AISWA Membership Benefits

The following is information that you might find of interest in your consideration of membership of the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia.

What does AISWA Membership provide for your School?

AISWA's member services are constantly under review to ensure that the best possible breadth of service is available. AISWA has recently reviewed how it levies subscriptions, which has resulted in a more equitable distribution of cost amongst members. We believe that these changes alone make membership of AISWA more advantageous than ever for Independent schools.  

Membership of AISWA will give you access to all member services (including industrial advice and representation at hearings and conferences) and inclusion on the distribution list for AISWA's email service, electronic information bulletins and access to the wide variety of professional learning offered by AISWA. It also entitles you to access, at significantly reduced prices, to Microsoft software and Curriculum Corporation materials (AISWA negotiated a 30% discount on SCIS library cataloguing software for member schools).

Access to the industrial service and discounts on these purchases alone can save a small school the cost of an average annual membership fee.

Resources

AISWA provides two online manuals as guides for member schools and which are updated on a regular basis:

Governance Fact Sheets

A collection of fact sheets designed for new and existing governing body members to help put into practise the many principles of governance. The range of issues covered is varied from the importance of strategic planning to how to read a balance sheet.

Policies and Procedures Guidelines for Schools 

This file is designed to assist an Independent school when developing policies or procedures for a range of important issues affecting a school. Topics range from "Complaints Procedures" and "Family Court" to "Child Protection" and "Excursions, Incursions, Camps and Tours". 

AISWA Membership and National and State Representation

AISWA is a non-profit organisation established in 1962 that is regarded by Federal and State Governments and non-government organisations to represent and promote the interests of independent schools in Western Australia. It is continually called on by Government and education authorities to represent Independent schools and has representatives on most major committees dealing with primary and secondary school matters. 

AISWA regularly consults with its members for their views on major educational issues to ensure that these are reflected in submissions and responses to enquiries and reports including State and Commonwealth funding issues, the Review of Funding and the Australian Curriculum.

AISWA has representatives on the Teacher Registration Board (TRB) and the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) and also on a wide variety of State and National committees and working groups.

Briefing the Board Conference

AISWA conducts an annual conference entitled 'Briefing the Board' which is generally held late March-early April. The conference is designed for Principals, Governing Board Members and Senior Staff.

Each year, a wide variety of workshops topics are included in the conference program. Previous years' Briefing the Board Conference workshops have included:

Conference Workshop Examples
Briefing the Board
Australian Curriculum
ICT and New Technologies
School Improvement: Analysis and Discussion of Data
Australian Professional Standards
Industrial Update
School Registration Update
Building a Performance Development Culture
Mandatory Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse
Separate Homes and Separated Families
Customising the School Improvement Tool
Marketing and Communication
Supporting Adventurous Play
Disability Discrimination Act
National Quality Standards
Teacher Registration Board and the AITSL Agenda
Duty of Care and Critical Incidents
Nature Play / Outdoor Education
Current Trends in Education
Effective Boards and Board Appraisals
Risk Management for Beginners
The Business of Education for Board Members
Federal Initiatives Update (Students with Disabilities)
School Constitutions
Financially Fit Boards
School Finances 

Professional Learning

AISWA also conducts a wide variety of Seminars and Professional Learning (PL) for teachers on curriculum, occupational safety and health, legal issues, copyright, current issues affecting independent schools and other sessions of particular relevance to board members, principals and teachers. As a member school, the vast majority of these seminars or PD sessions attended by employees and board members are inclusive of the school's membership fee.  From time to time, a small registration fee may be incurred to cover costs such as speaker fees, venue and/or equipment hire, and catering.

Other major conferences and events are also held throughout the year including the Aboriginal Independent Community Schools (AICS) Conference, cross-sectoral and area/program specific conferences such as the Inclusive Education Conference and the Future Footprints Expo.

Information that can be supplied to you, upon request, in addition to that available on this website is:

AISWA Annual Report

The most recent AISWA Annual report can be downloaded from the AISWA website.