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From The Principal …
CRESTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL
Telephone: (02) 9639 7422
Facsimile: (02) 9686 3462
Newsletter Date
3rd August, 2018
Week 2, Term 3
Special Points of
Interest:
Sport News
CHS Talented
Football Program
NCCD collection
Welfare News
Careers News
SRC News
News from English
and Drama
Copies of all
excursion notes can
be found on the
school
website.
http://
www.crestwood-
h.schools.nsw.edu.au
Crestwood In fol ine . . .
Weeks 3 and 4, Term 3
Week A
6.8 Yr 11 Police talks 7.8
Year 10, 11 and 8 Vaccinations 9.8
Knockout basketball 10.8 Yr 10 Commerce excursion
Yr 11 PDHPE First Aid
Week B 13.8 Yr 12 Buffer period
14.8 9ENC and 10ENC Model UN Yr 12 Buffer period
15.8
Yr 12 Buffer period 16.8
Assembly Day 17.8 Legacy Public Speaking final Yr 12 Trial HSC Exams begin
NAIDOC WEEK—Because of her, we can
Our first assembly of the term was a very special one
dedicated to NAIDOC Week held during the school
holidays. NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and
Islanders Observance Committee. NAIDOC Week gives us
the opportunity to celebrate the treasure of Aboriginal
culture and value it within our school community.
We are fortunate as a country to have this beautiful and rich Indigenous culture and
their many nations. As the oldest surviving culture in the world, it places spirit,
belonging to the land, and the importance of family and ancestors at the heart of its
culture.
Each year NAIDOC week has a new theme and this year’s
theme is Because of Her, We Can—acknowledging the
significate role indigenous women have played and continue
to play in our communities at a local, state and national level.
Through various avenues, many of these women have
influenced our communities and our nation through their
courageous activism, occupations and nurturing role as
mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters and elders. Often
the work of Indigenous women has gone unsung with their
role in the community often invisible.
Indigenous women have carried dreamtime stories, songlines,
language and knowledge keeping culture strong from generation
to generation, doing so while caring for and protecting family. A
great example of this is the strong, Cammeraygal leader of the
Eora Nation named Barangaroo. She was a key figure in the local
Aboriginal community during the time of British colonisation
providing food for her clan as a skilled fisherwoman. Her story is
inspiring and the newly developed urban project on Sydney’s
western harbor waterfront named in her honour.
There have been many Indigenous women who
have influenced our Australian nation in the public
eye such as Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Pat
O’Shane and Jessica Mauboy and many more who
have done so quietly with little recognition. NAI-
DOC 2018 is the time to acknowledge this and
appreciate the contribution of all Indigenous
women to this wonderful country. …..continued over page
Page 2
On behalf of the students and staff of our school, I would like to thank Janice Dennis, an aboriginal member of our
school community who generously shared her story and personal photos at our NAIDOC assembly. She spoke
about the women in her life who forged their way through obstacles and challenges to influence her and provide
her with the opportunities to become who she is today. A truly inspiring story and a wonderful experience for our
students and staff.
Sydney FC and Crestwood HS—Partnership in Education
Exciting times for football at Crestwood. On Monday 30 July, I had the pleasure of signing the Talented Football
Program agreement between Crestwood High School and Sydney FC officials from the club Danny Townsend, Pat
McCann and Kelly Cross. They brought along the auspicious and very heavy Premier’s trophy from the 2017/18
season with which we enjoyed taking some photos. This program is a joint venture between Sydney FC and
Crestwood High School to provide the opportunity for young soccer players to develop their skills and support
them in their pursuit of excellence. This program aims to develop not only skill but also resilience and respect in
conjunction with an ongoing commitment to learning and education. Many thanks to Mr Capano (PDHPE) for
being the driving force behind this very exciting program.
From The Principal cont…
UNIFORM SHOP
The Crestwood High School Uniform Shop will be open this Saturday
4/8/18 from 9am—1pm for all your uniform needs.
Page 3
On Tuesday the 31st July, Parent Teacher evening was held at the school for years 8, 9 and 10. We were delighted
with the significant number of bookings that parents made as it provides us with an opportunity to give parents
constructive feedback in relation to their child’s academic progress and discuss their strengths and aspects they can
further improve on. Aside from the student, teachers and parents are the other two main stakeholders in the
academic journey so it is important to have a shared understanding of where the student’s progress is and
strategies for them to continue to move forward. In terms of the organisation of the evening, we will reintroduce
the five minute counter coupled with a timer indicating the session has finished to further support this process.
Thank you again to all of the parents for your attendance on this night.
The year 12 trial HSC examinations will commence on Thursday the 16th August, which is week 4 of this term. All
of our year 12 students are revising and studying hard to achieve the best possible outcomes in the trial
examination. The year 12 mentoring program is an excellent initiative for selected teachers to support students
with work, revision techniques, time management and wellbeing strategies. Students are encouraged to see their
mentor within the coming weeks particularly if they are feeling anxious. On behalf of the school we wish our year
12 students all the best in their trial HSC examinations.
Bicycle Safety
Bicycle riders at Crestwood must obey the road rules. They must stop at red lights or stop signs, give way as indi-
cated by road signs and give hand signals when changing direction. Under the Road Rules, a bicycle is considered a
vehicle and has the same road rules as other vehicles.
Helmets
The helmet laws for cyclists of all ages in NSW help prevent head injuries and brain damage from falls and crashes.
Bicycle riders are required by law to wear an approved helmet securely fitted and fastened. In NSW there are no
exemptions from wearing an approved bicycle helmet. This applies to all bicycle riders, regardless of age, including
children on bicycles with training wheels and any child being carried as a passenger on a bike or in a bicycle trailer.
Crestwood students are not to ride to or from school without an approved helmet.
Footpaths
Children under 16 years of age can ride on a footpath. An adult rider who is supervising a bicycle rider under 16
may also ride with the young rider on the footpath. Bicycle riders are allowed to ride on footpaths where indicat-
ed by signs. When riding on a footpath or shared path, riders must keep left and give way to pedestrians.
Horns and bells
Your bike must be fitted with a working horn or bell to help sound a warning to other cyclists or pedestrians.
Brakes
Your bike must be fitted with at least one working brake.
From The Deputy Principal …
SRC News
Page 4
As we approach the graduation of our 2018 Year 12 students it is time to think about the future student
leaders of our school. Over the next few weeks we will be holding elections for both the SRC and
Senior student leadership team.
Any student who would like to nominate for a position will need to complete an application form
available from their Year Advisers or from Mrs Jones in the Visual Arts staffroom.
Completed forms need to be endorsed by a teacher and returned to Mrs Jones no later than Wednesday
8th August and those students will then meet with Mrs Jones on Thursday 16th August to check
eligibility and that correct details have been included on voting slips.
Voting for SRC will take place in week 5 during Thursdays AIM lesson while interviews for School
Captain and Senior Leadership will be held on Thursday 30th August. This will ensure the election
process will not affect Year 11 students completing accelerated courses for their HSC.
After students have been interviewed, twelve successful Year 11 candidates will present a 3 minute
speech to Year 10, Year 11 and available staff members who will then vote. Induction of our new
Leadership team, including our new SRC, will take place during our week 8 assembly on Thursday 13th
September.
I would like to acknowledge the outstanding work of our
current leadership team and thank them for providing our
school with a worthwhile legacy. Apart from
modelling standards of personal excellence and
encouraging inclusion in our student body, this fine group
of young people have worked cooperatively over the last
year to establish a “School Spirit Week” which was
enjoyed by an overwhelming number of students in term
2. Their aim was to enliven school spirit and build house rivalry by establishing competition with not
only sporting events such as soccer, basketball, handball and bocce but also activities including speed
painting, trivia and chess, something they achieved with astounding success.
The support of our SRC has also been vital within the school as the group has shared ideas about areas
for school improvement and organisation as well as supporting the promotion of the school at open days
and a variety of other events such as “Relay for Life”.
Page 5
Talented Football Program
Page 6
Sport News
Jayden Duncum of Year 10 has just returned from a highly successful athletics tour of Canada where he
won three gold medals, breaking meet records and improving his personal best results.
Jayden was one of 32 athletes from NSW who was invited to compete at two track and field meets in
Canada after coming second in discus at last years Combined High School State Championships. He
competed in discus, javelin, shot put and the 300 metre race.
Tour highlights included winning the discus event with a new personal best throw of 50.94m. This throw
also broke the U/15 meet record and therefore was the longest throw in the 37 year history of this
meet. Jayden also won javelin at both meets with a new personal bets throw of 41.36m, picking up three
gold medals overall.
The trip was a great all round experience for Jayden. It was his first overseas holiday
and he enjoyed the opportunity to chat with Canadian competitors, exchanging and
comparing information about their respective countries. Jayden has formed friend-
ships with some of the squad members and made memories that will last a lifetime.
Congratulations to Jayden for representing our school and our country with pride.
All Schools Cross Country
Congratulations to the Crestwood students who attended the All Schools State Cross Country last
Friday at Eastern Creek. There were some fantastic results with Niamh Sanday placing in the top 20 in
the state in her age group. Well done!
Macquarie Zone Athletics
Well done to Crestwood on winning the Macquarie Zone Athletics carnival against 8 rival schools. A
points total of 1512! This is a huge accomplishment which reflects the depth of athletic talent we have
here at Crestwood. This was a combined effort between boys and girls across all age groups and as
almost every event, track and field, had a Crestwood competitor. Some of our stand out athletes for this
year included:
Harvey Barrett: 12 boys age champion
Sam O’Connor: 16 boys age champion
Jorja Wilson: winner of girls under 14’s high jump, long jump, 200m sprint
Jasmine Crouch: winner of under 16’s girls shot put
Prue Stratton: winner of under 16’s girls triple jump
Niamh Sanday: winner of under 16’s girls 1500m and 300m continued over page
Page 7
Sport News continued
Chloe Lavender, Matilda Bloomfield, Jemma Brakell and Eleanor Fairhurst: winner of girls 4 x
100m relay
Todd Plumridge: winner of boys under 16’s discus
Jayden Duncum: winner of under 15’s boys discus and javelin
Ethan Manwaring: winner of under 14’s boys discus
Jayden Corbett: winner of under 12’s boys high jump
Patrick Bombala: winner of 17+ boys long jump, triple jump 100m and 200m
Jake Christian: Under 15’s boys 800m, 1500m and 3000m
As this day was a huge celebration for our athletes, it was fuelled by the help of Filomena Tassone, Vince
Capano, Benjamin Kemp and Brendon Salhani who had participating roles in the organisation of the day.
Thank you to all competitors and staff who contributed to the huge success of the day and we look
forward to defending our title of champions next year!
Page 8
WELFARE NEWS
Upcoming Events for Term 3
B Street-smart excursion for Year 11 students which Crestwood High School attends yearly. This
program is an important part of road safety education. The content can be challenging for students but
this is it’s strength, as students see first-hand the consequences of poor decision making when driving and
when being a passenger.
Notes have been issued to students at the start of Term 3. Places are limited on this excursion so
prompt payment is encouraged.
Vaccinations
Year 10 and 11 will receive their Meningococcal vaccination next Tuesday.
Any forms not yet returned can still be returned.
Year 7 students and Year 8 students who have missed previous doses due to
absence will have the opportunity for catch up doses on this day. In addition
any unreturned Year 7 forms can still be accepted.
Optus Digital Thumbprint
Optus Digital Thumbprint ran a very informative and engaging series of seminars for Year 7, 8 and 9.
These lectures for Year 7 and 8 focused on password security, terms and conditions and privacy on the
internet. Students were provided with many useful tips and short cuts to ensure they understand terms
and conditions and how to write a safe password.
The top tips are in the fact sheet below and are also very useful for parents to maintain digital security.
http://digitalthumbprint.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Digital_Insight_Student_Top_Tips.pdf
The Year 9 seminars focused on cyber bullying, cyber relationships and privacy and legal issues when
using the internet.
The top tips are in the fact sheet below and are also very useful for parents when assisting students to
navigate life in a digital world.
http://www.digitalthumbprint.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Digital_Impact_Student_Top_Tips.pdf
There are also multiple resources on the Digital Thumbprint website for parents at http://
www.digitalthumbprint.com.au/parent-resources/
In addition Glen Gerreyn from the “Hopefull Institute” delivered talks to Year 9 and 10 students.
Students were very engaged in both sessions and many took some very useful inspiration and ideas from
these talks.
Page 9
Page 10
The Turning Page - English and Drama News
Book Club News
During the recent school holidays Year 8, 9 and 10 students in the Book Club began reading renowned
American author John Green’s latest novel ‘Turtles All the Way Down.’ The Book Club plans to meet
soon to engage in each other’s reading experience.
Students are encouraged to think of suggestions for the next club novel. Danial Yazdani has already put
forward his interest in Markus Zuzak’s historical novel ‘The Book Thief.’
Debating and Public Speaking
The Year Nine debaters finished off last term as Zone champions and are now waiting to see who they
will debate in the Inter-Zone as they move into the knockout rounds.
The Year 7 and Year 8 Debating teams begin their competition against Model Farms on the 24th August
and Hills Sports on the 27th August.
Charlee Sutherland competed in the State Final of the Plain English Public Speaking Competition on the
last day of school last term. Charlee was magnificent in both her prepared and impromptu speeches but
unfortunately did not proceed to the National Final this time.
This term Crestwood has two competitors in the Legacy Public Speaking Competition. The Local Final
will be held here at Crestwood on Friday 17th August and we wish the best of luck to Emily Foufas-
Noakes and Mubarak Tajudeen who will be representing us.
Year 12 Drama Showcase
Our Year 12 students presented their major works at the
HSC Drama Showcase on Friday 27 July. The
external markers were very impressed with the
Crestwood students’ work and gave them valuable
feedback for their upcoming HSC performances and
submissions. The sizeable crowd of parents and other
students were very appreciative of the entertainment
provided and I’m sure challenged by some of the ideas
presented by this talented group. Thanks to the staff for
their dedicated commitment and congratulations to the
Class of 2018 for their hard work this year and break a
leg for your upcoming performance examination.
Page 11
CAREERS NEWS Early Offer Extended—Notre Dame University to 10 August
There’s still time to put together an Early Offer application for the university ranked #1 in Australia for overall quality of edu-
cational experience and #1 in NSW for overall employer satisfaction, skills development and learner engagement (qilt.edu.au).
Why should your students apply for our Young Achievers Early Offer Program?
To secure a university spot before sitting the Year 12 exams
To receive recognition for their talents and passion across a broad range of activities, including volunteer work, leader-
ship, sport, the arts and academic achievement
Access to Notre Dame’s Leadership Program, including workshops, guest presentations and volunteering opportunities
Applicants will be invited for interview with an academic staff member who lectures in the degree the student has listed
as their first preference. Interviews will start taking place from late August and Early offers will be released the end of
September.
If you have any questions about the Early Offer Program, please visit https://www.notredame.edu.au/forms/early-offer or
email [email protected]
New Majors—Cyber Security and Digital Marketing
Be Digital Disruption Ready. Future Proof Your Career. From 2019 onwards, MIT Sydney will be offering additional new
courses: Bachelor of Networking—Major in Cyber Security and Bachelor of Business—major in Digital Marketing. Applica-
tions open through UAC. For more information contact Bridget—[email protected]
Early Admission Program for La Trobe University
Students can now submit applications to Aspire—La Trobe’s Early Admission Program. Aspire recognises and rewards stu-
dent swho are leaders and volunteers within their community with an earlier offer to La Trobe courses in September. Aspire
is available for all campuses including our Sydney CBD campus. Email [email protected] for more information or visit
http://bit.ly/2KpjPN2
Australian Apprenticeships and Traineeships Info Service
Australian Apprenticeships Pathways facebook information page has loads of useful advice for obtaining an apprenticeship or
traineeship. Opportunities are also listed. Go to: www.facebook.com/aatinfoservice/
Build-a-Career Apprenticeship Site
Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) Workforce Development, School to Work Transition Program, have a great tool for
students looking to Build an Apprenticeship or Traineeship Career. Industry School Partnership Pathways for Sydney High
Schools. The students will receive information to assist them in finding that suitable career path. http://
www.aigroupapprentices.com.au/build-a-career/
Seek Hot Jobs Infographic
See what is hot and what is not in a quick snapshot of careers across Australia. https://insightsresources.seek.com.au/
infographic-australias-fastest-growing-jobs
How I got the job—Episode 1 ‘The Nurse’
The How I Got The Job series shows young Australians talking about how VET helped them to find direction and achieve suc-
cess in a field they’re passionate about. There are a lot of misconceptions about VET. Yet, through this series we learnt these
pathways help build real skills for real careers and open up a variety of employment opportunities across lots of different in-
dustries. https://www.fya.org.au/video/how-i-got-the-job-the-nurse/
Page 12
CAREERS NEWS
Open Days and Information Sessions:
Date Venue Details
Monday 6 August Defence Force Australia—Careers Info
Sessions
6.30pm—8.30pm. Register via the link.
https://www.defencejobs.gov.au/events/events-detail/EUQPW54
Saturday 11 August University of Wollongong Open Day 10am—4pm
https://openday.uow.edu.au/
Sunday 12 August ICMS International College of
Management (Manly Campus)
10am—2pm
http://courses.icms.edu.au/ICMS-Open-Day-2018.html?
utm_source=OpenDay.com.au
Saturday 18 August Macquarie University Open Day 10am—4pm
https://openday.mq.edu.au/?
utm_campaign=FTS200&utm_source=OOH&utm_medium=OOH
Saturday 18 August Le Cordon Bleu Sydney Open Day 10am—2pm
https://www.cordonbleu.edu/sydney/open-days/en?
&utm_source=opendaycomau&utm_medium=ref&utm_name=aust
ralia-2017-openday
Sunday 19 August Western Sydney University Open Day 10am—2pm (Parramatta Campus)
https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/openday.html
Saturday 25 August Whitehouse Institute of Design Sydney
Campus
10am—3pm
https://whitehouse-design.edu.au/
Saturday 25 August University of Newcastle Open Day 10am—4pm
https://www.newcastle.edu.au/events/future-students/newcastle-
open-day
Saturday 25 August Notre Dame University Sydney Campus 9am—3pm
https://www.notredame.edu.au/events-items/open-day-sydney
Saturday 25 August University of Sydney Open Day 9am-4pm
https://openday.sydney.edu.au/?cid=ol_open-day-
2017&utm_source=offline&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=o
pen-day-2017
Saturday 25 August University of Technology Open Day 9am-4pm
https://openday.uts.edu.au/
Saturday 1 September University of New South Wales 9am-4pm
https://www.futurestudents.unsw.edu.au/openday
Saturday 1 September Australian Catholic University Open
Day North Sydney Campus
9am-2pm
http://www.acu.edu.au/student_experience/student_life/
experience_uni_before_you_start/open_day
Saturday 8 September Australian Catholic University Open
Day
Strathfield Campus
9am—2pm
http://www.acu.edu.au/student_experience/student_life/
experience_uni_before_you_start/open_day
Thursday 13 September HIA Trades Career Event Novotel Sydney Olympic Park. 10am—1.30pm
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/hia-trades-career-event-tickets-
47702937771?aff=erelexpmlt
Page 13
CAREERS NEWS
Page 14
P & C NEWS
Once again Term 3 is busy for all the students and the staff. Year 12 are in the last term of school and all
major projects and practical components of their subjects are due, Trial HSC will be happening and yearly
exams for Year 11 will be held at the end of this term.
Term 2 was busy with the School Musical, Relay for Life and many Sport and Academic representations
in competitions. Congratulations to all students and teachers involved. It is wonderful seeing all the great
results and student involvement.
Our next P & C meeting will be held on Tuesday 7th August in the staff room from 7pm. This is a great
opportunity for parents to come along to find out what is happening in the school from the school
executive in an informal discussion environment. It is also an opportunity for parents to raise any
concerns or issues they may have.
The P & C is run by a small number of parents and citizens who volunteer their time on a regular basis to
come to a monthly meeting to discuss what is happening in the school with the school executive. We also
try to find ways that the P & C funds can be used in the school to benefit all students with input from the
school executive. I would like to personally thank our P & C members and especially the Executive
Committee for their time. We are all volunteers, not paid employees, all work elsewhere and have other
personal commitments. Many of us are in positions on the committee that we are not professionally
trained in but we are doing our best to help our school community. We do appreciate the support of the
school community.
In 2019 a number of the P & C members will be leaving as their children have left school or they have
other commitments. For the school’s canteen and uniform shop to operate there needs to be a P & C
committee to oversee these operations. They are run by the P & C and all profits are returned back to the
school via the P & C. These positions must be filled on the P & C committee. The annual AGM is held in
March 2019 and if you and your children enjoy having these services provided please come forward and
volunteer to be part of the P & C in 2019.
Below is a list of the remaining dates for P & C meetings for 2018.
August 7/8/18
September 4/9/18
October No meeting in October—School Holidays
November 6/11/18
December 4/12/18—(Christmas Party meeting TBC)
Hope to see you at our next meeting.
Cathy Morgan— P & C President.
Page 17
Fact sheet for parents and carers
What is the NCCD?
The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (the national data collection) is an annual collection that counts the number of school students receiving an adjustment due to disability and the level of adjustment they are receiving to access education on the same basis as other
students.
Each of the included students has been identified by a school team as receiving a reasonable adjustment to address a disability under the Disability Discrimination
Act 1992 (the Act) (www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2017C00339).
Why is this data being collected?
All schools across Australia collect information about students with disability. However, until recently, the type of information collected has varied between each state and territory and across government, Catholic and independent school sectors. The national data collection ensures that, for the first time,
information about students with disability is transparent, consistent and reliable at a national level.
A nationally consistent approach to collecting data provides evidence on:
the number of school students receiving an adjustment due to disability
the level of adjustment they receive
the broad type of disability.
From 2018, the student with disability loading provided by the Australian Government is based on the national data collection. Funding is being provided via a loading at different rates based on students’ received level of adjustment (supplementary, substantial or extensive). This will enable funding to be better targeted to student need as identified through the collection. Schools will continue to manage their total resources to meet the learning needs of their
students based on the educational expertise of their staff.
It is important to note that states and territories are responsible for decisions about the level of funding for government schools; and non-government education systems and approved authorities are responsible for the distribution of the needs-based Commonwealth funding that they receive. While Government funding is calculated with reference to students enrolled at a school, the Government expects schools and school systems to pool their funding
from all sources—Australian Government, state/territory and private—and prioritise their spending to meet the educational needs of all of their students. This
is because the Government recognises that schools and school systems are best placed to understand the individual needs of students and budget accordingly.
The students with disability loading may be used for broader supports at the classroom, school and sector level, as well as for supports for individual students.
Education authorities may, for example, opt to use funding for professional learning and to build capacity and inclusive cultures in schools.
Better information about school students with disability helps parents, carers, teachers, principals, education authorities and government to gain a more complete understanding of students who are receiving adjustments because of disability and how to best support them to take part in schooling on the same
basis as other students.
What information will be collected?
Every year, your child’s school will collect the following information for each student receiving an adjustment due to disability:
the student’s year of schooling
the student’s level of adjustment
the student’s broad type of disability.
If a student has multiple disabilities, the school team, using their professional judgement, selects the broad category of disability that has the greatest impact on
his/her access to education and for which adjustments are being provided.
When undertaking the national data collection, every school in Australia uses the same method to collect information. Therefore, a government school in suburban Sydney collects and submits data in the same way as a Catholic school in country Victoria and an independent school in the Northern Territory. The
information collected by schools will be available to all governments to inform policy and program improvement for students with disability.
How will this data be used? The information provided through the national data collection will give governments greater insight into the numbers and distribution of students receiving
adjustments because of disability in Australian schools.
In addition to informing funding, the data will inform work at a school and system/sectoral level. It will help to ensure that better support for students who are
receiving adjustments because of disability becomes routine in the day-to-day practice of schools through:
Dear Parents,
Under the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) schools are required to provide information to the Federal
Government about the learning adjustments being made by the school for students with disabilities. Please refer to the
following fact sheets for detailed information about this process and related weblinks.
Should you wish to speak about this process the most appropriate members of staff to contact is Tracey Cowan.
Page 18
strengthening understanding of schools’ legislative obligations and the Disability
Standards for Education 2005 in relation to students who are receiving adjustments because of disability
focusing attention on the individual adjustments required to support students with disability to participate in learning on the same basis as other
students, and enabling schools to better reflect on the needs of these students and to support them more effectively
facilitating a more collaborative and coordinated approach to supporting students who are receiving adjustments because of disability, including
through encouraging improvements in documentation at the school level
strengthening communication between schools, parents/carers and the broader community about the needs of students who are receiving
adjustments because of disability.
Who is included in the national data collection?
The definition of disability for the national data collection is based on the broad definition under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (www.legislation.gov.au/
Details/C2017C00339).
For the purposes of the national data collection, students with learning difficulties (such as dyslexia or auditory processing disorder) or chronic health
conditions (like epilepsy or diabetes) that require monitoring and the provision of adjustments by the school may be included.
Who collects information for the national data collection?
Teachers and school staff identify the number of students receiving an adjustment due to disability in their school, the broad type of disability and the level of adjustment provided, based on:
consultation with parents and carers in the course of determining and providing adjustments
the school team’s observations and professional judgements
any medical or other professional diagnosis
other relevant information.
School principals are responsible for ensuring the information identified about each student is accurate.
What are the benefits of the national data collection for my child?
The aim of the national data collection is to collect quality information about Australian school students receiving adjustments due to disability.
This information will help teachers, principals, education authorities and governments to better support students with disability to take part in school on the
same basis as other students.
The national data collection provides an opportunity for schools to review their learning and support systems and processes to continually improve education
outcomes for students with disability and all students.
What are schools required to do for students with disability?
All students are entitled to a quality learning experience at school.
Schools are required to make reasonable adjustments, where needed, to assist students with disability to access and participate in education free from
discrimination and on the same basis as other students.
These responsibilities are outlined in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2017C00339) and the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (the Standards) (www.docs.education.gov.au/node/16354). The Standards require educators, students, parents and others (e.g. allied health
professionals) to work together to ensure students with disability can participate in education.
What is a reasonable adjustment? A reasonable adjustment is a measure or action taken to help a student with disability access and participate in education on the same basis as other students. Adjustments can be made across the whole school setting (e.g. ramps into school buildings), in the classroom (such as adapting teaching methods) and at an
individual student level (e.g. extra tuition for a student with learning difficulties).
Reasonable adjustments reflect the assessed individual needs of the student, and are provided in consultation with the student and/or their parents and carers. For the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (www.docs.education.gov.au/node/16354), an adjustment is reasonable in relation to a student with disability if
it balances the interests of all parties affected. Schools are required to make reasonable adjustments for students with disability under the Standards.
When does the collection take place?
The national data collection is conducted in August each year.
Is the national data collection compulsory?
Yes. All education ministers agreed to full implementation of the national data collection from 2015. This means that all schools must now collect and submit
information annually on the number of students receiving adjustments due to disability in their care, and the level of adjustment they receive.
Information about the arrangements that may apply to your school in relation to this data collection is available from your child’s school principal and the
relevant education authority.
How is my child’s privacy protected?
Protecting the privacy and confidentiality of all students and their families is essential and is an explicit focus of the national data collection. Data is collected
within each school, and personal details, such as student names or other identifying information, are not provided to local or federal education authorities.
Further information about privacy is available in the Public information notice (www.docs.education.gov.au/node/33415).
