From The Director General
Great support continues for school autonomy
I am very pleased that interest in the Independent Public Schools initiative continues to grow, with 141
schools – one quarter of eligible schools – across the State applying this year to have a greater say in their
directions and operations.
From as early as Term 4 of last year to early May this year, principals undertook a range of consultations with staff, parents
and communities to gauge their commitment and preparedness to assume greater autonomy to take up the flexibilities on offer.
Last week I received applications from 55 schools in the country and 86 schools in the metropolitan area. This includes 94
primary schools, 25 senior high schools, 1 senior college, 11 education support centres, 6 district high schools, 2
high schools and 2 agricultural colleges.
Expressions of interest were received from 6 Goldfields, 4 Kimberley, 2 Midwest, 43 North Metropolitan, 6 Pilbara, 51 South
Metropolitan, 22 Southwest and 7 Wheatbelt schools, embodying a diverse compass of socioeconomic communities.
I am pleased to see that the first schools in the Kimberley have expressed interest as the Broome Schools Cluster.
Since the start of the initiative, 389 schools have expressed interest to become Independent Public Schools – that
is, half of all our schools.
An independent selection panel is now assessing expressions of interest before making recommendations to me. I will let schools
know the outcomes of the panel’s deliberations in July 2012 when the Government announces successful schools. Following
this announcement, an extensive transition and training program will help these schools in the lead up to starting as Independent
Public Schools.
This significant and growing interest builds on the initiative’s successes to date. We currently have 207 Independent
Public Schools – 27 per cent of all our schools –representing about 40 per cent of all students and teachers.
I would like to thank principals and their school communities for considering this exciting initiative in public education
in Western Australia.
SHARYN O’NEILL
