WACSSO proudly represents the voices of public school parents across WA. We believe all children in Western Australia should have access to a world-class education.
Integral to the WACSSO vision is the advocacy work undertaken on behalf of parents. In discussions with education leaders, WACSSO highlights the value parents place on having choices when it comes to their child’s education journey.
Today’s Labor Party election commitment regarding a pilot program in ten schools to offer full-time Kindergarten will be a welcome opportunity for many parents. WACSSO supports the pilot being run in a mix of metropolitan and regional schools and is keen on more details regarding the proposal to move the Western Australian education system to offer full time Kindergarten from 2027.
“WACSSO believes that parental engagement in their child’s education is paramount to a student’s success in any learning environment,” says WACSSO President, Pania Turner. “Parent engagement must include both consultation and offering choices when it comes to certain aspects of a child’s education. We know that the option of full-time Kindergarten will be very appealing to some parents. Many parents currently juggle Kindy days and daycare days to enable them to work and other parents feel strongly that their child is ready for a full-time program from Kindy age. For other parents, the option of part-time, flexible enrolment in Kindergarten serves them and their child much better. Having choice will be crucial to the success of this program.”
“We are also keen to know if vulnerable communities will be included in the pilot and how schools were selected for this trial phase. We anticipate the data collected as a result of this trial will demonstrate if there is a positive, neutral or negative impact on a child’s learning journey when starting earlier, and that this will inform the roll out across the State. We’re keen to understand this data when it is available. Additionally, we know from conversations with parents how crucial Educational Assistants are in the Kindy classroom, so we are keen to know more about how attracting more staff to these important roles, plus funding more teachers and infrastructure upgrades more generally will be achieved,” added Pania.
Providing parents with agency and choice in their child’s education requires a commitment to two-way communication. WACSSO will encourage the public sharing of pilot findings for the proposed full-time kindergarten program, and ensuring that parents, children and teachers involved in the pilot have ample opportunity to provide feedback. This feedback, along with a two-way dialogue with school communities, should inform roll out plans. WA P&Cs have as a part of their Objects ‘the fostering of community interest in educational matters.’ As such, P&Cs are well positioned to assist schools with the two-way communication on this new initiative, and WACSSO looks forward to working with education leaders to assist with the consultation and feedback process.