Review shows support for changes to school starting/finishing dates

August 15, 1998

A review of school starting dates in Western Australia has revealed overwhelming support for school to start and finish one week later in the year and has recommended changes to some traditional education language.

Talking to parents today at the annual WA Council of State School Organisations (WACSSO) conference, Education Minister Colin Barnett said the review found a clear preference for school students to begin where possible on the first Monday in February and finish where possible on the last Friday before Christmas. Teachers would begin the school year at least two days before students.

The review of school starting dates from 2001 to 2005 was established by the Minister earlier this year.

It has also recommended introducing the terminology 'semesters, mid-semester break and mid-year break'. The current four-term school year would become a two-semester school year but the number and length of holidays in any one year would not change. A school year would comprise two semesters, each semester would have a mid-semester break (school holiday) and there would be a mid-year break (school holiday) in between the semesters.

The change in terminology would be consistent with how the new curriculum framework would be taught when it was introduced from next year and consistent with university and TAFE terminology.

Mr Barnett said he was generally supportive of the recommendations in the report which had come about after extensive consultation by the cross-sectorial review group. "The changes to the starting dates will begin in 2001 and dates will always be set and published three years in advance," he said.

"It is preferable that school always begins after the Australia Day holiday in January and that the four-day Easter break is linked with the first mid-semester break so as to avoid disruption.

"The new curriculum framework, to be phased-in from next year, is less reliant on teaching in terms and more outcomes-based and suitable to teaching in semesters.

"With the new focus on semesters, the Education Department will investigate how staffing appointments can be streamlined so changes to staff will ideally occur at the beginning of semester one (February) or, where necessary, at the beginning of semester two (mid-year).

"This will create greater stability in staffing for schools and lessen the chance of staff beginning during teaching periods which can be disruptive to students. Country schools, I believe, will find this particularly attractive, as establishing new teachers in country areas of the State can often be a more demanding experience than in the city."

Mr Barnett said the starting dates review committee distributed more than 30,000 copies of a discussion paper and received more than 3,700 questionnaires during the six-month review. Consultation involved many sectors of the community, including tourism and business groups, and included a detailed questionnaire.

Other recommendations of the review were: 

·      that the total number of days in a school year be retained at present levels - approximately 197 days;

·      that the number of teaching weeks available to year 12 students preparing to sit the Tertiary Entrance Examinations be retained at least at the current level and if possible increased, by adopting later commencement dates for the first written examinations; and -

·      that a cross-sector standing committee be established to recommend school dates for 2006 and beyond.

Mr Barnett thanked all the groups involved in the review which included representatives from the Government, Catholic and independent schools sectors.

Major interest groups will shortly receive a copy of the report for comment.

Media contact: Justine Whittome, (08) 9222 9699 or 041 777 9699