From the President's Desk

November 2024

Dear Members, Parents, Carers, Students, Principals, and Teachers,

As the year draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the challenges and achievements we have collectively experienced and to extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you for your contributions to the growth and success of our state school community.

School Transitions & Year 12 Celebrations

This time of year is particularly significant Year 12 students, who complete high school and embark on further study, work, or other pathways. We celebrate their resilience, hard work, successes and dedication throughout their schooling. As they approach their end-of-year celebrations, we encourage everyone to celebrate wisely—with care and responsibility. These celebrations mark a major milestone, and we urge students to be mindful of their safety and safety of their peers and the community.

We also recognize the students transitioning between school years, whether moving from primary to secondary school or preparing to take the next step. These transitions are pivotal, and we encourage students and families to approach these changes with an open mindset and plan for success, including by encouraging children and teens to get enough sleep.

Social Media Ban

The Australian Government has proposed a social media ban on children under the age of 16.

ACSSO has asked for families’ views on the ban through a survey. Many respondents have already indicated similar concerns for children and teens including accessing inappropriate content, privacy risks, excessive screen time, inappropriate influence and the ways that the platform algorithms work. However, families do not agree on the solutions - around a third of families believe that 11-13 years is the appropriate age for children to use social media, while another third of families believe 14-16 years is the appropriate age for children to use social media.

We encourage all readers to complete the survey, which will close on November 30. Once ACSSO’s survey is closed, we will share the survey results with the Prime Minister, Minister for Communications and Minister Education and the https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JMXCVTM

Vaping and Student Health

We remain deeply concerned about vaping among young people, and ACSSO is committed to working closely with schools, health authorities, and parents to address this issue. ACSSO has distributed your survey responses broadly and used that information to have productive conversations with Federal Ministers.

We encourage parents and carers to have open conversations with their children about the dangers of vaping, and we stand by our schools and health sector in their ongoing efforts to educate and prevent the use of these harmful products.

We recently partnered with Catholic School Parents Australia and Australian Parents Council and reached out to families that indicated a willingness to be contacted on the trends in vaping since the Government interventions to ban vapes and provide additional supports for families, children and teens. Based on the information we have, we can report that the numbers of young people vaping in schools has reduced, with reduced school litter noticed by families. Schools and families have also said that vaping is no longer seen as ‘çool’.

While still a problem, this feedback on reduced vaping is promising. We have provided this information to the Federal Government.

We would be keen to hear from you your experiences of children and teen vaping rates going forward.

The Upcoming Election & Parent Involvement

Looking ahead to the upcoming federal election (likely early next year), ACSSO is committed to ensuring that the voices of parents and carers are heard in discussions about education policy. As part of our preparations, we are conducting a survey to gather input on the key themes and issues that matter most to families and the community. This is an important opportunity for you to share your views and help shape the direction of future educational policies. We encourage all parents and carers to participate and help us advocate for the best possible outcomes for our children.

We would like to hear your views on:

• Your experiences in getting help for your children and teens, and the level of fragmentation and gaps in services for young people across all levels of Government, and your views on the need for a more coordinated focus by governments on the matters affecting students, including education, health, social services and family support
• The need for additional and sustainable operational funding and funding for infrastructure. We would like to hear from you on the gaps in service and the infrastructure at your school, and what more funding could deliver.
• Opportunities that may present from national plans to identify and promote effective teaching and wellbeing, social and emotional supports for children and teens, family school engagement and digital education. Here, we would be interested any gaps in the services and practice that your family has experienced, and examples of good practice too.
• Opportunities to update the curriculum with contemporary material, while not cluttering the curriculum.

We would love you to fill in the survey and help us advocate for families. You can find the survey here

Closing Remarks

As we close out 2024, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for the dedication, passion, and commitment shown by our school communities throughout the year. The resilience and strength demonstrated by students, parents, carers, teachers, and principals is inspiring. Together, we make a positive difference in the lives of our young people, and this work is of the highest importance.

On behalf of the Australian Council of State School Organisations, I wish you all a safe, happy, and restful holiday season. May the New Year bring joy, growth, and continued success to all.

Warm regards,
Damien Ellwood
President
Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO)

Meeting with the Minister and Parent Organisations

On November 22, the Federal Minister for Education convened a high-level roundtable to engage with leaders from Australia’s school parent organisations, discussing pressing issues and emerging trends in education.

The table brought together representatives from the Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO), Catholic School Parents Australia (CSPA), Australian Parents Council (APC), Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association (ICPA), ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations (ACT P&C), Parents Victoria (PV), Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of NSW(P&C NSW), Western Australian Council of State School Organisations (WACSSO), Northern Territory Council of Government School Organisations (NTCOGSO), South Australian Association of School Parent Communities (SAASPC), P&Cs Queensland (P&Cs QLD), and the Tasmanian Association of State School Organisations (TASSO).

This forum brought a wealth of expertise to the table, with participants sharing valuable insights into the pivotal role of family engagement in education. Discussions underscored the need for systemic reforms and collaborative strategies to address challenges and ensure the success and well-being of all Australian students.

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