31 Jan 2020

Principals call for more support when students are excluded

From Morning Report, 8:41 am on 31 January 2020

Some school principals are calling for more and consistent support when students are excluded. They say the way students are dealt with after being suspended will leave already at-risk students worse off.

The Education Act is being reviewed, and despite discussions about the need for better support, as it stands school principals will have 10 days to find another school for suspended students, before the case gets passed on to the Secretary for Education.

That's worrying principals who say, if it is enforced, it will lead to a poorer outcome for both students and schools.

Deidre Shea is a principal, and the president of the Secondary Principals Association.