Information Statement
Purpose of the Curriculum Council
The Curriculum Council is an independent statutory authority that is responsible to the Minister for Education and Training. The Council meets regularly to determine curriculum directions for kindergarten to Year 12 education in Western Australia and to provide direction for the development, accreditation and assessment of senior secondary school courses. The Council’s work is directed by education experts and academics and supported by extensive consultation. A supporting secretariat implements decisions made by the Council.
This information summary is published by the Council in accordance with the requirements of Section 94 of the Freedom of Information Act 1992. The Council is pleased to comply with this requirement and welcomes enquiries under the Freedom of Information Act. An updated information summary will be published every 12 months on the Council’s website.
- Policy and administrative documents
The Council policy and administrative documents are as follows:- accounting manual
- annual financial accounts
- annual reports
- budget statements
- Council agendas
- Council minutes
- Curriculum Council statistics book
- examiners' reports
- financial reports
- information brochures
- policy documents, including:
- EEO & Diversity Plan 2007-2010
- Disability Access & Inclusion Plan 2007-2011
- Sustainability Action Plan 2005-2007
- standing committee agendas
- standing committee minutes
- strategic plan
- syllabus manuals
These documents are available for public inspection/or sale, by arrangement, at the Council’s offices at 27 Walters Drive, Osborne Park between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday. Members of the public may also purchase copies of some of the documents at reception. Wherever possible, an appointment to inspect specific documents should be made by contacting the director of corporate services.
With prior notice, all documents can be made available in alternate formats, including large print, electronic format (disc or email), audio or braille.
- Structure and functions of the Council
The Council consists of 13 members:
(i)
a chairperson is appointed by the Minister
(ii)
the Chief Executive Officer
(iii)
11 other persons appointed by the Minister
- Of the persons appointed under (iii):
(a)
three are, in the opinion of the Minister, to have experience and expertise in industry, education or community affairs;
(b)
two are to be nominated by the chief executive officer of the Department of Education;
(c)
one is nominated by the Catholic Education Commission;
(d)
one is nominated by the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia;
(e)
one is nominated by the chief executive as defined in the Vocational Education and Training Act 1996;
(f)
one is nominated by either:
the chief executive officer of Curtin University of Technology;
the chief executive officer of Edith Cowan University;
the vice-chancellor of Murdoch University;
the vice-chancellor of the University of Western Australia; or
the vice-chancellor of the University of Notre Dame Australia,
as determined by the Minister;(g)
one is a representative of the interests of teachers and is to be appointed on the recommendation of the State School Teachers’ Union of Western Australia and the Independent Schools Salaried Officers’ Association; and
(h)
one is to be a representative of the interests of parents of children attending school and is to be appointed on the recommendation of the Western Australian Council of State School Organisations (Inc.) and the Parents and Friends’ Federation of Western Australia (Inc.)
- The Council is to ensure that:
(a)
each school receives free of charge a hard copy of the most recent curriculum framework approved by the Council; and
(b)
the current framework is made available to the public in any manner the Council thinks fit.
- The Curriculum Council of Western Australia sets curriculum policy directions for kindergarten to Year 12 schooling in WA. The Council was established in 1997 as a consultative body to drive major educational reform throughout the State and provide critical education services. It superseded the Secondary Education Authority.
The Council serves:
- Students from Kindergarten to Year 12 in every school (government and non-government) in WA and their teachers.
- Parents, school administrators, representative bodies of the educational sector and systems, including the Department of Education and Training (DET), the Catholic Education Office (CEO) and the Association of Independent Schools of WA (AISWA), training institutions and universities, and the community of Western Australia.
- Standing committees of the Council
The major committees of the Council are:- Aboriginal Advisory Committee
- Curriculum Framework Committee
- Senior Secondary Education Committee
The minutes from these committees form part of the agenda papers for the monthly Council meeting. The standing committees are supported by the committees, groups and working parties listed in the Curriculum Council organizational chart in the 2006/07 annual report.
- Delegation
The chief executive officer and other officers have approval from the Council to make decisions on a number of specified administrative and policy matters. These delegations are listed in the Curriculum Council accounting manual.
- Public participation
Members of the public (defined as students, parents, teachers, staff of tertiary institutions, employers and interested members of the general public) may be affected by the decisions made by the Council in the areas of the Curriculum Framework syllabus changes, certification, assessment procedures and tertiary entrance examinations. Members of the public are able to put forward their views to the Council either by contacting the community representatives of the various committees or by writing to the chief executive officer of the Curriculum Council.
- Community consultation
The Council consists of all major stakeholders in education, except students. Students' needs are, however, the primary concern of all sectors represented. All members of the Council have the opportunity to participate both in decisions at the Council level and in policy development on other committees and ad-hoc working parties where appropriate.
- Access to council documents
It should be noted that there are no library facilities available to the general public.
Services available to individuals at cost:- Curriculum Framework documents
- Teacher support materials
- Duplicate copies of State certificates issued at Year 10 or Year 12.
- Results check of TEE subjects (time limit for request applies)
- Statement of question/section marks awarded in TEE (time limit for request applies)
- Equivalence statements
- Past TEE papers
- Solutions to past TEE papers in a variety of subjects
These documents can be purchased at the Council between 8am and 5pm on weekdays.
- Other information requests
Requests for other information, not shown above, will be considered in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 1992. Applications will be processed in accordance with the approved Freedom of Information internal manual. Should applicants require copies of any documents inspected pursuant to a Freedom of Information request, the charges structure set out in the Freedom of Information regulations (1993) will apply. It should be noted that some documents are for viewing only and documents cannot be copied which would breach the Copyright Act 1968.
Freedom of Information requests should be addressed to:
The Freedom of Information Officer
Director Corporate Services
Curriculum Council
27 Walters Drive
OSBORNE PARK WA 6017
Applications will be responded to as soon as possible within 45 days of the Council receiving a request, together with the application and search fees. (Note: If an application is lodged with an agency by post, it is to be regarded as having been lodged with the agency at the end of the fifth day after it was posted.)
- Amendment of Council records
The Council amends its records on the formal advice of schools.
A member of the public may gain access to Council documents to seek amendments concerning their personal records by making a request in accordance with Part 3 of the Freedom of Information Act. A member of the public may then request a correction to any information about themselves that is incomplete, incorrect or misleading.
To gain access to these Council records, a member of the public must make a request as indicated above, outlining the records that he/she wishes to inspect.
(Updated October 2007)
