Parliamentary Inquiry into the State Education System in Victoria
I recently collaborated with other members of Square Peg Round Whole (SPRW) to write a substantial submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the State Education System in Victoria. This inquiry looked at trends in student learning outcomes, disparities associated with geography and socio-economic disadvantage; the state of the teaching profession, and student well being, including measures to address poor mental health, school refusal and student disengagement. In writing this submission it became clear that Victoria is in desperate need for educational reform that is based around inclusive education, especially when it comes to supporting Neurodivergent students.
Our submission raised concerns regarding multiple systemic barriers that are impacting on neurodivergent students in Victoria. Ableism and the inaccessibility that arises because of assumptions and misconceptions about disability are at the heart of these barriers. It is only once the misconceptions of educators and administrators in Victorian schools are addressed that students will feel safe and secure, and better equipped to succeed at school.[i] Despite the widespread controversy and criticism towards traditional behaviour management practices[ii] Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is promoted within the Victorian school system as the best approach for responding to any behavioural issues. Behaviourism-based frameworks are known to diminish feelings of safety and trust which are vital for learning and can cause long-term mental harm especially for neurodivergent people.[iii]
Expulsion and suspension are used disproportionately against students with disability. This is in large part due to a lack of accommodations and support, as well as a fundamental lack of understanding of dysregulation and the needs of students with disability.[iv] Despite informal segregation being against department guidelines, these practices are still regularly experienced by students with disability and have a harmful impact on development and mental health. Informal segregation is when requests by the school school, often under the guise of “what’s best for the child,” such as reduced attendance plans, and being refused attendance at school events, camps and excursions.
As part of our submission we fully supported The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability[v] recommendation from Commissioners Barbara Bennett, Rhonda Galbally and Alastair McEwin that the federal, state and territory governments should acknowledge inclusive education, as required by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, cannot coexist with special or segregated education in the long term and therefore and should seek to phase out “special” or segregated education by 2051.
We also recommended Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS)[vi] model of care, developed and practised by child psychologist and behaviour expert Dr Ross Greene. CPS is student-centred and is focused on collaborating with an individual student to identify the problems causing any challenging behaviours and finding solutions which meet everyone’s needs. When implemented with integrity, CPS is culturally sensitive, trauma-responsive, and neuro-affirming, making it a universally appropriate solution that can be delivered within existing frameworks. This model is endorsed by Reframing Autism, who state that “the CPS model answers many of the charges laid against the current reliance on PBS as a behaviour support model.”[vii]
Our report also highlighted that in addition to having the opportunity to improve the quality of teaching and learning, school leadership teams also have a powerful impact in shaping the wellbeing of all members of the school community.[viii] It has been found that if the principal and senior leadership team were not supportive of including students with disability, this shaped the culture of an entire school and impacted the experience of students with disability.[ix] Becoming a more inclusive school often requires significant shifts in school values, culture, practices, and organisational systems; thus, leadership is critical to ensuring sustainable inclusive change in schools. School leaders are highly influential figures whose values, beliefs and actions directly affect the culture of the school, expectations of staff, and school operations.[x] It is critical that school leaders are committed to embodying inclusive principles, establishing and modelling a standard of behaviour that promotes the development of inclusion within the school community.
We are hopeful that the recent report from The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability together with the findings of this Inquiry when they are released will create the momentum that is needed for significant educational reform including a phasing out of segregated education settings as we move towards fully inclusive education.
The full report submitted by SPRW can be found here: submission-documents/209.-square-peg-round-whole-victoria
References:
[i] Saggers B, Klug D, Harper-Hill K, Ashburner J, Costley D, Clark T, Bruck S, Trembath D, Webster AA & Carrington S, 2018, ‘Australian autism educational needs analysis – What are the needs of schools, parents and students on the autism spectrum?’ Full report and executive summary, version 2. Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism, Brisbane
[ii] Kurt S, 2022, ‘Behaviorism: Key Terms, History, Theorists, Criticisms, and Implications for Teaching’. Educational Technology, https://educationaltechnology.net/behaviorism-key-terms-history-theorists-criticisms-and-implications-for-teaching/
[iii] Reframing Autism, ‘WA Education Inquiry Into Support for Autistic Children and Young People in Schools’, https://reframingautism.org.au/wa-education-inquiry-into-support-for-autistic-children-and-young-people-in-schools/
[iv] Education Today, 2020, ‘Disabled students face exclusion from education’, https://www.educationtoday.com.au/news-detail/Disabled-students-face-exclusion-from-education-5101
[v] Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability 2023, Final Report: Volume 7 – Inclusive Education, Employment and Housing, https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/final-report-volume-7-inclusive-education-employment-and-housing
[vi] https://livesinthebalance.org/our-solution/
[vii] Reframing Autism, ‘WA Education Inquiry Into Support for Autistic Children and Young People in Schools’, https://reframingautism.org.au/wa-education-inquiry-into-support-for-autistic-children-and-young-people-in-schools/
[viii] Centre for Social Impact (CSI), 2023, ‘New research reveals leadership practices to improve school community wellbeing’, https://www.csi.edu.au/news/new-research-reveals-leadership-practices-to-improve-school-community-wellbeing/
[ix] Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability 2023, Final Report: Volume 7 – Inclusive Education, Employment and Housing, https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/final-report-volume-7-inclusive-education-employment-and-housing
[x] Jarvis JM, McMillan JM, Bissaker K, Carson KL, Davidson J & Walker PM, 2020, Inclusive School Communities Project: Final Evaluation Report. Research in Inclusive and Specialised Education (RISE), Flinders University.
