Susan Ryan
Family Engagement
Awards 2022

Proudly Sponsored by the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association

In its seventy fifth year the Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO) is proud to launch the inaugural Susan Ryan Family Engagement Awards for all government school communities across Australia.

Susan was a leader and pioneer in many areas including ACSSO’s first executive officer, Labor’s first female Senator in the ACT and first female in a Labor Ministry, Minister for Education and Youth, the first Minister for the Status of Women and Australia’s first Age Discrimination Commissioner .

"The Australian Secondary Principals' Association (ASPA) proudly advocates for 5000 School leaders across Australia. ASPA is a very proud supporter of the Susan Ryan award, together with parent organisations working in our schools. We look forward to continuing the important work with ACSSO on behalf of government schools and students into the future." (Andrew Pierpoint, President ASPA)

Together we will acknowledge, celebrate, and promote the great practice that is occurring in schools across the nation, which will culminate in the award being presented at our National Conference in Canberra, 5-6 November 2022.

What is Family engagement?

Family engagement is an intentional and collaborative strategy to support and leverage the knowledge, capacities, and social capital of families to improve learning and well-being outcomes for all children and young people (Family, School and Community Partnerships Bureau (2014)

Award Categories

In determining award categories, ACSSO will use the ICSEA scale (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) it allows for a fair and reasonable comparison among schools with similar demographics. It is not a school rating and has nothing to do with the staff, school facilities or teaching programs at the school.

There are four categories

• Schools with an ICSEA of less than 800
• Schools with an ICSEA of 800 – 1000
• Schools with an ICSEA of 1000 – 1100
• Schools with an ICSEA of 1100 plus

The finalists in each of the four categories will be announced in early October with an invitation to send a school representative to attend the November 5-6 National Conference, where the overall winner will be announced.

Susan Ryan Family Engagement Awards 2022

• Proudly Sponsored by the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association
• Finalists in each category will receive
• One registration to the ACSSO National Conference
• One ticket to the Conference Dinner
• Return economy travel to Canberra for a representative of the school community
• Two nights accommodation at the Conference Venue

The Susan Ryan Award recipient will receive $2,000.00

Additional members of the school community are most welcome to register and attend the conference at their expense

Submission Process

Applications must address the topic: “Family Engagement – Our Journey”

Applications must be in the form of a short 2-minute video or written statement of no more than 1,000 words and must be endorsed by both a member of the school family community and the school’s Principal.

We know that effective Family – School Partnerships supports student achievement and school improvement. All applications for the 2022 Susan Ryan Family Engagement Awards must be made online via the Awards portal

Assistance with your video application can be found here: Susan Ryan Award Video Application

In presenting your application:

• Tell us about your school and the community it serves
• Describe your family engagement strategy including how it is embedded in the school plan and programs
• Show us your successes and challenges
• Demonstrate sustainability including what resources and infrastructure is in place
• Explain your evaluation processes

By submitting your application, you are giving the Australian Council of State School Organisations permission to use media files and text provided in your application.

This may be used for promotional and announcement purposes.

Any photographic or other permissions must be obtained by the school prior to submitting the application.

If your application contains classified or yet-to-be released content, please indicate in your application, and provide relevant information about the embargo. We respect all confidentiality requirements.

Applications Close - Extended to 30 September 2022

A PDF of the brochure can be obtained here

Upload your video or document below