Context

Leading Learning 4 All complements the elements contained within the Australian Professional Standard for Principals and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and relate directly to existing legislation, policy and practice in Australian schools.

Opportunities are provided to:

• Assess progress and challenges in making learning accessible for all
• Reflect on, and refine, an inclusive vision for your school
• Consider a range of start points to grow the concept of a community of inclusive learning practice
• Link to the Australian Professional Standards
• Access reference material to inform thinking

4Leaders Moving Forward

Your role is to create a school in which all students become ‘successful learners, confident creative individuals and active informed citizens’ (The Melbourne Declaration, 2008). This means that the needs and expectations of students with disability and additional learning needs should be fully considered in all decision-making.

School leaders do this by developing ‘communities of inclusive learning practice’ in which they:

• Encourage innovative actions to enable a greater diversity of learners to be successful members of their school community
• Spearhead the development of whole-school policies geared to the needs and aspirations of all students
• Model positive approaches to students with disability and additional learning needs
• Initiate school review procedures to identify gaps in practice
• Demonstrate a capacity to be flexible in responding to policy imperatives
• Champion professional reflection to enable greater empathy with students with disability and additional learning needs.

Model of Professional Practice

The Model of Professional Practice within the Australian Professional Standard for Principals, centres on a ‘plan and act, review and respond approach’, which will be highly familiar to many school leaders. The model captures the concept of continuous improvement, as well as the idea of different levels of analysis and actions based on context and the assumptions that underpin actions. A more comprehensive explanation can be found in the resource section of the website.

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The Moral Imperative

In Australia there is a requirement that all students with disability and additional learning needs are included in schools. This requirement is articulated both in law and in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. These state that teachers must identify and use strategies that differentiate learning for students with disability and additional learning needs (Standard 1.5), understand the legislation with regard to students with disability and additional learning needs (Standard 1.6), and support the inclusive participation and engagement of students with disability and additional learning needs (Standard 4.1).

All teachers should have the opportunity to demonstrate their professional capabilities mapped against the Standards in their daily practice. This is an important starting point, reinforcing that Leading Learning 4 All is everybody’s daily work.

The inclusion of all students is important.

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Global and National Policy

• The Australian Professional Standard for Principals explicitly specifies that access to learning is the right of all Australian students.
• Addressing fundamental rights demonstrates Australia’s commitment to both the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
• Ensures alignment with Commonwealth legislation including that relating to Human Rights, Disability Discrimination, Disability Standards for Education, Work Health and Safety, Children and Young People.
• The net financial cost to Australia of failing to address the educational needs of students with disabilities and additional learning needs is significant.
• A national alignment with international practices in inclusive education maintains Australia’s global position as a leading nation of educational, social and welfare innovation.