West Australian parents whose children were on specialised learning plans are concerned by a “sudden change” that has resulted in their removal.
Many parents were told at the start of the 2025 school year their children would no longer require a “documented plan” – an umbrella term used to describe ways of catering to the educational needs of students through individualised programs.
The changes were made after the State School Teachers’ Union WA’s latest enterprise bargaining agreement clarified seven specific disability categories where documented plans were required.
But the union has not changed any of its guidelines, instead making them clearer under the latest agreement after reporting teachers had been writing the plans in instances where they should not have been for years.
Perth parent Sophie, who asked her last name not be used, said she had taken her young son – who has dyslexia and was listed as being “at educational risk” – out of her local public school and moved him to a nearby Catholic school for the start of year 2.
She said he had not been getting the support he needed in the public system, and was now making considerable progress at a school where his needs were better supported, including through having a permanent education assistant in the classroom and additional literacy classes three times a week.
“If you want proper disability support you have to pay for it,” she said, referring to the higher fees associated with private education.
“As a parent you need to know how your child is going and how they’ll be supported, and having a specific plan helps with that.
“How does a school draw the line between ‘this student is really struggling and needs a plan’ versus ‘they’re not struggling enough’. We need better consistency across all schools and sectors.”
Another parent, who asked not to be named, said the changes to the plans had been quietly announced by their principal. They were concerned by the seemingly sudden change.
Their school had also claimed it was the Department of Education who had clarified requirements for plans and listed eight disability groups that did not match the union’s.
This masthead later clarified the list fit under “received an individual disability allocation”.
The list of diagnoses under ‘individual disability allocation’
- Autism spectum disorder
- Deaf and hard of hearing
- Global development delay
- Intellectual disability
- Physical disability
- Severe mental health condition
- Severe mental disorder
- Vision impairment
Symone Wheatley-Hey, a community advocate and founder of the group Square Peg Round Whole, said she was aware of instances where parents were told their child with a disability was no longer entitled to a documented plan.
Wheatley-Hey said clear and transparent communication about any changes to policy or process was essential to reducing confusion and minimising distress.
“Students with disabilities have the right to access education on the same basis as their non-disabled peers, whether or not they have a formal documented plan,” she said.
“Upholding student rights should not come at the cost of unmanageable workloads for teachers, nor should reasonable working conditions come at the expense of student support.”
State School Teachers’ Union WA president Matt Jarman said teachers had been taking on too much, and the new agreement was aimed at reducing workload and improving attrition rates.
He said the outline of when a documented plan should be created was already in the union’s general agreement, but “no one really was paying attention to it”.
“Dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, language delay – I could easily come up with at least 10 challenges that are not covered underneath the definitions,” Jarman said.
“Schools have been increasingly providing individual or documented plans for every one of these things.
“When you’ve got the largest class sizes in the country, the workload has become too much. The school is not and was never responsible for providing those plans.”
Jarman said there were 45 items in the EBA that needed to be negotiated with the Department of Education and put into place, which had only just begun this year.
He admitted some schools might be rushing into things in announcing major changes to plans.
“We haven’t got to the point where it is fully agreed between all parties how it’s going to roll out the door. Nothing has come from us, and nothing has come from the Department that’s different yet,” he said.
“We’ve got a bunch of teachers who claim they’re writing up to about a dozen plans, even under the guideline that’s been reinforced in the EBA.
“I do understand parents wanting answers. I think that is a very reasonable question to go to the school community or school leader with at the moment, or the Department of Education, but the response is going to be ‘this is still being negotiated’.”
He said a capable teacher would be able to manage a child with dyslexia without a plan, providing they had training. He admitted without that training it would be harder for students to have their needs met.
Department of Education executive director Catherine Shepherd said the agency’s position on documented plans had not changed.
“Some students in public schools need additional support and adjustments to engage with the curriculum,” she said.
“Schools make these adjustments to ensure students can fully participate in classroom learning.
“Adjustments may be recorded in teaching programs and daily lesson plans and, for some students, in documented plans.”
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