child Protection) for issues relating to their children’s school attendance in the following years: (a) 2025 (so far); (b) 2024; (c) 2023; (d) 2022; (e) 2021; and (f) 2020? (5) In the last year, how many complaints has the Department received in relation to school attendance processes? (6) In relation to (5), how many of these complaints were made by parents of children with disabilities? (7) In relation to (5), what is the Department’s timeline to respond to those complaints? (8) How many children are currently homeschooled in Western Australia (WA)? (9) In relation to (8), how many home school registrations were submitted following issues with attendance? (10) What supports are offered to parents of children with disabilities who are struggling with low attendance rates? (11) Does the 90% attendance target apply to all children, including children with disabilities? (12) Does the Department allow any leeway when assessing a child’s attendance rate for any special needs or disabilities that a child may have? (13) Does the Department count school absences that are accompanied by medical documentation as non-attendance when monitoring attendance rates? (14) Is there a presumption that low attendance for children with disabilities is due to irresponsible parents? (15) What is the attendance rate for WA primary schools for the following years: (a) 2025 (so far); (b) 2024; (c) 2023; (d) 2022; and (e) 2021? (16) What is the attendance rate for WA secondary schools for the following years: (a) 2025 (so far); (b) 2024; (c) 2023; (d) 2022; and (e) 2021? (17) What is the difference between an attendance plan and an individual education plan? (18) In relation to (17), does the Department permit attendance plans and individual education plans to be used interchangeably?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
2 December 2025
Responded by
Leader of the House representing the Minister for Education
Response time
7 days
(1) The Department of Education’s Student Attendance in Public Schools policy and procedures detail the requirements of schools in supporting student attendance, including students with disabilities.
(2) (a) No
(b) Schools report concerns that a student is, or has been, the subject of physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect or sexual abuse. By itself, attendance does not form grounds for a report; however, it is one possible indicator of neglect.The Department is committed to being a child safe organisation through the prevention, identification and reporting of child abuse and/or neglect, as per the Child Protection in Department of Education Sites policy
(3) (a) – (f) None
(4) (a) – (f) Refer above to (2) (b).
(5) – (7) The Department does not record this information. However as part of the reform work following the review of the School Education Act 1999 , new resources are being developed to help parents and carers of students with disability navigate complaints pathways more easily. They will provide additional support to families ahead of a comprehensive review of complaints and dispute processes.
(8) As at 27 August 2025, there were 7,526 students registered for home education.
(9) The Department does not record this information.
(10) Schools provide a range of supports and advice, including referral to external services when appropriate. Schools can seek advice on this from the Department’s regional and central services.
(11) – (12) There is no WA-specific attendance target. The Department of Education monitors attendance at the regional and system levels and strategies have been put in place to improve attendance across the state.
(13) Yes – absences for medical reasons are considered to be authorised absences.
(14) I refer the Honourable member to standing order 105, which states that questions should not seek an opinion.
(15)
(a) At the time of peparing this answer, 2025 attendance data had not yet been published.
(b) – (e)
Primary Attendance Rate - Semester 1
2024
2023
2022
2021
89.4
88.9
86.7
91.0
(16)
(a) At the time of peparing this answer, 2025 attendance data had not yet been published.
(b)– (e)
Secondary Attendance Rate - Semester 1
2024
2023
2022
2021
82.2
82.5
80.8
84.4
(17) Both are examples of documented plans. An attendance plan will include specific actions to support attendance at school. An Individual Education Plan may cover a broader range of learning support needs, but will typically focus on classroom adjustments to support a student’s engagement with the curriculum.
(18) New advice on documented plans was provided to schools in term 3, 2025, clarifying where a documented plan is required and reduces duplication, simplifying how adjustments or supports for students are recorded. This means more time working with and supporting students.
(2) (a) No
(b) Schools report concerns that a student is, or has been, the subject of physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect or sexual abuse. By itself, attendance does not form grounds for a report; however, it is one possible indicator of neglect.The Department is committed to being a child safe organisation through the prevention, identification and reporting of child abuse and/or neglect, as per the Child Protection in Department of Education Sites policy
(3) (a) – (f) None
(4) (a) – (f) Refer above to (2) (b).
(5) – (7) The Department does not record this information. However as part of the reform work following the review of the School Education Act 1999 , new resources are being developed to help parents and carers of students with disability navigate complaints pathways more easily. They will provide additional support to families ahead of a comprehensive review of complaints and dispute processes.
(8) As at 27 August 2025, there were 7,526 students registered for home education.
(9) The Department does not record this information.
(10) Schools provide a range of supports and advice, including referral to external services when appropriate. Schools can seek advice on this from the Department’s regional and central services.
(11) – (12) There is no WA-specific attendance target. The Department of Education monitors attendance at the regional and system levels and strategies have been put in place to improve attendance across the state.
(13) Yes – absences for medical reasons are considered to be authorised absences.
(14) I refer the Honourable member to standing order 105, which states that questions should not seek an opinion.
(15)
(a) At the time of peparing this answer, 2025 attendance data had not yet been published.
(b) – (e)
Primary Attendance Rate - Semester 1
2024
2023
2022
2021
89.4
88.9
86.7
91.0
(16)
(a) At the time of peparing this answer, 2025 attendance data had not yet been published.
(b)– (e)
Secondary Attendance Rate - Semester 1
2024
2023
2022
2021
82.2
82.5
80.8
84.4
(17) Both are examples of documented plans. An attendance plan will include specific actions to support attendance at school. An Individual Education Plan may cover a broader range of learning support needs, but will typically focus on classroom adjustments to support a student’s engagement with the curriculum.
(18) New advice on documented plans was provided to schools in term 3, 2025, clarifying where a documented plan is required and reduces duplication, simplifying how adjustments or supports for students are recorded. This means more time working with and supporting students.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.