Membership of the association is open to Independent Schools that are registered by the State Government and are not for profit. The educational aims, the philosophy of the school and its policies and practices must be consistent with those of the association as outlined in its Vision and Mission statements and the Member's Code of Conduct.
Membership of the association resides in the Employer of Labour at the school; in general, this is the Governing Body (usually the Board).
To be eligible for membership, schools must be located in Western Australia and provide full-time tuition, with adequate staff and equipment, up to at least the completion of the first year of primary education (Pre-Primary).
Not sure if your school is an AISWA Member? View a list of our Member schools.
Employees of Member Schools are 'Members' by association, while employed at the school.
- Application for Membership
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If you are interested in applying for membership you will need to complete the online AISWA Membership Application form.
Upon lodgement, your completed application form will be processed by the Secretariat for consideration by the Board of AISWA as per the Approval Protocol; however, if required, AISWA may be able to make full services available to the school upon receipt of the application form, once eligibility for membership has been confirmed.
Questions regarding membership categories and applicable fee information should be directed to the AISWA Membership Secretary via email.
- Membership Code of Conduct
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Membership means that schools are independent, that they are registered and that they aspire to principles of good practice. The members of AISWA are Independent Schools in Western Australia. Independent Schools are schools which:
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are registered under Section 160 of the School Education Act 1999;
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provide full-time tuition with adequate staff;
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are not run for profit; and
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are not administered by or on behalf of the Government of Western Australia.
A school is eligible to apply for membership of AISWA provided it satisfies the criteria for admission to membership under clause 5.2 of the AISWA Constitution. Registration of a school requires that the school:
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is incorporated under the Associations Incorporations Act or otherwise provides evidence of the school’s not-for-profit status;
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is responsible and ethical in the use of public monies provided for the education of students;
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has an appropriate governance structure defined by a constitution; and
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can demonstrate that it has policies and procedures in place that will enable the school to meet the requirements of the School Education Act 1999 and the School Education Regulations 2000.
In serving their communities, member schools should aspire to high standards of school governance by basing their policies and procedures on principles of good practice and demonstrating:
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the setting of strategic direction for the school;
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ethical decision-making to ensure that decisions are well informed and transparent;
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accountability for the financial viability of the school in order to ensure that the school can deliver the education offered to students to support the school’s mission;
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awareness by school committee members, board members and governors of their roles and responsibilities and those of management;
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accountability for the governance standards of the school;
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responsible management of the school; and
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sound employment practices at the school and the effective use of government funding.
Inherent in accepting membership of AISWA is an acceptance by a school as a member, it has a responsibility to ensure that no action by the school should bring AISWA and its other members into disrepute.
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- Advice, Communications + Discounts
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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.
- Governance Resources
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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. Go to the Guidelines in the Member Portal.
Policies and Procedures Guidelines for Schools
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". Go to the Policies and Procedures in the Member Portal.
- National + State Representation
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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.
- AISWA Leaders Conference (Briefing the Board)
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AISWA conducts an annual sector-oriented Leaders Conference (ex- 'Briefing the Board' conference) which is generally held April/May. 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' Conference workshops have included:
Australian Curriculum
Aust Professional Standards
Nature Play
Adventurous Play
TRBWA and AITSL
Nat. Quality Standards
School Registration Update
Critical Incidents
Duty of Care
Industrial Update
Marketing + Comms
Risk Management
Disability Discrimination
Mandatory Reporting
Separated Families
School Improvement
Performance Devt
School Finances
- Professional Learning
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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:
- A current AISWA Member Schools booklet
- Recent AISWA publications
- Information on and publications from our national body, the Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA)
- A current AISWA Member Schools booklet
Image: Scotch College students