3154. Hon Alison Xamon to the Minister for Education and Training:
I refer to Students at Education Risk, and I ask:
(a) how many students have officially been identified as being at educational risk;
(b) how many of the students from (a) attend primary schools;
(c) of the students in (a), how many have been identified because of:
(i) low attendance;
(ii) number of days suspended;
(iii) mental health concerns;
(iv) health issues; and
(v) other (please advise what other categories are recorded);
(d) are parents required to be informed if their child is identified as being at educational risk; and
(e) if no to (d), why not?
Hon Sue Ellery replied:
(a)–(c) There is no systemic measure of students at educational risk. Whether or not a student is identified as a student at educational risk is a decision made at the school level, based on the school’s knowledge of the individual student and their particular circumstances.
The Department of Education’s Students at Educational Risk in Public Schools policy defines students at risk as those whose academic, social and/or emotional attributes are a barrier to engagement with the content and standards defined in the Western Australian Curriculum.
The policy identifies that risk factors include, but are not limited to, irregular school attendance, socio-economic status, family structures, medical/biological/genetic/cognitive factors, environmental factors (school, family and community), cultural and linguistic diversity, and geographic location.
(d) The Students at Educational Risk in Public Schools policy states that principals and teaching staff will provide parents with ongoing, accurate and relevant information about their child’s progress.