❓ A parliamentary question regarding ESL testing practices at Rostrata Primary School, alleging racial bias and misuse of funding. The Minister rejects the premise, citing an Ombudsman's report endorsing the Department's actions and noting the cessation of Commonwealth ESL funding in 2008.
AnsweredQoN 4402Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
In relation to the handballing of the issue raised by Mr and Mrs Cresswell of Ferndale regarding the selection of their child for English as Second Language (ESL) testing purely because of his racial heritage and despite his only language being English, I ask:
(a) will the Minister now take up the issue and endeavour to assist the parents in achieving a multicultural interests response into how children at Rostrata Primary School were given ESL testing without their parents’ knowledge or permission purely because they looked different to Anglo-Saxon heritage children;
(b) how much Commonwealth ESL funding was distributed to Western Australian schools in total in 2009; and
(i) how much funding did Rostrata Primary School receive; and
(ii) what other Western Australian schools received funding, and how much;
(c) how much Commonwealth ESL funding was distributed to Western Australian schools in total in 2010; and
(i) how much funding did Rostrata Primary School receive; and
(ii) what other Western Australian schools received funding, and how much;
(d) will the Department investigate and offer counselling to any school which has said it tested children solely for funding purposes, especially when there could be schools more in need of ESL funding for at-risk children; and
(e) does the Minster agree with Metropolitan Schools executive director Allan Blagaich who stated that he considered the matter to now be closed, despite the Ombudsman only focusing on six points of policy and not addressing the 37 separate issues that the Creswells raised?
(a) will the Minister now take up the issue and endeavour to assist the parents in achieving a multicultural interests response into how children at Rostrata Primary School were given ESL testing without their parents’ knowledge or permission purely because they looked different to Anglo-Saxon heritage children;
(b) how much Commonwealth ESL funding was distributed to Western Australian schools in total in 2009; and
(i) how much funding did Rostrata Primary School receive; and
(ii) what other Western Australian schools received funding, and how much;
(c) how much Commonwealth ESL funding was distributed to Western Australian schools in total in 2010; and
(i) how much funding did Rostrata Primary School receive; and
(ii) what other Western Australian schools received funding, and how much;
(d) will the Department investigate and offer counselling to any school which has said it tested children solely for funding purposes, especially when there could be schools more in need of ESL funding for at-risk children; and
(e) does the Minster agree with Metropolitan Schools executive director Allan Blagaich who stated that he considered the matter to now be closed, despite the Ombudsman only focusing on six points of policy and not addressing the 37 separate issues that the Creswells raised?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
15 February 2011
Responded by
Minister for Education
Response time
83 days
I reject the premise underlying the Member's question. This matter has already been the subject of an independent investigation and report by the Ombudsman. I note that the Ombudsman's report endorses the action taken by the Department of Education.
(a) The Ombudsman's report indicates his satisfaction that the Department of Education has acted in a fair and reasonable way in responding to the complaint made by the Cresswell family. The development and implementation of an English as Second Language/Dialect Policy at Rostrata Primary School ensures parents and classroom teachers are consulted when assessing students for inclusion in the English as Second Language/Dialect program.
(b) Commonwealth funding tied to the ESL/ESD program ceased in December 2008.
(b)(i) - (ii) Not applicable.
(c) Commonwealth funding tied to the ESL/ESD program ceased in December 2008.
(c)(i) - (ii) Not applicable.
(d) The Department will continue to provide support and guidance to schools in relation to meeting the needs of English as Second Language/Dialect students.
(e) I have no reason to believe that the Ombudsman's investigation into this matter was anything other than complete. The Department is confident that the issue has been resolved by a formal apology and an improvement to public administration, namely the introduction of an English as Second Language/Dialect Policy at Rostrata Primary School. Any outstanding issues between the Cresswell family and Rostrata Primary School will be resolved at a school level.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
(a) The Ombudsman's report indicates his satisfaction that the Department of Education has acted in a fair and reasonable way in responding to the complaint made by the Cresswell family. The development and implementation of an English as Second Language/Dialect Policy at Rostrata Primary School ensures parents and classroom teachers are consulted when assessing students for inclusion in the English as Second Language/Dialect program.
(b) Commonwealth funding tied to the ESL/ESD program ceased in December 2008.
(b)(i) - (ii) Not applicable.
(c) Commonwealth funding tied to the ESL/ESD program ceased in December 2008.
(c)(i) - (ii) Not applicable.
(d) The Department will continue to provide support and guidance to schools in relation to meeting the needs of English as Second Language/Dialect students.
(e) I have no reason to believe that the Ombudsman's investigation into this matter was anything other than complete. The Department is confident that the issue has been resolved by a formal apology and an improvement to public administration, namely the introduction of an English as Second Language/Dialect Policy at Rostrata Primary School. Any outstanding issues between the Cresswell family and Rostrata Primary School will be resolved at a school level.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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.